Caught up in this desert whirlwind!

It's been non-stop action since we arrived in Death Valley on Saturday afternoon. 

We start our days early, pick a direction, ride through miles of jaw-dropping landscapes, tuck into the slipstream of a friend to cut down on the headwind drag (there is always a headwind out here somewhere), grind it out to the top of the climbs and scream down the descents like we have wings.

Later, after we've Recoverite'd and recovered wrong, we may go back out to run through a canyon, hike to distant sand dunes, marvel at how stunt kites look like living things dancing in the sky under the expertise of their masters. We bask in the blazing hot afternoon sun, seeking shade.

Our small group likes to hang out together in the evening, gathering on the green lawn of the Furnace Creek oasis, devouring pizza and talking smack until the sun dips below the Panamints and the stars become the brightest things you've ever seen in any night sky.