So long, Penitente Canyon:

Transitioning from high desert to the mountains:

The dispersed camping location I had in mind was up this road:

Not a bad campsite:

I went for a motorcycle ride to explore the neighborhood:

Great first day in high Colorado:

See the trip map for today’s drive.

Sunrise at Cowley State Fishing Lake.  It feels like the trip starts today:

I hiked down to Cowley Waterfall:

More lake views:

I crossed into Oklahoma to motorcycle Kaw Lake:

The last stop of the day was Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge:

I ran the Eagle Roost Nature Trail:

Bird blind:

Another trail:

The last stop was the reason most people come to Salt Plains NWR: to dig for Selenite crystals.  The “road” out onto the salt flats was very rutted, so I parked here and decided to run the rest of the way:

I found an existing hole and continued working it:

I found dozens of Selenite crystals:

I overnighted at a gas station in Alva, Oklahoma.  See the trip map for today’s drive.

It’s too windy to fly today.  I went for a morning walk to the Glamis “stores”:

That RV is all alone, but by Friday there will be 200,000 people here with their off-road vehicles:

I took the motorcycle out and explored until I ran into the edge of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range:

I also ran into the edge of the Mesquite Mine:

Sunset at Glamis: