Death Valley...part 2

Where were we...time has flown quickly.  Another stop for a day of adventure was Salt Creek and those expensive pup fish.  Believe it or not there is water in Death Valley...and yes, fish.  There is a cool, wood boardwalk that hovers over the salt flat and lets water flow underneath it.  You can see the pup fish in many places and other wildlife...yup, that's a rattlesnake.  He's hanging out at the edge of the boardwalk in the shade.

We stopped at the Harmony Borax Works.  It's hard to believe that anyone could work, let alone live out here...such harsh conditions, and hard work for those pioneering folk.  

We also stopped at Furnace Creek for a picnic lunch, some ice cream from the General Store, and walked through the outdoor museum.  That is one big wheel...Timm is 6'3'' to put in perspective.  Do you notice the elevation sign in the background behind the wagon...178 feet below sea level.  We also took a drive throught Artist's Palette.  Such unusual colors, I see where it got it's name.  By that time, I was not hiking down intot he wash and back up the other side to get close...dang knees.  Lots of very tight curves in there as well and we followed the wash down the alluvial fan to the valley floor again.  Our last stop was at Donte's View, it overlooks Bad Water.  It's 282 feet below seal level down there, and over 5000 ft at Donte's View. 

What a full day we had.  It was so good to get out and explore.  I really enjoyed and I know Timm and Cassy did as well.  A great birthday present for everyone to enjoy. 

Death Valley...part one

For Crystal's birthday we did a day trip to Death Valley National Park.  Our original plan was to make a run through Titus Canyon (it's a 4 wheel drive route) but the road was closed with the rains and snow last week.  So we moved onto plan B and enjoyed the desert with all the other visitors.  Our first stop was Stove Pipe Wells, that's where we found out why Titus Canyon was closed.

Not far from there is the Mosaic Canyon hike.  It's quite popular apparently.  It doesn't look like much at first...but...it's a really neat hike up a narrow section with a congomeration of rocks and stone.  I can see how this place got it's name, Mosaic...the layering and mixes of types of rock are just amazing.

The forces of nature have been busy here, there is no doubt.  The power of water filled with rocks and debris that rushes through here must be incredible to witness.   Having never seen that myself, I am able to see the results of such power.  The trail works into a 'narrows' section, the stone has been polished smooth by wind and water. 

At one point many years ago, someone put in a "ladder" into the stone.  I'm thinking that the opening to the right was not there at the time and a person had to climb up the rock to get further up the canyon.

Cassy, of course, had a great time exploring.  She runs ahead, comes back to see where we are, and runs ahead again.  She puts on a lot more miles than we do.  She is a happy girl when she gets out, for sure.

In part two, we'll continue the adventures on our day trip to Death Valley.