Death Valley National Park

Death Valley became a national monument in 1933 and is famed for being the hottest, lowest and driest location in the country.  The parched landscape rises into snow-capped mountains and is home to the Timbisha Shoshone people.

The park’s 3.4 million acres stretch across two states, California and Nevada. The highest elevation is the top of Telescope Peak at 11,049 feet and the lowest is -282 feet at Badwater Basin.

There is a lot to do and see in Death Valley …

Dantes View – the steep, elongated mountain ranges alternate with flat, dry desert valleys; the result of an intense stretching of the crust that has resulted in a series of north-south faults. Dante’s View is more than 5,000 feet above the valley floor; you can see across most of 110-mile long Death Valley.  The white salt flats below make up Badwater Basin.

Harmony Borax Works – A mining operation that dates back more than 120 years.  After prospectors found borax in 1881, William Tell Coleman built the harmony plant and began to process ore.  Operating at capacity, the Harmony Borax Works employed 40 men who produced three tons of borax daily.

The miners used the famed 20-mule teams to haul borax 165 miles to the railroad town of Mojave. The teams averaged two miles an hour and required about 30 days to complete a round-trip.  And to think I just open a box ….

 




Badwater Basin – With the Black Mountains in the background, Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America, at 282 ft below sea level.  You can see the salt flat from your vehicle, or take a short walk onto the salt flats.  Two to four thousand years ago the basin was the site of a 30-foot-deep lake that evaporated and left a one-to-five foot layer of salt in its wake.

 






Part of the reason for this stop in Death Valley was about seeing the desert flowers.  Alas, there are none.  The ranger explained that they have to have rain in October, which they didn't; it came too late for Death Valley to bloom.  The rain did, however, bring a super bloom to the Anza Borrego desert, where I am not.  Seems to be the norm for me since I started this lifestyle.  Not to fret - I have seen some amazing things - such as the above sights.