December is not the best time to capture Milky Way in the northern hemisphere as the central, more dense, part of the galaxy is not visible. Here is an image with part of Milky Way above the small town of Borrego Springs in California.

The Slot Canyon hike in Anza Borrego Desert State Park is different than most of your regular hikes. This hike takes you through a very narrow canyon with walls rising high on either side. This picture was taken at sunset during our visit back in December 2013.