Have you ever been to Death Valley National Park? It's an incredible place. It's a weird place. It's almost an out-of-this-world place. We drove for nearly an hour and never even saw a bug hit the windshield. Some parts of the park are so devoid of life that it's scary. I suppose when people hear the name Death Valley, they think of relentless heat. Temperatures can go over 120 degrees in summer. The camping season doesn't even begin until fall. Spring is the best time to visit because the place comes alive with wildflowers. We were there in 2001, right after Nathan was born. We went in February and it was below freezing at night -- and we were in a pop-up trailer -- brrr!
The picture above was taken at Badwater Basin -- 282 feet below sea level. There are some spectacular places to see in Death Valley, even more so if you have a 4x4 that can go on rougher roads. There are incredible sand dunes in the park. The girls brought snow discs and had a blast sliding down the hills. There's another place called the Devil's Golfcourse, which you just have to see to believe. One of the highlights for us happened right as we were leaving the park to go home. A roadrunner ran out in front of our car and a few seconds later we saw a coyote behind it. It was straight out of Looney Tunes. Even though it seems desolate, wildlife is abundant. The park is home to coyotes, mountain lions, ravens, ground squirrels, roadrunners, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and even bighorn in the mountains.
Death Valley was home to the Timbisha Tribe of American Indians. It didn't get it's English name until the time of the Gold Rush when prospectors decided to cross the valley searching for gold. Only one death was reported during that time, but the name still stuck. Gold and silver were found in the valley, but it was salt and borax that people eventually came for. The picture below was taken at the sand dunes. Rick looks pretty ticked off, but he's not. It's exhaustion. He thought it would be fun to run to the tallest sand dune they could find. They're farther away than they look! If I ever get back down to California, I want to go back to this park. It's one of those places you just have to see and experience for yourself.
What comes to mind when you hear the name -- Death Valley?
I'd love to go there someday...it sounds so desolate but amazing.
ReplyDeleteHot and desolate comes to mind when I think of Death Valley.
ReplyDeleteBut I've never been!
Cool pics!!
That's neat seeing a roadrunner being chased by a coyote. I love those cartoons! I think of intense heat and no water.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of Death Valley I think of the old west. I don't know why. Miners, train men, Doc Holliday, Billy the Kid. And I know they are all unrelated, but that's what my brain came up with after I read your question.
ReplyDeleteHEAT comes to mind. Crazy heat. The fact that not one bug hit your windshield says everything.
ReplyDeleteI like that your family travels to all these awesome national parks. It's very cool.
What comes to mind is the old TV series Death Valley Days with the introduction by a certain actor: "Hello, I'm Ronald Reagan." I love that a coyote was chasing the roadrunner. Even cartoonists do their research!
ReplyDeleteI've driven through on my way to Vegas and it was tortuously hot even through the windows with the AC blazing. Of course it was the middle of summer, and Vegas was way too packed for me to ever want to go back. ;)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about the salt and borax stuff. When I think of Death Valley I see Georgia O'Keefe-like animal skulls in the sand. Scary.
ReplyDeleteBut the picts are amazing, thanks for posting!
Death Valley Days just like Marcia. Then I think about wagon trains, old black and white cowboy movies, etc.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us; it was fun bringing old memories to mind.
I found your post so interesting. I never knew all this about Death Valley. I would love to go to California some day. It seems a place with a huge variety of things to see.
ReplyDeleteSounds an amazing place to experience tho the name makes one wonder what to expect. Skulls, bones lying in a heap, vultures flying around - aah, only images from movies!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures Rena! Looks like a very interesting place. Death Valley to me sounds logically like a very morbid, dead place - devoid of life like you said.
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