Hotter than a tandoori oven

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August, 10

We had an early start after Yosemite because we needed to get to Las Vegas to pick up my parents by 2pm and wanted to drive through Death Valley. Turns out the 266 mile trip can take 6-and-a-half hours so we set off at the crack of dawn.

Death Valley is the hottest place on earth and features the lowest point in the western hemisphere - 282ft below sea level. What a place. Firstly you can see the heat on the road almost like water shining in the distance. The times when we got out of the air conditioned comfort of the Dodge it was like stepping into an oven. I know people say this when they go on holiday or whatever but this was the real deal. Someone had tried to fry an egg on the road which didn't quite work but was getting there. It is like an all-enveloping heat that wraps around you. Strangely enough though it is quite a dry heat so we didn't feel sweaty as such but it felt like my skin was burning. I could practically see myself turning red even though I was wearing Factor 30. There are actually towns in Death Valley - I'm not sure how the people cope.

The landscape is pretty barren and very rocky. It's almost apocalyptic as though there is nothing else in the world because for as far as the eye can see it's just rock and windy roads. Totally surreal. Of course Simon had his temperature gauge with him but even though the mercury rocketed to over 40 degrees centigrade we couldn't stay out in the heat long enough to see what it would get up to.

The reason it takes so long to cover just 266 miles was because the speed limit in Death Valley drops to 15kmh. But the slow going allowed us to take in the place and feel like we were the only people in the world.

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Photos

Death Valley
The roads are pretty basic

Death Valley
"Oooh isn't it hot!"

Death Valley
This thermometer was in the shade.

Death Valley
Lowest place in the western hemisphere - a dried up lake.