This is me ....
Something I've never had in a campground before ... my neighbor plays the bagpipes and is really good. That was enjoyable.
Keane Wonder Mine – the best example of a historic gold mine in the park with an intact aerial tramway. The three-mile road to the mine was very rough!
Ubehebe Crater – Hundreds of years ago, a massive volcanic explosion caused by Magna mixing with an underground spring left a 600 ft. deep crater. You can walk around the rim (1 ½ miles).
Views from the road
The only critter I saw while I've been here was a lone coyote and the occasional lizard.
A landscape of dark lava flows and volcanic cinders gives way to colorful layers of Rainbow Canyon.
There is a section of road on 190 west of Stovepipe Wells that is a fun,
fun drive. It is like a roller coaster and the speed limit is 65 mph.
Zabriskie Point – A panoramic view of golden-brown mudstone hills riddled with rills and gullies from the occasional, but intense, times when water rushes down these bone-dry slopes.
Scotty’s Castle – A Spanish-style mansion built in the 1920s is currently closed due to severe damage caused by floodwaters in October 2015. A series of powerful storms hit the area throughout October, washing out roads and damaging parts of the castle. The powerful floodwaters moved part of a wall off the foundation and left the Grapevine Canyon area clogged with mud and debris up to 15 feet high in some areas. It is expected to reopen at the end of 2020. I plan to return in November 2012 for the encampment so I will see it then.
The other "things to see" I missed this trip were the Artists Drive (closed), Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and Charcoal Kilns and a number of hikes. Something to look forward to.
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| More views of Badwater Basin |
Beginning in the late 1800s a small number of burros escaped or were turned loose by prospectors. The burros quickly adapted to the desert conditions and flourished, reaching a population of nearly 10,000. The National Park Service has embarked on a program to reduce burrow populations, which now number more than 500.
Apparently, Death Valley is a great place to bicycle. Tour companies drop bikers off and there are bike paths available.
The wind came up the last couple of days while I was here and blew so hard that I got up in the night and brought in my slides to prevent any damage to the slide awnings. Of course, the wind blew dirt everywhere.
I thought the price of gas at Furnace Creek of $4.43/gal was steep until I got to Panamint Springs; it was a dollar a gallon more than that. I was lucky to find some gas at Stovepipe Wells for $3.50/gas because driving around the park you are pretty much at their mercy, but if you're driving through, be sure to fill up your tank before you get close. The nearest gas outside the park is like 30 miles away.
I thought the price of gas at Furnace Creek of $4.43/gal was steep until I got to Panamint Springs; it was a dollar a gallon more than that. I was lucky to find some gas at Stovepipe Wells for $3.50/gas because driving around the park you are pretty much at their mercy, but if you're driving through, be sure to fill up your tank before you get close. The nearest gas outside the park is like 30 miles away.
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