We drove to Vegas on Nov 8th, Saturday night, and spent a week in Vegas at a geophysical conference. Stayed in a $250/night room on the strip, Mandalay Bay Resort. Had the bad luck to be there the day after the big pools, including a huge wave pool and artificial river, closed. Kids drove us crazy jumping between the double beds. Fortunately, the big pool was still open. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 039.jpg
A visit to "Shark Reef Aquarium" -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 065.jpg
Then we drove to Death Valley on Friday and set up camp in the Furnace Creek Campground. My folks had driven from New York in their small (23 ft) camper over the past 10 days or so and met us there.
Day 1:
We started at badwater salt flats 30 miles south of Furnace Creek, which would be a great place for a bike ride but we didn't bring the bikes. The little sign above my Mom and Dad's heads reads "Sea Level". This is the lowest point in the western hemisphere at 230 feet below sea level. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 102.jpg
Across the street from the salt flats was a short canyon that a couple of us explored. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 138.jpg
Then we had a really nice hike at "natural bridge canyon" 15 miles north of badwater. We hiked in an hour, had lunch in the shade, and then scrambled up dry falls for another hour. Temps were 85 to maybe 90 at the hottest during the day. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 155.jpg
The canyon narrowed as we progressed into it. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 179.jpg
Katerina does much better in the backpack than either of the boys did. She was happy to sit there for a couple hours at a time. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 181.jpg
The natural bridge namesake. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 167 RW1.jpg
There was tons of stuff like this, that are completely irresistible if you have even an ounce of adventure in your spirit. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 182.jpg
After lunch we climbed up dry falls. The boys loved it but the 4 year old didn't go big and hung with the grandparents while the rest of us went on up. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 187.jpg
Brave Mom! -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 192 RW1.jpg
On the return trip from the "end" of natural bridge canyon. The "end" is really somewhere in Nevada, but the end for scaredy cats comes earlier. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 194.jpg
Badwater salt flats in the background near the start of the canyon. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 193.jpg
After natural bridge we drove along the 10 mile loop "Artists Drive". Fantastic colors and we did short hikes. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 237.jpg
This is "Artists Palette", the highlight of the loop. The camera does not do it justice. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 293.jpg
Group photo at Artists Palette. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 283.jpg
Mom and Katerina enjoying a walk. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 310 RW1.jpg
Erick preparing to leap. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 310 RW2.jpg
Mom and Katerina with a fantastic background. -- 2008.11.15 Death Valley 343.jpg
Day 2:
Before leaving for this days exploring, we saw a roadrunner in the campsite. No sign of Wily E. Coyote, but we heard him sing the night before. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 001a RW1.jpg
Titus Canyon, a 17 mile back country road that runs one-way from east to west. Signs suggest high clearance 4 wheel drive, but the eurovan did fine. A couple spots were steep and loose but no problem at all. We took 3 1/2 hours to do the drive, with lots of stops and gawking. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 065.jpg
Spectacular views all the way. We stopped near the top of "red pass" for a hike up to the summit and a very nice sweeping view. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 104 RW3.jpg
Dad is entering the Plattsburgh newspaper picture contest, which he won a few years ago with a photo from Alaska. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 104 RW1.jpg
On the west side of red pass is the ghost town of Leadfield. Some history on the sign. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 105.jpg
All that remains of Leadfield is a few metal buildings and some rock piles. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 106 RW6.jpg
Group photo in Leadfield. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 106 RW7.jpg
Past Leadfield you get into the canyon proper, and the walls of the canyon narrow in a spectacular fashion. We made lots of stops and the kids did what they called "rock climbing", or scrambling around on the slopes. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 153.jpg
Scrambling Robert. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 167.jpg
Scrambling Erick. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 174.jpg
Chilling Katerina. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 183.jpg
Resting Robert, Scrambling Erick. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 196.jpg
300-500 foot cliffs on either side and a gravel wash down the middle. I very much would not want to be here during a flood, although it might be kind of awesome to watch from high up. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 178a.jpg
Same location, with scrambling kids. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 141.jpg
Wow. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 206 RW4.jpg
Even if you are not a geologist, this is some cool stuff! If you are a geologist, your heart has to be fluttering. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 112.jpg
Dad went on a walkabout down the canyon and we caught up with him later. He took this photo of the car. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 206 RW7.jpg
More scrambling. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 179.jpg
Talk about cool! brecciated conglomerate. Nature does a hell of a job making concrete, or as my brother David would say, cement. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 207.jpg
A final group picture at the west end of the canyon. -- 2008.11.16 Death Valley 214.jpg
Day 3:
Ubehebe crater. 2000 year old volcanic crater, 800 feet deep and 1/2 mile across. As soon as you see it, you are thinking: "I'm going down in there!". Turns out the surface is steep, loose gravel and the way back out is not so easy. I think my Mom knew this but she didn't say anything to warn me until after we started back up. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 005 RW02.jpg
Picture of the descent. Dad decided (wisely) to sit above and read his paper and take pictures. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 005 RW05.jpg
From the bottom. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 042.jpg
Picture taken by wise newspaper reader as we trudged back out. Ouch. Capital O. Major aerobic workout. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 049 RW2.jpg
State of the 7 year old, partway up. Motivational drought. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 050.jpg
After we climbed out we rested, had lunch, and flew kites. We had talked about walking around the rim before the descent, but that idea evaporated along with our sweat as we sat in the only shade available: the side of the car, and had BLT sandwiches. The breeze was very nice. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 051 RW4.jpg
After we left the crater, we drove about 20 miles south and stopped at some nameless clay mounds just north of the mesquite flat sand dunes (our next planned destination). I would have bet money they were sandstone from the car 1/4 mile away. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 090b RW1.jpg
Even though not sandstone, they were still lots of fun to climb around on. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 109.jpg
Here is Erick having fun climbing around on them. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 162.jpg
Here is Katerina, trying to catch up with Erick. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 091.jpg
The highlight of the trip for kids: mesquite flat sand dunes. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 187 RW2.jpg
The approach to the dunes. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 187.jpg
We came late in the afternoon and the kids jumped, rolled, slid, somersaulted, and played in the sand. Like each day, we finished at the hot spring fed pool in Furnace Creek, which I have to tell you is one hell of a way to start the finish of the day. The actual finish of the day involved marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers around a campfire. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 250.jpg
She is photogenic, which she gets from her Mom. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 246.jpg
More Katerina. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 223.jpg
Sliding. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 999 RW01.jpg
"Robert came here to play all day" -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 999 RW04.jpg
And he did. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 999 RW06.jpg
Group picture on the dunes. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 213.jpg
Happy campers. -- 2008.11.17 Death Valley 226.jpg
Day 4:
Travel back to Bay Area. On the way home we saw tons of Joshua Trees, many more than I have seen at Joshua Tree National Monument. -- 2008.11.18 Death Valley 033.jpg
This is Father Crowley's Vista, which requires a 1/2 mile drive on the roughest roads we drove all week, but is worth it. What you see in the background is the next valley west from death valley, which is beyond the mountains behind us. Homemade tie-dyes. -- 2008.11.18 Death Valley 019.jpg
An awesome trip. Next time we want a much longer trip at the same time of year. We have some more stuff to do, and we plan to stay halfway for a day or two in the Sequoia national forest.
Left for next time in Death Valley:
* Fall Canyon
* Desolation Canyon
* Mosaic Canyon
* Racetrack
* Golden Canyon to Zabriske Point
* Dante's View
* Devil's Golf course
* Eureka Dunes (twice as big as the mesquite flat dunes)
No comments:
Post a Comment