The Valley of Death

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The Valley of Death

We took the long barren road into Death Valley, via Badwater and all the other viewpoints that we decided we would visit the next day and headed all the way up to Stovepipe Wells to wander through the Mosaic canyon, before heading into the Mesquite Sand Dunes for sunset.

11/04/07 Early, Early start to catch sunrise at Badwater, so named when an early explorer’s mule/donkey/horse (can’t remember) refused to drink there. Badwater is the lowest place in North America at 86M (282ft) below sea level and has salt flats, which sit as a thin white crust over the mud. The moon and stars were still shining when we arrived and wandered amongst the delicate salt formations waiting for the sun to rise and hit the pink canyon walls to the West. We paused at the Natural Bridge and Devils Golf Course (another salt flat) and then followed the aptly named 9-mile Artists Drive to Artists Palette, which was, for us, the highlight of Death Valley. The American Park Network official guide describes Artists Palette as a place where “sea green, lemon yellow, periwinkle blue and salmon pink mineral deposits are splashed across the barren background like brilliant dabs of paint from a giant’s brush.”

Golden Canyon, so named for its golden coloured walls is a steady 2 mile trail between the canyon sides. It was more fun however to climb through the narrow galleys in the canyon walls up the steep sides, with views over Death Valley below. Our last stop was at Zabriskie Point, allegedly the name of a 1970’s film (I’ve never heard of it) with views over the Badlands area and then we headed into Pahrump, crossing the State Line into Nevada. Instantly we spied a small Casino hotel at the side of the road, as a small welcoming to the State, but we weren’t stopping cause an hour down the road was Sin city itself - Las Vegas!!!

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Photos

The Devils Golf Course
Salt Flats

Bed for Cowboys (or cowgirls)
At Stovepipe Wells