Return to Death Valley National Park

There was a pretty sunrise to start our day yesterday.

There was some time to catch up on the inchies of the past two days. This was Sunday's inchy. It contained the dreaded cast-on stitch. The one Meg Hawkey pictured with the instructions was a full circle made with just one stitch. I tried to get mine symmetrical like the one she pictured, but mine ended up kind of one-sided. Oh well. Done is better than perfect.

This was Monday's inchy. Now I'm caught up except for the one posted this morning.

Erik and Mae joined us for free waffles here at the RV park, and then we headed out to Death Valley...Erik and Mae's first visit. This is one of our favorite national parks, and so it was a little like taking our kids for their first visit to grown-up Disneyland. There are signs posted along the road warning of big horn sheep. In all the years we've been visiting Death Valley, we've only seen them here one time.

It's a little over an hour's drive from Pahrump to the park.

This was our first stop of the day. In my opinion, no visit to Death Valley is complete without seeing this magnificent viewpoint.

Let me just remind you of the rules before we proceed.

The view from Zabriski Point is nearly 360 degrees, and very beautiful. It's best seen around sunset, but we were there mid-morning.

Here's some information about how it was formed. I have quite a few images of signs on today's post, and I'm sorry if some of them are difficult to read. Remember that you can always make an image larger by clicking on it.

So, the image posted above was looking north. The one below was taken looking south.

But this area is best seen in pano mode.

Here's some information about the history of Death Valley and the road leading to its being designated as a national monument in 1933.

This is the gentleman for whom the point was named.

Having fully taken in the view, we moved on down the road to the Artist's Drive. It's a five-mile loop with several pull-outs and some short hiking trails. This is another can't-miss feature in Death Valley. Here's some information about the images that follow.

It was a lovely day...windy, but warm. Temperatures topped out a 78 degrees, and Erik and Mae were sucking it up, having just escaped the rain and cold in Portland. They took the high road for their hike.

Mike and I took lower paths. We could look up and see Erik and Mae above us.

As we were leaving the area, I noticed these rivulets, which reminded me of something I might sew with my sewing machine.

Moving on, this was our next stop. We drove about a mile down a dirt road to see it.

Looking out across the landscape, it looks like this as far as the eye can see. It was a little hazy in the valley yesterday. We weren't sure why unless it was just dust kicked up by the wind.

From there, we headed to our last stop along this road at Badwater Basin. Here, we were 282 feet below sea level.

Here's some information about what it takes for a dry landscape this low.

Turning around, you can see where the sea level sign is marked with an arrow.

This turnout takes its name from the Badwater Pool. Reading the sign, you will learn that the water here is not poisonous, but too salty to be palatable.

It is fed by an aquifer. I think this is the most water we've ever seen here.

Just FYI...what month would you like to visit? Can you believe that some folks run marathons here in July?

By then, our shadow selves were getting hungry.

From there, we drove back to Furnace Creek and stopped off for some lunch. Also, Mike and I wanted to pick up some more of the prickly pear margarita mix we'd purchased on a previous visit. Ours is almost gone. I think the kitties drink margaritas while we're out during the day.

After lunch, we walked a short distance to where we could see the Borax Museum.

Of course the Stanbro Men are always interested in any kind of engine.

How'd you like to ride across country in this buggy? They must have been so uncomfortable...and no air-conditioning. Oh my...my delicate little hide simply could not take it.

There were a lot of old and interesting pieces of equipment. Do you need to put shoes on your ox? Here's how it's done. Works for toddlers too.

Mae standing below can give you some scale of how large these "logging wheels" were.

And water...how did they get water as they did their work? By hauling in barrels like these.

I'm hoping you can read this next sign that explains the piece of equipment below.

This next one was quite an interesting exhibit, and an immense piece of equipment.

I've borrowed from several different locations and pictures to tell you about the 20 mule teams.

 

At a different location, I was able to get the best shot of the wagons they hauled.

We had driven down the road to see the remains of Harmony Borax Works...just another operation that geared up and shut down in the space of about six years.

 

This structure were off in the distance.

I've always loved these old wagon wheels.

It was getting late in the day by then, and so we drove on to our last stop of the day at Furnace Creek Inn...now known as the Oasis at Death Valley. We walked through the gardens and wondered about the source of water for this place. The pools were inviting, and we sat on the patio and drank some tasty refreshing beverages.

And that was the end of our day. We'd filled up on a late lunch, and so we didn't have dinner. There was a really big wind last night that kept us up most of the night. This morning, all is calm. The hummingbirds have brought in reinforcements in the form of their shadow selves. You can see one of them on the left side of the feeder in the image below.

 Erik called just a few minutes ago to say they were moving slowly this morning...as are we. We'll get together again for lunch, and then Erik and Mike (and maybe us girls) will head over to the Spring Mountain Driving School for a tour. We're having dinner together at the restaurant here at the park this evening. It's a nice restaurant, associated with the RV park and the winery, but we're not sure how. It's going to be a more low-key day today, and so we're looking forward to some quiet time visiting. The kids are here until Thursday evening, and so we'll figure out something to keep ourselves occupied.