Exploring Death Valley

With temperatures so high in the afternoons in Death Valley, we planned an early start today so we could do most of our sightseeing in the morning. We didn’t fancy spending $22 per person on a buffet breakfast when we only wanted something quite light, so were pleased that there is also a coffee shop at the Ranch where we got decent cappuccinos and OK muffins before setting out.

Badwater Basin

Our first visit was to Badwater Basin as I knew the walk out on to the salt flats would be best done early in the day. This is the lowest point in North America at 282 feet (86 metres) below sea level.

A short boardwalk leads from the parking lot on to the flats, but like most people we walked quite a bit further as the nearest part was still in the shadow of the mountain behind us.

Our aim was to reach the area lit by the sun, which we did. It was much better here for photography, not just of the vast expanse of salt but also details of the tiny crystals.

By the time we had taken our photos the sun had of course risen higher and the area of bright sunlight was considerably larger than it had been, so it was a much warmer walk back to the car!

When we got back to the start of the walk we found a pretty bird (a warbler of some sort, I believe) hopping around, and some lovely reflections in the pools of water collected on the salt flats.

We then drove back the way we had come. The road that had been in deep shade earlier was now more brightly lit so we stopped a couple of times for photos.

Artist's Drive

On our way back from the salt flats we detoured on to this one-way loop which leads through some of the more colourful hills, reflecting the different minerals in the rocks.

We stopped a couple of times for photos, once quite early on at a small pull-out and once at the main stop, Artist's Palette.

Golden Canyon

We made a fairly brief stop at the Golden Canyon trailhead. It was getting hotter now and we didn’t fancy the full two-mile walk, but we did go a little way into the canyon for a few photos.

Dante’s View

We then drove out to Dante’s View, about an hour from Furnace Creek. The road wound upwards and as we climbed we noticed the temperature gauge in the car dropping – from 86F at the bottom of the road to 75F at the top. When we got out of the car we loved this more moderate temperature and the pleasant breeze, so we decided to walk out along the point of land leading from the parking area.

The views across the valley were stunning and I took far too many photos!

We were surprised to see dragonflies up here, miles from any water!

From here we drove back to the hotel as it was becoming a bit too hot to enjoy being out of the car for any length of time (93F). We went to the ice cream parlour in lieu of lunch, then visited the Oasis Shoppe which specialises in Western merchandise. I found a pretty necklace, too expensive to be a regular holiday souvenir but perfect for Chris to buy for my upcoming birthday!

We then went back to our room to cool off, check messages and relax a bit. A bit later in the afternoon we went out for a short walk to see more of the hotel grounds, including the displays of borax mining equipment. The old trains made for some interesting photos but it was still too hot to want to be outside for long.

In the evening we again went to the Last Kind Words Saloon. We didn’t have to wait long for a table, but it got very busy and as our table was near the door we were often surrounded by other customers queuing to be served, which made it less than relaxing. On the plus side my salmon was beautifully cooked and my baked potato huge!

The bar area was full when we finished our meal so rather than try to get a drink there, we bought a couple of cans in the general store and enjoyed them sitting out on our terrace.