An hour later, I step outside for a short walk around my new surroundings at Devil's Playground

Low sand dunes blanket this area and some of the fine sand blew into the tent overnight through its ventilation mesh. Soda Lake is visible in the distance here as it was from the hills above Indian Springs.

This is the kind of landscape that many people imagine when one speaks of the desert, even though most of the Mojave Desert is more rocky than sandy.

It's time to boil some water for coffee and get the day started!