Day 35: Nov 2 part 2

Day 35 continues: 

 On the ride back from Zabriskie point I took this shot.

We took another tour today out to Harmony Borax Works.  Not sure how many of you are as old as me to remember Death Valley Days on TV and the Twenty Mule Team.

There are only 3 of these monstrous wagon trains left. Two are here in Death Valley.  When hooked up to the Twenty Mule Teams it is about 100’ long.

This is where the borax was refined before shipped by the Twenty Mule Teams 165 miles.

I posed so you could see the size of these wagons. The back wheels are 7 feet tall.

As we were leaving Harmony Borax Works we went unto a place called Mustard canyon.  We wound around these fabulous rock formations the color of mustard. 

The road is car wide. It’s a one way road thank heaven.

Once we left Mustard Canyon we could see the Harmony Borax Works from the road.  If you look closely you can see a coyote crossing the desert

Right after I took this picture he stopped and posed for me but I had shut my camera off.

Well today was my second full day in Death Valley and I am still in as much awe as I was when we drove down into this amazing place on earth.

Thank you all for reading my blog and I have so many pictures its impossible for me to send you even one tenth of them via this blog.

Until tomorrow,

Marie

Day 35: Nov 2 part 1

We woke up early enough to play tourist before 7:30am.  We went to Zabriskie point. After a little bit, well steeper then I usually walk I will say it was definetly worth getting up before coffee and hiking. This place is a spectacular viewing point of the vibrantly colored badlands. 

This point is called Manly beacon named after William Lewis Manly, a young man from St. Albans Vermont who dreamed about crossing this vast country in search of gold. During his adventures across this country he became one of the parties in 1849 that became stranded here in Death Valley.  He went in search of help for the rescue of his party he left behind.   The 49er’s encampment we are here enjoying was started because of this man.

Another beautiful shot from on top of Sabriskie Point. 

And yet another…  this one is now on my desktop.

This is called Desert Holly.  It is shimmery in the sunlight.  You can see the small red berries.

this is so slow this morning I am going to come back and do a part 2 of this.  

sorry for the inconvenience.

Day 34: Nov 1

It’s Monday morning in one of the most beautiful places on earth and we have nothing to do but enjoy it.  We went out to get our badges we needed in order to enjoy some of the amenities of the park like showers, then we went shopping at the Harvey Store here in Death Valley and I bought myself a hat.   Then we went and played tourist.  We went out to the Devils Golf Course. 

I had no idea what to expect but this huge part of the desert floor was amazing in itself. 

This is hard salt crystals in millions of solid chunks.

If you listened you could hear the salt cracking like ice. This is a picture of inside one of those modules of salt.

We then traveled a few more miles out to Badwater. 

I’m with my new hat on standing in Badwater Basin the second lowest spot on earth. China has the lowest with a place 505’ below sea level. 

Behind me in this picture is the highest peak in Death Valley,  it is called Telescope Peak and it is 11,049’ and me standing here makes it a difference of 11,331’.

Badwater Basin is all salt deposits.

There is a natural pool of water here year round but so salty that is way it got the name Badwater.

While we were driving out to Badwater and basically all of the deserts we have been through I made the comment about being gravely not sandy like one would picture in their minds a desert to be.  

Ask and you will receive on this trip with this tour guide.  We headed down the road for about 23 miles  and  guess what…   I had my sandy desert

 I walked in this sand, I was hot and so soft and like beach sand hard to walk on.  The highest sand dune is 100’ high.  I’m happy,  I had my desert!

We came back to our campsite after that and relaxed for the afternoon with a couple of friends of Mike and Shirley’s. 

I have one more magnificent picture from our drive in to this place to sign off for the day.   I will try to publish this later today.  

 

Thank you all for reading my blog and I feel like I am the luckiest one to be able to share all this with you.  It is sooooo beautiful here.

Until tomorrow,

Marie

Day 32 and Day 33: Halloween

I was a bad girl yesterday and didn’t blog a thing but then we didn’t do anything new and exciting to blog home about.  We went grocery shopping and got a few supplies for our trip down into Death Valley on Sunday.

After breakfast buffet at the Saddles West we got underway for our journey down into “the valley of death”..  I did take one more picture of Mount Charleston as a good bye.

 We headed out at about 8:30 am a little earlier then we projected but we were ready to head.

The scenery didn’t change much for the first 20 or so minutes on the trip just ugly Nevada. Then I started to notice a change in the mountains.  The desert was nicer and the mountains were clearer.

The roads had curves and dips in them.  

Well some of them did.  The white buildings in the foreground are in California at a place called Death Valley Junction.   There was no entering California sign. 

 

This was it for about 14 more miles at least. 

We made one stop before we headed downhill.

 

 After this stop it was the just the beginning of awesome for me this place is OMG Beautiful and unique and beyond description.
As we drove  the scenery became so awesome I really don’t know if my pictures can do it justice.  At every turn and the road was curvy and going downhill the mountains and colors changed.  I took as many pictures from the truck as I could.

I’m going to put in more pictures of this trip down from 3000 feet to minus 190 feet below sea level.

We arrived at our site before noon and had to decorate for Halloween.

My wonderful hosts enjoying this beautiful day.

We will be here for 14 days with a few trips to play tourists, to partake in some of the festivities so my blogs will be filled with pictures of this very unique place on earth.

We have seen 4 wild coyotes in the short time we have been here. 

I can only get to wi fi from 9 am to 3 pm in one of the visitor centers  and trust me it is slow.. It has taken me  2 days to do this one blog, so I may not send you a blog every day but I will have pictures and a story from every day I promise.

One last picture  before I get my first glass of the day…

Thank you all for reading and enjoying my blog.  This place is as awe inspiring as the Grand Canyon.  I know I am going to enjoy every one of the 14 days we have here.

Until tomorrow,

Marie