MichelleStark, brutal beauty! The harshness of the landscape is beautiful! Not pretty, but beautiful. Awe inspiring and still. When there’s no wind, it is thoroughly still. No chirping birds, no small rodents, no rabbits, no sound or movement. Heartbreakingly still. There is some vegetation but way more sand and rock than plants. And the plants look dead although they are only waiting for water to come alive.
The beauty lies in the variation of geology in this area called Death Valley. Badlands, salt flats, red rocks, ochre-colored mounds, sand dunes, and the lowest point of North America at 282 feet below sea level. The view from Dante’s Peak, at 5,000 ft, covers the entirety of Death Valley and is ultimately the best view of anywhere in the park. The long valley is set between two mountain ranges, flat and lifeless or so it seems. It used to house a lake 200 ft deep but is now mostly dirt and salt flats. The fault in this area continues to push the mountains higher while the valley fills with silt and debris swept down during heavy rains. Approximately 2000 years ago, a violent earthquake caused the valley to suddenly drop 200 ft in elevation. Very hard to fathom.
An area called Artist’s Palette was a feast for the eyes. So many different minerals mingle in this area and create blotches of color on the hills. You may see orange, yellow, red, turquoise, lavender, and green all in one area. It was a fascinating drive through this place, like being in the middle of a watercolor.
There is a reason why I came to Death Valley in the winter. In 1913 Death Valley registered 134 degrees; the hottest place ever recorded on earth. The summer of 2021 another record temperature was registered at 128 degrees. This is also hotter than anywhere else recorded. It was pleasant weather in the 60s and 70s during my stay here in late January. I won’t talk about how cold it is at night though!
I took a short drive through 20 Mule Team Canyon where huge mounds of dirt and rock are Ochre colored. All different shapes and sizes of mounds all yellow colored was fun to drive through especially since the road was dirt and only one car wide. It’s called 20 Mule Team Canyon from the history of Borax mining in Death Valley. Chinese immigrants dug up the borax and loaded large chunks into wooden wagons. It was so heavy it required teams of approx 20 mules to pull it out of the canyon and down to the Borax works in the valley. Later I was able to see the ruins of one of the Borax processing areas. I’ve included a picture in the gallery that tells how Borax was processed.
Another area that was very interesting was Badwater, the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet ‘below’ sea level. This area of the valley is just salt flats. At Badwater you can walk out onto the salt flats which looks as white as snow in the area where everyone walks. But beside the trampled areas are spikes and rough raised areas of salt crystals (some closeup pics in the photo gallery). There are some pretty strange formations within the salt crystals especially if you walk further out (like a mile or more). I did not have a chance to go out that far, maybe next time. It was pretty awesome to be below sea level without any water!
My last day in the park was clear and sunny and warm! And only a breeze! I took the Mosaic Canyon hike which is as long or as short as you want to make it. This hike follows a wash between tall rocky cliffs. Almost like a slot canyon but only a small portion was that narrow. The striking thing about this hike is the types and colors of rock found within the walls of the cliffs. Some areas that were originally Dolomite have become Marble due to pressure and weather. The marble contains a myriad of swirls and patterns as well as being very shiny and smooth from water wearing it down (and shoes of travelers as well). Above it is red rock that offsets the lighter appearance of the marble. One section of the trail was an incline on solid marble that was very slick. Going up was one thing but coming back down I was afraid I might slip. So I sat down and slid to the bottom. Just like being a kid again! Wheeee! Some of these areas are just so hard to describe, so I’ll have to let some of the pictures do the talking.
In the heart of Death Valley are several resorts that offer hotel rooms, cabins, rv spots etc. The Inn of Death Valley was an adobe morrocan style structure (quite fancy looking) that was adorned with hundreds of palm trees. It was like a desert oasis! Across the street there was a walled in garden which would be a most incredible wedding venue. A large tiered fountain, grass, tropical plants, bright pots planted with flowers and a large white adobe wall to set off all of the green. I could have sat in there all day it was so beautiful and lush!
Next stop: Valley of Fire State Park east of Las Vegas, NV
