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Saturday, May 29, 2021

Death Valley NP

Dates: 12/11/2020 to 12/14/2020

Some fellow van travelers we met on the web were visiting Death Valley, so we opted to meet them there.  Despite numerous visits, it really doesn’t get old. C003_USA CA Death Valley NP_2020-12-11_DSC01341

 

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We did a bit of walking around Zabriskie Point early on.

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Overlooking the park is Dante’s View.

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300ft below sea level, and thousands of feet below us, the Badwater Basin is a vast plain of dry washes and salt flats.

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The desert Kit Fox may look like a pup, but they are fully grown and well adapted to the arid conditions.

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A 20-mule wagon which was used to haul raw borax out of the valley floor.  For several years workers scraped the borax-bearing salts from the surface of the plain. Note the large water tank, which was nearly completely consumed during the journey to the nearest railway station.

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The next day we hiked up Fall Canyon.

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The namesake fall, impassible without skills we don’t posses.

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We then broke off and headed north.  Having never been to north Death Valley, we wanted to visit the Eureka Dunes.  Quite a few miles of washboard dirt roads awaited us.  Though the backdrop made it worth the effort.

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The next day we arrived at the dunes.  With the tallest being around 700ft high, it can be hard to get a sense of scale.

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If you look closely, you might see me down at the base of this smaller dune.

 

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This colorful ridge blocks the end of Eureka valley, creating the wind conditions which generate the dunes.

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We didn’t hike all the way to the tallest dune.  Its hard-going in the windblown sand.  You can see the highest point behind us.

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Here is the rather bumpy road to the dunes. Way in the distance you can see the mountains we will be driving over to exit the northern entrance to the park.

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Friday, May 21, 2021

Passing Through Nevada

By Jen.

Dates: 12/09/2020 to 12/10/2020

We decided to head towards Death Valley, a favorite place of ours. On the way was Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. As we drove into the park’s dump station, we were greeted by a bighorn sheep who was very interested in drinking the water that had dripped onto the ground.

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We stopped by Atlatl Rock to see the petroglyphs.

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Jonathan and I had differing opinions on what the drawings represented; but he was probably correct, my interpretation was too modern.


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Can you see why the called it Valley of Fire?


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There was a petrified forest preserved here.

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More bighorn sheep.


Next we drove down the White Domes Scenic Byway and walked along Rainbow Vista.

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Sunset.


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Sunrise.


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We walked Elephant Rock trail the next morning.

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Elephant Rock.

 

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From there, we met up with our fellow travelers in Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area outside of Vegas. While we were waiting to meet up with our friends, we spied these cute little buggers in the parking lot.

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White-Tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel.


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We passed by Calico Hills on our way through the park.

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We made a quick visit by the Petroglyph wall.

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Then we did a long loop through White Rock and Willow Springs with our friends.

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At this point, we said goodbye to our friends, who were off to separate locations, and set our sights to California.