Good news, this is the last post of Death Valley National Park. Bad news, this is the last post of Death Valley National Park! It was so pretty, unusual and amazing there, I wish I had more to show you. But then, you may have seen enough. We are so fortunate to have spectacular National Parks here in the U.S. And seven or more are right here in California.
Today I’m showing you scenes from the Artist Drive, another drive through canyon, and Natural Bridge Canyon, a short hike to an amazing natural rock bridge. I will admit that I almost didn’t walk it because of the cold and bad back I was suffering from, but I was glad I did.
If you have a chance, visit Death Valley. Just don’t go in the summer when temperatures are HOT!
The entrance to the Natural Bridge walk.
The Natural Bridge.
Closer view.
The arch from the other side.
A few steps to the right made a difference in the shot.
Sandy stands under the arch.
Another view from the arch.
Walking back to the parking lot.
On the way to the Artist Drive.
This was a different type of rock.
Entering the Artist Drive. You can see some mineral deposits making green areas on the rocks.
Here you can see more colors.
And even more!
The ravens were huge at the park and numerous.
Our last morning the valley said good-bye with a beautiful sunrise.
I just don’t understand WordPress and their new setup. This is going to be a short post since it’s the second time doing it. I wrote and added pictures and accidentally published without adding tags and categories. In the old setup, you could edit the published post and update it. I did find where I could revert to a draft, pressed the button, and lost the entire post!
Enough grumbling. Death Valley is so diverse geologically that you could never be bored. Even though we couldn’t do major hiking and some trails were closed, we did get a good sense of this beautiful park. Today I have shots of Ubehebe Crater, The Sand Dunes and Mosaic Canyon. Our favorite was Mosaic Canyon and most of the images are of it. Explanations of the areas are in the captions.
Ubehebe Crater is the result of a massive volcanic explosion. It is 600 feet deep.
The sand dunes.
The entry into Mosaic Canyon.
Close up of the rock formation.
Here you begin to see the polished marble.
I just liked the way the rock was layered.
We’re getting further into the 1/2 mile stretch.
More of the rock formation.
Now you can see the white marble.
A close up of the marble. Just beautiful.
The canyon is narrow. Here you can really get a sense of its beauty.
Sandy wants to go further, and Richard is helping her get up on the rock. The rock is highly polished and is difficult to climb on.
A marble close up.
Another canyon view.
This is on our way back and almost to the parking lot.
You may have heard in the news that after a 3-year drought, California is experiencing a severe wind and rain storm. With that being a prominent concern, we dead headed from Death Valley and drove 11 hours to home yesterday to avoid getting caught in 60 mph winds that hit last night.
But, I still have so much more to show you. Death Valley is full of surprises and one of them is Scotty’s Castle. It’s called Scotty’s Castle because Scotty was the person most associated with the vacation home of millionaires Albert and Bessie Johnson. Scotty and Albert’s relationship was born out of a swindle (on Scotty’s part) and went on to become a friendship that would last Albert’s lifetime. People came from all over to meet Scotty and hear his tall tales. The Johnsons rented rooms and had private guests. The tour guide told us that when friends came, Bessie would play their favorite song from the clock tower as they were approaching. More of the history can be found at the two links I’ve provided.
My next post will show you the Devils Corn Field, Sand Dunes and Mosaic Canyon.
Now for the Castle images.
The courtyard.
This is a two story structure.
The front door. Notice the name on the building is Furnace Creek Ranch.
The living room and the beautiful fireplace.
The chandelier. Of course this was hand made.
I liked this bowl on a table in the living room.
A view of the upper level.
The view from the opposite side. all the wood is hand carved.
Sorry, I’ve forgotten what this room was called. The rooms are kept dark to save the furniture and art.
The fireplace. Notice the pictures are of Scotty on the left and Albert on the right. Bessie didn’t like to have her picture taken. There was a good deal of tile work throughout the castle.
This was supposed to be Albert’s library, but Bessie turned it into a dining room.
The sink in the kitchen is beautifully tiled.
These pots sit over the stove.
Looking across the upper story after crossing to the guest lodgings.
Yes, not so sick, but recuperating. The cold is almost gone—no tissues used today and my back is allowing me to move more easily. I hope my chiropractor, Dr. Heather Rosenberg, is home from Russia when we return.
Today we jammed in three sights that I will show you in another post. Today’s post is all about the highest and lowest places, Badwater Basin, in Death Valley. This is such an amazing place. In the summer, temperatures can reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit. During this winter trip, the temperatures are in the low 70s, and it is just beautiful.
One disappointment: they advertise Death Valley as one of the darkest places and welcome astronomers to view the stars. However, since we’ve been here, there has been a cloud cover. It’s great for photography, but not for Richard who brought his telescope!
Tomorrow we start the trek home. By the time we get there, I’ll be ready for more photography meetups.
Now, for the high, Dante’s View, and low, Badwater Basin, of the trip.
Dante’s View is 5000 feet above the floor of Death Valley.
Unfortunately, it was very hazy and difficult to photograph.
I liked this lone bush sitting on the edge of the summit.
Looking down on the valley.
We’re now at the lowest point in Death Valley.
Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. This is the walkway down to the basin floor.
There were some puddles left from the rain, and you can see the mountain’s reflection.
You can see our friend Ken’s reflection as he reads a sign. The white deposits are salt.
This was the site of a briny lake that evaporated and left a one to five foot layer of salt .
Another view of the briny pond and a reflection.
A close up of the salt layer. We were not able to walk on it.
The sun shines on the dry lake bed.
Walking back to the parking lot.
The golden mountain captured on our way back to camp.
A Death Valley sunset which I would have missed if it weren’t for my dear friend Sandy.
Slow Shutter Speed 