My wanderings in the desert have admittedly often been in the comfort of our Subaru, named Mather for the first director of the US National Park Service. But I've also done significant day hiking in the parks featured here, carrying lots of water and planning for the right times of day and year. I almost had my camera fall down into the Grand Canyon, as I had set it on a lightweight tripod, and a gust of desert wind blew it over the railing! Fortunately, it landed on a shelf just below the rim, and I was able to rescue it. 

Deserts are often thought of as undifferentiated piles of sand. But deserts, like glaciers, are full of fascinating features. Wind carves shapes in the rocks and dunes, sometimes such extreme shapes as hoodoos. Wind and water erosion together form beautiful badlands, exposing minerals in different shades. Here, you will see some exciting and unexpected treasures of these arid environments.