Surviving the Lowest Point - Our Last Day in Death Valley!

After a good night's sleep in a comfy bed,

we visited some old trains and wagons scattered around the ranch

before filing up on some really expensive gas

and heading out to our final stops in the park.

We hiked partway into Golden Canyon...

Where I fell in love with the layered rock formations.

Then we headed to the Devil's Golf Course

where strange salt formations have formed 

where Lake Manly once stood.

Next was the Artist's Drive,

named for the colors found in the mountains,

like a painter's palette. 

Then it was the natural bridge,

which looked like it was about to fall any second now.

And finally, one of the highlights of the trip,

the Badwater Basin.

It's the lowest point in the Northern Hemisphere

at 282 feet below sea level.

And it's only 135 miles from Mt. Whitney,

the highest point in the Northern Hemisphere.

Crazy, huh?

A looooong time ago, this was covered by water.

Like this lake, but much bigger...

When it dried up in the 120 degree heat

it left these salt flats that look and kinda feel like snow.

And, according to my sister, it tastes very salty.

Go figure.

After Badwater Basin, we headed out of the park

and on our way home.

But not before running into this guy trying to cross the road.

He was just about the only wildlife we saw all weekend.

After that, we felt like our trip was complete,

and started the four hour drive back home.

My little Prius drove about 1,000 miles in 3 days,

including several dirt roads, and held up like a champ

(and got about 45 mpg!)

I would have never thought to take a trip to Death Valley,

but after seeing how beautiful it really is,

and how much it has to offer,

I can't wait to take the hubby back someday.

Thanks for tagging along, 

and sticking with me for a week's worth 

of Death Valley posts!

Critters, Craters, and Ghost Towns...Day Two in Death Valley.

After spending our first night in the 

luxurious accommodations at Stovepipe Wells,

we headed back out to the sand dunes.

We'd read that if you visit them early in the morning

you can often find tracks left by various critters overnight.

We found tracks all over the place!

Mainly leading in and out of the bushes.

It was cool to see that life really does exist in the barren landscape.

We took a few more pictures of the dunes,

and my baby bump shadow,

before heading out on the road.

Our next stop was the Ubehebe Crater,

a volcanic crater formed between 2,000-7,000 years ago.

The road leading up to the crater

made us feel like we were on the moon.

The crater itself is about a half mile wide and over 770 feet deep.

The crater walls reminded me of the Grand Canyon. 

You would think some things are self explanatory.

Next up was Scotty's Castle,

literally a large castle built in the middle of nowhere.

It was built in the 1920's and was used as a vacation home 

for a wealthy midwesterner.

This was probably my least favorite part of the trip.

I thought the whole thing was ugly and boring.

Our next stop was much more interesting.

After the castle, we drove out to Beatty, NV

where right outside of town is a ghost town called Rhyolite.

It was started as a mining town in 1905

but by 1920, the ore had been exhausted, 

the stock market crashed, 

and the population dropped to zero.

All that's left now are a bunch of building ruins

and a creepy wind blowing through town.

On the road leading into Rhyolite,

there's a "museum" of sorts full of very eerie statues.

There's the Last Supper...

 A ghost riding a bicycle...

A nude lego lady...

And a cowboy with a penguin...

These strange sculptures definitely added to the creepy factor

of the ghost town in the middle of nowhere.

It kinda felt like we were part of some strange dream

or horror movie.

After Rhyolite, we headed back into the park

to see a few more sights before calling it a day.

There was Zabriske's Point...

Dante's Peak at 5,000 feet above the salt flats down below...

And finally, our hotel at Furnace Creek Ranch...

This was another long day full of driving,

but also full of so many interesting sights.

I was very happy to spend the night in a real bed

before heading out for our final day in the park

and a long drive home.

If you've stuck with me this far, hang in there...

our last day brings the lowest point in North America,

salt formations, natural bridge, and a coyote!

A Babymoon in Death Valley? Why not?!

About a month or so ago, my sister emailed me on a Wednesday afternoon

asking if I wanted to take a trip to Death Valley that weekend.

At first, I thought "what the hell am I gonna do in Death Valley

when I'm 31 weeks pregnant?"

But since my husband was gonna have to work the weekend away,

I figured I'd tag along for the trip

and maybe spend my days lounging around a hotel room or pool

while my sister explored the park.

To my surprise, the trip ended up being much more than I had imagined

and was a great way to spend some time with my big sis!

We packed the car up with enough water and junk food to last us a week,

and left early Saturday morning for the 4 hour drive to the park.

Our first stop was in Panamint Springs

where we had lunch at the local Panamint Springs Resort.

Clearly their definition of "resort" is much different than mine!

This is pretty much exactly what I pictured Death Valley to be like.

Flat, dusty, desert, and hot.

After lunch, we ventured off onto our first adventure...

A hike to Darwin Falls.

After a very bumpy, and stressful, 2.5 mile trip 

down a dirt road in my poor little Prius

we arrived at the trailhead.

Being 31 weeks pregnant, I wasn't sure how much "adventure" I could take

but the hike was relatively easy and fun to do.

We got to climb over boulders and 

cross a creek back and forth several times.

And at the end, we were met with this little desert oasis...

Who knew there was green and waterfalls in Death Valley?

After the hike, we hit the road up into the mountains.

One of the biggest surprises of the trip for me 

was just how pretty Death Valley is.

I pictured a dry, dusty, flat desert.

Kinda like this...

But it seemed that every 5 minutes of driving, the scenery completely changes.

You can find anything from sandy desert, snowy mountain peaks, 

salt flats, craters, and sand dunes.

The mountains were beautiful and had almost every color in the rainbow.

After a bit of a drive, we arrived at the Wildrose Charcoal Kilns.

These kilns were built in 1867 by Chinese immigrants

to turn Juniper and Pinyon trees into charcoal. 

The 10 kilns are considered to be the best 

surviving such kilns in the western U.S.

Our last stop of the day was to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.

These dunes are some of the smaller ones in the park.

They are surrounded by mountains

and have been used in several films, including Star Wars.

I loved the patterns made in the sand by the wind.

There were also lots of old mesquite trees

scattered throughout the dunes.

After the dunes, we made our way to Stovepipe Wells

and checked into our humble accommodations for the night.

What more do you need than a single bed and an air mattress?

Apparently not much!

After driving over 300 miles, 

we ate a quick dinner and called it a night.

Tomorrow brings about 160 miles of driving,

more sand dunes, mountains, 

a volcanic crater, a castle, and a ghost town.

Stay tuned!