Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Death Valley National Park, California


Over the weekend, I took a trip to Death Valley National Park to enjoy the silence and walk in beauty.
After a rain, the mud dries into puzzles, creating unique shapes and patterns.
Scotty's Castle lies in the northern part of the park and is a masterpiece of design, color and Spanish style furnishings.
Yes, there is water in the desert but it is at the golf course in Furnace Creek. I stood on the viewing deck above the pond to watch the waterfowl and caught this coot enjoying his swim.
Zabriskie Point, a gorgeous viewing area off the 190.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes; miles and miles of open area with dunes, mountains and valleys. I walked up and down the dunes with a wonderful, 80 year old woman named Dorothy. Off the road a bit, I walked up these hills to get this view. That dark line in the middle is the highway and my Subaru is smack dab in the middle for those of you with good eyes!
At Furnace Creek there is a ranch with a Desert Museum. All the old wagons and mining equipment are on display; definitely takes you back a few years.
One afternoon I took a hike up Mosaic Canyon and walked below towering marble cliffs with interesting shapes and colors.
The walls were covered with this kind of amazing marble, a real treasure in the midst of the desert.
Another hike I took was through Golden Canyon. I was so surprised to find all these incredible canyons, similar to the ones in Utah. Golden Canyon is a feast for the eyes; beautifully eroded cliffs with layered bands of rust, copper, and golden colored rock.
You can barely see the people on the ridge of the Sand Dunes in Mesquite Flat. Miles and miles of dunes to run and play in. Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in the US at 282 feet below sea level. The basin smells like a stale lagoon which made me feel like a dead fish out of water. The white stuff all over the ground is a combination of borates and salt; kind of like walking on crunchy snow... one heck of a strange place.

Copyright©2009 Susan Little, thecampingqueen72@gmail.com. All rights reserved. Use of photos requires written permission.

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