Snowy mountain above salt flats, Death Valley NP, California
I love winter, and I love snow. But when Claudia and I learned that our house might get two or more feet of snow during the last weekend of February we knew things might get difficult.
We’ve lived in our house in Mariposa since 2005, and several times have received eight inches of snow, and once even got ten inches. Our road and driveway don’t get plowed, and feature a couple of steep hills, but with high clearance and four-wheel-drive we can get in and out with eight or ten inches of snow. But not more than that. With two feet of snow we’d be stuck for awhile.
And with that much snow lots of trees and limbs were bound to fall, taking out power lines, so we’d probably also be without electricity. We have a generator, but if we couldn’t go out and get more fuel for it we’d have to use the generator sparingly.
Being stuck at home without power for perhaps a week or more didn’t sound like much fun, so we decided to escape and make an impromptu road trip. We ended up going to Death Valley, Zion, Valley of Fire, and Lone Pine.
It turned into a great trip. Our first stop was Death Valley, where we got to experience an uncommon event for the driest place in North America: rain. We saw clouds, mist, salt flats filled with water, and lots of snow in the surrounding mountains, giving them an alpine look that you don’t often see. It was fun to experience and photograph, and I’ve included a selection of photos here from during and after the storm in Death Valley. I’ll post photos from the rest of our trip later.
We’re back home now. While we were gone our neighborhood got close to three feet of snow, and there was still 15 inches of very wet snow on the ground in places when we returned. Lots of limbs came down, and the power went out three times, for a total of about four days. Most of our neighbors were stuck in place for the better part of a week. But everyone is safe and sound, with no major damage to structures.
When we first returned home we had to park at the bottom of our long driveway, but heavy rain over the last couple of days has melted most of the snow, and with our neighbor’s help we were able to clear a large downed branch from the driveway, so we can now get in and out normally. Almost all the live oaks on our property have either toppled or lost branches, so things are a mess. (Live oaks are evergreen, and not designed to handle that much snow.) But our house escaped damage, so we were lucky. Many people around the state have suffered much worse. It’s been quite a winter!
— Michael Frye
Snowy peak in the Panamint Range, Death Valley NP, California
Peak and clouds above salt flats, Death Valley NP, California
Dappled light, Death Valley NP, California
Badlands, clouds, and distant salt flats, Death Valley NP, California. Note the water in the salt flats in the middle distance.
Dappled light and reflections in flooded salt flats, Death Valley NP, California
Our neighbor took this photo of our Subaru covered in snow. This is by far the most snow we’ve seen at our Mariposa house.
Fallen limbs covering our deck
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Related Posts: Desert Designs; Wind, Dust, and Light in Death Valley
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
I’m glad you and Claudia escaped in time to go on a road trip, got some great new photographs and came home to an undamaged house. I’ve also had the most snow at my North Coast location I’ve ever seen in my 27 years here. I was snow bound for over a week but well prepared
Thanks Brad. It seems that many places in California got record snowfall with the cold and wet storms we got at the end of February and beginning of March. Glad you were well prepared!
Good to hear that your house was undamaged and everyone is safe and well. It’s a shame about the oaks.
These pictures are wonderful; the light looks to have been wonderful. I’d wondered how Death Valley fared with the storms
Thanks Doug. Death Valley can be a great place to photograph in a storm… as long as they don’t get too much rain and roads get washed out. There were some roads closed there after this storm.
Glad everything is fine!!! Been a crazy winter for California! Awesome pics by the way!
Thanks Karl, and yes, it has been a crazy winter!
I was thinking of you and Claudia with all the snow and rain hitting your area! It’s amazing to see Death Valley so wet. Glad your house is fine. I’m looking forward to seeing more photos from your trip,
Thank you Vivienne!
Michael I am glad you and family are well. Here in Hollister rivers are overflowing, and roads are closed for a day or two. I love the rain and water, but this year has been an incredible one.
Thanks Martin, and I hope your area isn’t too further affected by the next storm.
Hi Michael, it’s good to hear you and Claudia are doing well and your neighbors as well. You had a good plan to escape! Your images from Death Valley are wonderful, very atmospheric.
Thank you Gina!
Very happy to hear that you, Claudia, and your house made it through that unprecedented snow-pocalypse unharmed.
And you managed to get in some photography-related travel to fill your time and keep you out of harm’s way, though I am sure it was still a worry for you.
Thanks very much Martin!
I’ve been longing to be in Death Valley lately. What I’m seeing from my former home in Deep Springs Valley is astounding. So glad you got to be down that way, and the images are wonderful! And very glad your home is okay – lots of anxiety for my friends an acquaintances in the Sierra right now.
Thanks Jackson, and I hope your friends are okay.