Kathy - The wildflowers were just beginnning to bloom. The peak is expected in 2 to 3 weeks. It should be an average bloom, nothing like the vast fields of flowers in 2005. We saw some small desert golds here and there. The Daylight Pass road had a lot of small yellow and purple flowers along the edge.
EnFuego - The pupfish survive in water 3 times as salty as the ocean. It is astonishing that they make it in such a harsh environment.
lilbitmo - My knee braces are the Cho-Pat strap. They are supposed to stabilize the tendons. You can buy them over the internet at
http://www.cho-pat.com/. They seem to help. I spend a lot of gym time on the exercise bike to strangthen the quads. Strong quads protect the knees. I stretch the quads and hamstrings beore each hike and take 2 Aleve (not Motrin, Aleve lasts longer). As soon as possible after each hike, I fill 2 gallon baggies with ice and ice my knees for 45 minutes. Ice works!
