I packed up some water and headed out for a big hike deeper into the dunes. My destination was the stand of ponderosas.

At the edge of the dunes, the vegetation was still thick, but it would quickly thin out.

Note that this is an entirely black bee. All the yellow is pollen!

Wow! That is some really impressive camouflage!

Something little

A bit bigger

Evidence of things that did make it...

... and of things yet to come

The buggies from earlier roared about.

With drivers hidden behind thick goggles and face masks, it had a very Road Warrior feel.

It wasn't too long before I arrived at the trees. It was indeed impressive to see a small forest surrounded by sand!

Now that that mission was accomplished, I turned my sites toward Crescent Dune.

Next stop... the dune top!

Aha! The secret is revealed to some of the stranger tracks I had been seeing.

This tiny bug is almost a perfect clone of the tiny rocks around it.

It was indeed a steep, slippery climb in the loose sand!

A smiling cloud bunny encourages me to continue.

The view from the top. It was definitely windy up here.

Looking down the valley between the Moquith and Moccasin mountains

I then decided to visit the Vermillion Cliffs but on the way I got distracted by a large set of prints. I followed them for a while but eventually they circled back so I gave up the chase.

Following the tracks

There was an incredible amount of trash. I picked up as much as I could but eventually my small pack was stuffed full.

The smell of sage filled the air!

Approaching the cliffs

I found myself on an established OHV track and followed it for a bit. I was hoping to stumble across the slot canyon but no luck.

Life survives...

... in spite of the harsh conditions.