Death Valley

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Nov. 7, 2018

Our arrival in Death Valley Furnace Creek area coincided (strictly by accident) with the Death Valley 49ers Encampment, a week long celebration of western heritage. While there were plenty of camp sites available, they were in Sunset campground . Sunset is basically a parking lot with the occasional bathhouse and everyone in Sunset had generators. We picked a spot next to a camper with some of those Harbor Freight solar panels out thinking maybe they were the exception to the rule.  They were nice people, we talked to them for a short time. When dinner time came around they cranked up the loudest generator of them all. Not knowing any better we’d signed up for our usual 2 nights to start. Oh well, we were here so we’d make the best of it.  

$5.85! Can you say... Price Gouging?  $3.69 in Barstow, CA, $3.31 in Pahrump, NV

There was another campground in the Furnace Creek area (Texas Springs) about a quarter mile up the hill and behind Sunset that we thought was tents only. The next day we said what the heck, let's check it out anyway..  There is a tent’s only section, but also a mixed tent/RV section with plenty of nice large sites available and NO GENERATORS ALLOWED!. We seriously considered just eating the one remaining night camping fee we’d already paid for in Sunset and move to Texas Springs right then and there.  We decided to stick it out for one more night then move first thing in the morning. The generators never interfered with our sleep, it was just annoying in the afternoon.

Our campsite in Texas Springs.

Texas Springs campground.

We stayed in Death Valley 6 days, here's some pictures...

Example of Tilted block faulting on Hwy 190 leading to the park. 

This was the afternoon we arrived, it never got this warm again.

Badwater Basin

282 feet BELOW sea level!  Lowest point in North America.

Sea Level marked on the cliff above the Badwater Basin parking area.

Natural Bridge trail

On the Natural Bridge trail.

Ubehebe Crater trail

The Ubehebe Crater rim trail was our favorite.

Artists Drive

Highlight of Artists Drive.

Misc. pictures

20 Mule Team exhibit at the remains of the Harmony Borax works.

Coming next, Valley of Fire SP Nevada.