Zabriskie Point

Our final stop for the day was Zabriskie point which is on the way to/back from Dante's View. This really reminded me of Badlands National Park. This is technically considered Badlands too, so I guess it should. The rock sediment looks slanted because the earth's crust is pushing up on one side. It really was cool to see all the colors in the rock sediment.

Dante's View

From Badwater Basin, we drove back up north the way we had come from, then we went east, and then we went south again to get here. Dante's View is about 5400 ft in elevation! Whew! (It was windy road to get there too!) But this peak overlooks all of Badwater Basin, where we just were at the lowest point in the U.S. So this is pretty much looking down a mile! Pretty amazing! This is not a sight to be missed!

Entering Death Valley

We stayed in Lone Pine, CA last night, which is situated about 45 min west from the edge of the park. Our hotel is approximately 4500 ft in elevation with the southern end of the Sierra Nevada mountains looming over us (first picture).

When you get to the beginning of the park you have come down to approximately 2000 ft in elevation(second picture). Then the road narrowed and became extremely windy as we dropped into Death Valley! You enter Panamint Springs (where we'll be staying tomorrow night and the next) which consists of a 12-room motel, a restaurant, a gas station, and an RV campground. Our goal today was to drive south to Badwater Basin and then go north and south again to Dante's View.

Past Panamint Springs, you now have to go back up and over a little mountain range to the main valley, getting as high as 4900 ft in elevation (third picture). Then you drop back down to 100 feet BELOW sea level in the middle of the park. Whew! My head doesn't know whether to have altitude sickness of not!

You get to Stovepipe Wells next, which is the same idea as Panamint Springs, but a little bigger and nicer. Just past Stovepipe Wells, you reach the Mesquite Sand Dunes that just seem to appear out of no where(fourth picture)! The sand is softer than most of the beaches in Northern California.

After this, we were on to Furnace Creek, the main hub of the park where all the activities are!

The Best Place To Stop On I-5

Although I-5 is long, flat, and boring, you can always look forward Harris Ranch! They are known for their top meat selections and produce. The ranch was first started by a couple who had moved west in the early 1900's. The ranch is now 18,000 acres here in the San Joaquin Valley. Definitely worth the splurge!! I, myself, enjoyed Class Steak Diane! We will def be eating sandwiches for dinner though!

On the Road Again!!

Wooo-hoo!! We're off! We have a 7hr drive ahead of us to Lone Pine, CA (about an hour outside of Death Valley NP where we will be staying the night. But we couldn't leave without doing a grocery run. In the long-run it is always cheaper to buy your own food, pack a cooler (buy ice along the way or get it from your hotel) and make your own meals. Plus in Death Valley there may not be food for awhile!

A New Adventure: Death Valley National Park

It's spring break now!! I wanted to go somewhere within driving distance and wouldn't be closed due to snow! So... Death Valley National Park (Website) won my vote! I've never been there before and you all know my goal of going to every National Park!

Death Valley NP is the largest national park south of Alaska, at approximately 120 miles north to south and approximately 80 miles east to west. They get fewer than 2 inches of rain most years and temperatures can get as high as 134 degrees Fahrenheit. There is a huge variety of terrain, plants, and animals. March is the best month to go because the high temperature is only about 85 degrees Fahrenheit and the flowers are all blooming. It will take my dad and I about 8 1/2 hours to drive there tomorrow. Then we will spend Saturday, Sunday, and Monday exploring the entire park! Hopefully, we will get a super clear night sky one night to enjoy a night time park ranger talk about all the constellations and planets out!

To prepare for a trip into the desert, we are planning to dress in shorts & t-shirts for the day and pants & jackets for the evening. Many do not realize how chilly the night can get even in the desert. We will also make sure to have an emergency food supply and first aid kit. I don't anticipate being very secluded in the park, but you never know. Another plus that my dad and I will have, is my On-Star mirror with its satellite phone and emergency services. There is not much cell phone reception in the park, so make sure someone outside of your trip knows what route and stops you are planning to do. Well... you will hear from me for the next few days!     :D