One hears about Death Valley from films books etc. but again I have been amazed at the sheer scale and beauty of this place in the first few hours. I am sure there is a lot more it has to reveal. Well there was, I was not even in Death Valley proper, it was Panamint Valley, part of the Death Valley National Park. It just got a lot better, no stunning.
After washing the RV of the dirt and grime, in Lone Pine, from the snow of the last two days, stocking up with water and provisions. I went to Movie Road where the immediate area was used for many films - great backdrop just off the road - from Roy Rogers to Gunga Din (See Pictures)
I joined Route 136 and 190 over the Inyo Mountains, with their multiple bands of colours, rising to 5,200ft before dropping down into Panamint Valley 2 hours later. (See Map) I stopped at Panamint Springs, 2,000ft, for the night. (See Pictures) (See Map)
An early start and I was heading East to Death Valley proper but first I had to cross the Panamint Valley and then the Range rising to 4,950ft. (See Photographs) (See Video) 640x480 4.5MB
The descent into Death Valley proper was a fantastic site, the valley opened up to a grand vista stretching for miles looking up to the north. I arrived at Stovepipe Wells at 10:00am and it was already warm. By midday it was 33C (See Photographs)
I decided to see an area called Mosaic Canyon in the Tucki foothills, the stone finely polished by the action of wind blown sand was superb. (See Photographs).
I then made my way East across the valley floor past the Devils Cornfields (See Photographs) and turned North onto Route 267 running along the East side of the valley (See Photographs) to Ubhebe Crater, a volcanic crater about half a mlle wide and 500ft deep before leaving eastward to Nevada. (See Photographs)
I was running short of petrol and left the North east exit and drove down Interstate 95 to Beatty to top up and stay the night.
The following morning I headed West again on Route 374 to Death Valley. I turned South on 190 to Furnace Creek and was then at 200ft below sea level. After Furnace Creek, very touristy, I headed on to Golden Canyon. It was fantastic with the Red Cathedral as an encore. (See Photographs) (See Video) 640x480 2.2MB (See Video) 640x480 4.0MB (See Video) 640x480 8.2MB
I then headed further South to a loop into the foothills of the Armagosa Range, called Artists Palette, the colours were fantastic and the name lived up to the reality. (See Photographs)
Further South is Badwater, as the name suggests it is a spring fed pool of sulphur, sodium and chloride, it is also the lowest point in the USA at 282ft below sea level. It is also the hottest place in the summer months. It was very hot that day at 35C and 23% humidity. (See Map) (See Photographs) (See Video) 640x480 5.1 MB
I also had an accident here, I slipped on the salt beds and hurt my hip. I never expected it to be so slippery, I link salt to stop sliding on icy conditions. After a little recovery time I decided to leave the valley and make my way to Pahrump, the nearest town with medical facilities. (See Photographs)
Death Valley is definitely a place I will revisit on my next expedition, there is so much more to see and the visual power of the scenery is just stunning and overwhelming.
I decided to stay a few days and recover from my injuries and get some much needed sleep after a traumatic week, I also needed to get urgent repairs done following a off road incident. Also Super Bowl XL is on this weekend. (See RV Park)
Pahrump is a small town and so different from anything before, Casinos everywhere, but that's Nevada.
