COVID-19 Update on Feb 17, 2021 via New York Times.

Bar chart of US daily COVID-19 cases from March 2020 to February 2021 peaking near 300000 in January 2021 then decliningBar chart of new U.S. COVID-19 deaths by day from March 2020 to February 2021, peaking near 4000 in January 2021.Line chart showing US Covid-19 hospitalizations from March 2020 to February 2021, peaking near 130,000 in January 2021 then declining.

Day 17 of the February Photoblogging Challenge: Still

Had to use my library today. Grand Tetons. Mt. Moran from Oxbow Bend.

Mt. Moran and the Grand Tetons reflected in the still water of Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Wyoming

Day 16 of the February Photoblogging Challenge: Erudite.

Erudite vibe.

Large plywood bookshelf unit with colorful sliding doors in orange, red, and blue, filled with books, a record player, and decorative objects.

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Museum

Today we visited the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Museum in Joshua Tree. We weren’t familiar with Purifoy, but his background is very impressive and the outdoor museum he created here is unique, interesting, and a little confusing. We spent a while walking around and taking pictures. We didn’t read up about Purifoy until we left which we actually liked since it allowed us to see the art “as is”.

Skull Rock Trail

After hiking Ryan Mountain Trail and checking out the famous Skull Rock, we decided to take a hike amongst the giant rocks along Skull Rock Trail.

GPS route map of Skull Rock Trail winding through rocky desert terrain, colored yellow-orange to show pace or elevation changes, with a green start marker in the upper right.

The kids had a fabulous time running and climbing up the rocks while I anxioulsy watched worrying someone might fall. 🤷‍♂️

Day 15 of the February Photoblogging Challenge: Reflection.

Reflection, self-portrait.

Man in an orange shirt reflected in a mirrored surface amid a jumble of metal structures in a desert yard

Skull Rock in Joshua Tree National Park.

Large granite boulder naturally eroded into the shape of a skull face, Joshua Tree National Park desert landscape behind it.

Ryan Mountain Trail Hike

Today we got up early and were on the trail at 8am to hike to the top of Ryan Mountain in Joshua Tree National Park.

Satellite aerial view of a winding hiking trail marked in yellow and green ascending a rocky desert mountain ridge toward a red location pin at the base.

We hit the trail and were thinking it would be warming up so we had shorts and just shirts on. Immediately we saw people with snowjackets, hats, gloves. I’m not sure who was dressed right, but one of us picked wrong. It was mostly us.

The way up was a 1,000 foot ascent that was pretty much non-stop. It was strenuous but that also made it a great accomplishment when we got to the top!

Day 14 of the February Photoblogging Challenge: Compassion.

I struggled to get a photo for this one. I ended up having the kids pose for me as the sun was setting by Joshua Tree, CA.

Two children holding hands facing a desert sunset, Joshua trees and scrubby brush in the background, black and white photo

We did the Titanic Room at Escape Room Palm Springs today. They isolate everyone so it’s as safe as can be. It was a fun room, it not a bit easy. We finished in 44 min 29 sec and didn’t ask for any clues!

This frame they had on the wall made me chuckle. Room 33!

A framed hole punched in a drywall wall, labeled Fragile Masculinity by Anonymous 2017, from the Escape Room Palm Springs Art Collection.