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This is the switchback where you drive straight in from the left and back up down the right. Fortunately the backup section wasn't as bad as the rest of it the road.
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The end of the backup section. The sign is written for people coming up the hill, not down it as I was.
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Looking back up the section for backing up. Not too bad, no?
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Continuing on down, there's this section with some little drops (of a foot or more)
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This is the last section to the bottom.
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The road from the bottom of Elephant Hill looks pretty easy to drive
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From further back up Elephant Hill, you can see mopre of the road that leads away and towards Devil's Kitchen primitive camp
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View from the top of Elephant Hill 4WD road.
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The Elephant Hill parking lot. The 4WD road is just below me, but it's not easy to see in this photo.
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When I got back to the parking area, this Range Rover (black) was starting up the hill. I didn't think it was going to go very far because he had just normal street tires.
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The Range Rover is almost to the top of the hill. He made it further than I thought he would. I would have liked to see if he made it down the far side, but time was pressing. He was creeping up the hill very, very slowly.
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The Big Spring Canyon Overlook from the end of the Scenic Drive.
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The Confluence Overlook Trail starts by dropping into Big Spring Canyon and climbing out the far side. I could hear people talking on the other side, but I couldn't see them, nor see where the trail went.
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The Confluence Overlook Trail is down there somewhere!
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Telephoto view of Island in the Sky from a small hill next to the Scenic Drive
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The start of the road to Lockhart Basin. This road is almost entirely outside of the park, a little east of it.
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Island in the Sky from Lockhart Basin Road
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The Needles Overlook is on the top of that cliff ahead of me
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Getting closer to the Needles Overlook
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Past the Needles Overlook and looking back at it
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Needles are visible in the very far distance.
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The blue sky showing through the gap in the cliff was striking!
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Looks like some kind of salt is leaching out of the ground here
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