Speaking of wildflowers, we set off for Death Valley the next day. This lowest spot in the U.S. has a bad reputation, which it deserves most of the year. But in this early spring following unusually heavy rains, we were treated to a breath-taking, once-in-a-lifetime display of wildflowers. In the summer, the valley is so hot that you can literally fry an egg on a rock. But with the rain and mild spring temperatures, the hillsides were carpeted with wonderful displays of purple, blue, orange, red, pink, and white.

On this trip we went from the highest elevation of 9000 feet to 300 feet below sea level, all tracked and reported along the way by Co-Pilot Live. You really don’t need an altimeter in the desert if you know your plant zones. For example, the piñon/juniper zone occurs from 5000-7500 feet above sea level. Then the Ponderosa pines take over. In the lower altitudes barrel cactus, ocotillo, and saguaros all have their zones as well. Still, it was nice to have CoPilot Live give me the precise altitude.