Furnace Creek and Beyond

More golden Canyon

We had another early day today. We wanted to go hiking and the later it gets, the hotter it gets. We headed back over the Panamint Mountains to Death Valley. Technically we
re staying at a higher elevation in the Panamint Valley. Our first stop was back at the Mesquite Flats Dunes. In the morning light they looked so much different than they did yesterday. Next we headed for Ubenhebe Crater only to find out that yes, the road really is closed. Our back-up plan was to go back to Golden Canyon and do the entire trail to the end.

The Dunes in the morning

Golden Canyon proved to be a good choice. The temps were only in the 80s when we started our walk. By the time it started getting hot there was some shade in the canyon. We logged about five miles to the end of the canyon and back. From the pictures you can get an idea of how colorful and interesting the rock formations are. I’m glad we went back.

Sidewinder and mouse tracks in the sand

More golden Canyon

Colors and textures of Golden Canyon

Golden Canyon re-do

We drove back up the highway to Furnace Creek to look around and see what is there. We spent quite a bit of time at the Borax Museum there. Hey, they have a Death Valley Rail Road locomotive on display, very cool. By now were were getting hot, thirsty, and hungry. We found a shady place to sit down at the general store where I bough an ice cold bottle of water to enjoy with our sandwiches.

Furnace Creek Resort

Death Valley RR engine

Speaking of water, I think we each consumed about four or five (actually I lost count) bottles of water today. As fast as we could drink it, we sweated it out again. So I have to say that the facilities at Furnace Creek are far better than what we have at Panamint Springs “Resort”. Resort? Well not really. A restaurant, general store, gas station, and a collection of small cabins. Its hardly a resort, but its clean and has air conditioning.

We continued our travels by going next to the Harmony Borax Works, or rather the remains of the works. They were abandoned over 100 years ago and there isn’t much left to see. There are lots of interpretive signs though and one can get a real feel for what work must have been like there. This was the starting point for those 20 mule team wagon trains. They traveled from here to Mohave, 160+ miles each way (through the blazing dessert).

Still having lots of daylight left we then headed to Zabriskie Point Lookout. We parked among the other cars and tour busses and joined the throng at the lookout. Eventually the crowd thinned out and we got some spectacular views. It was still early so we took off for Badwater Basin. The lowest point in North America. As the sigh says 282’ below see level. Surprise, it didn’t feel any different than sea level except by now the temps were well into the 100s. We followed the crowd and walked all the way to the end of the trail onto the salt flats. Wow, it was blistering hot out there!

Enough said

Badwater Basin

So, we took our parched throats back to Stovepipe Wells where we enjoyed the air conditioning in the pub. Oh, and a nice cold beer! Cooled off and thirst quenched we drove back over the mountains to Panamint Springs “Resort”. We discovered that a German biker gang from Leipsig, Germany had moved in to the two cabins adjacent to ours. We had a nice chat before going inside to rest a bit.

Hungry Coyote

Panamint Springs Resort at sunset

Its been a very long, but very rewarding day. We both have a new understanding of Death Valley and appreciate its magnificent beauty. We also learned how blasted hot it can get. Dry heat or not, its just darn hot.

Tomorrow we head back to the outside world and the internet, google navigation, and cheap gas. We’ll drive from here to Carson City, NV. I’m sure we’ll make some stops along the way. there is supposed to be a German bakery in Bishop. I’m sure we’ll be ready for brunch by the time we get there.

More tomorrow,

Jim