Mosaic Canyon

We went to USA this time to visit Anand. at Santa Barbara. He took us to Yosemite, via part of Sequoia National park.

We started on 20th August 2011. A, my hubby and myself started in a rented Chevy. I prepared food for our road trip idlis with milagai podi, uppuma, curd rice, vetta kulambu rice, puliogarai rice, chapathis with alu curry and fruits.

Our plan was to go to Lone Pine, the base of Mount Whitney and go trekking and stay at the motel in Lone Pine for the night. Mt. Whitney is the Highest Peak in the United States outside Alaska.

The terrain on our way was wonderful. It kept changing, forcing us to take stops and enjoy the scenery . We stopped in between to have coffee and A told us , that if we deviate our route and travel 60 miles we can go into Death Valley and see the Mosaic Canyon.

I had visited Death Valley, ( which is so big that it is almost the size of a State in USA) about eight years ago from a different entrance and was fascinated by the Desert which once used to be a Sea Bed!

Oh it was a sea bed millions of years ago.

I had never known that I can love a place which is just a Desert and has nothing, for long long miles.

This time when A mentioned Death Valley immediately we agreed.

The moment we entered the Death Valley again, I could witness the serene nothingness.

The sun was scorching with temperature soaring to around 107 F that is more than 40 C. We stopped in between and ate our lunch inside the car as there was no shade what so ever .

I should mention here that lovely roads are built inside this nothingness and the whole area is preserved as it is part of their National Park.    In USA they call these places National Park and preserve and maintain it extremely  well. We proceeded further and parked the car at  the entrance of the Mosaic Canyon.

There is a narrow entrance and without expecting anything I just entered the Canyon. We walked into the Canyon and we had to climb up in the middle of the Canyon, both sides of which are high walls of natural rocks.

This was Simply Amazing and out of this world. Nature is at its best here and it was so beautiful.

Millions of years ago , there was a water body flowing in this narrow valley. Mosaic Canyon, ends up after a climb of two miles in a place where there was a water falls. We did not go till the end but went upto some distance.

The waters which had flown through this place has created a Natural Mosaic like features with two three types of Sedimentary Rocks overlapping each other in a haphazard way.   I could see Granite, Shining Marble , (polished by the flowing water) and Rocks which looked as if it was created by sands and pebbles embedded in it.

It looked as if Nature simply painted itself at its will and it was so much better than any man made object.

I could imagine water flowing in this place and was wondering how nice it is to walk here which once had a heavy water body .

Though it was a very very easy climb I was gasping for breath due to Sun and heat. Felt that I should go for check up in my next India trip.

We left the place after clicking away lots of pictures and on our way back we could see Sand Dunes forming its own design in the Desert.

We reached Lone Pine  late in the evening and we could see the Mt. Whitney from the windows of our room.     Lovely sight.
 I was told that the lowest point in North America is around less than 100 miles from here within the Death valley called Bad water which is 282 ft (86M) below Sea level.

This place was so different from Death Valley, green with so many tall trees around and what a magnificent sight to see Mount Whitney. After a hot bath went to bed after having an amazing day seeing such different sights.

First picture is of Mt. Whitney

Second one is of Sand dunes

The other two pictures of Mosaic Canyon.