Death Valley

Tuttle Creek BLM Campground to Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley was about 80 miles. We knew we would do a lot of driving and not much walking, but it was a sightseeing day.

Our first stop in Death Valley was Father Crowley's Vista Point. Most people stopped at the paved parking lot, but Bob and I drove the rocky dirt road to the vista. I had fun playing with the panoramic setting on the phone's camera. Yes, that is Bob on both sides of the photo.

Bob used our new camera to get a view of the road we would be traveling down into the valley. Once we crossed the desert, we had to climb the mountains on the other side and descend into the next valley. The road was narrow and winding and there is no way we would drive Sol to Death Valley on this route.

Stovepipe Wells was our second stop. It is a small tourist village with a gas station, gift shop, restaurant, campground, and motel. It is at sea level.

We arrived at Furnace Creek around lunch time. When we went in the visitor center, it was 96, when we came out 20 minutes later it was 97!

Since it was lunch time, one of the workers recommended the 19th Tee. We found the golf course and were impressed with its greenery. It is 214 feet below sea level! That makes it the lowest golf course in the world and it is on the list of 50 most difficult courses.

Bob and I sat at the bar in the grill and had a great view of the course. The worker was correct, the burgers were good and not as overpriced as other restaurants in the area.

From Furnace Creek we drove to the Devil's Golf Course which isn't really a golf course. It is an area where water and salts collided. When the water evaporated, all that was left were huge crystals! It looks like a field of mud from a distance, but the crystal clumps are actually 12-18 inches tall and fairly close together which makes walking in the area difficult. The edges of the crystal mounds are sharp.

The wavy surface is deceptive, the edges of the waves are hard and sharp! I wouldn't want to fall on one of these.

From Devil's Golf Course we drove to Badwater Basin--the lowest point in Death Valley.

I have to say it was also the hottest point in Death Valley. The thermometer in the car read 101 degrees!

We walked about a half mile out on the wet looking salt/sand. There was a hot breeze blowing, making it feel even hotter than it was.

Our last area to explore was Artist's Palette Drive. We wanted to stop at the main overlook, but there were too many cars already parked in the area so we kept driving. Bob was able to stop at a small pull-out so I could get a picture of the blue in the hills.

Our day trip was long, we drove over 250 miles round trip, but we were glad we got to see more of Death Valley. Monday would be a travel day for us as it was time to leave Lone Pine and begin our slow trip east.