Irvine to Death Valley

Before we left Jenny and Tommy’s house for the last time, we went on a short hike near their house to a waterfall. It was nice to get back outside and enjoy the sunny weather with the dogs.

Jenny and Tommy Near Waterfall

From Irvine we headed northeast towards the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Our goal was Death Valley but we got sidelined by a few destinations in between. We decided the mountains were too nice to pass up before we hit the desert. So we stopped for the night at a small, free Forest Service campground. (We are averaging $1.12/day on camping). The Sierras were clouded over with a passing storm but we were rewarded the next morning with spectacular views in every direction.

Sierra Nevada Mountains

Sprout and Otis in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (Why do I keep trying to get the dogs to pose for these photos?)

We also attempted to see the Bristlecone Pine trees just east of Bishop. These are among the oldest living things on the planet. Some of the trees are 4,000 years old. Unfortunately the snow from the storm the night before proved to be too much for Hans’ two wheel drive capabilities. We were turned around two miles before the first grove of trees at an elevation of 10,000 feet. We were however able to see some of the younger bristlecone pine stands.

Bristlecone Pine Stand

Our last side trip was down a long, bumpy, dirt road. We knew from our time in Alaska if you take a bumpy road long enough you will usually be rewarded in the end. Little did we know that the same is true in the desert. Our reward … a tropical oasis in the middle of the desert landscape!! We were lucky enough to stumble on what most would say is the best hot springs in the country. In the 1970’s a group of people got together and developed this series of springs into a quaint retreat complete with pools, a lawn, palm trees, a group campfire area, a community library, and shower facilities. We were amazed at their ingenuity. The rewards were obvious everywhere you looked. We will long remember this as one of the best parts of our trip. Our two days there were much too short.

One of the Pools Complete with a Canopy for Shade

Another Pool with the Desert Landscape Behind

Us in the Hot Springs (clothing was optional so we’ll keep this PG)

After all our fun side trips we finally reached Death Valley. Death Valley is on the eastern border of California with Nevada. It contains the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, Badwater Basin. It is 282 feet below sea level. It is also the hottest spot in North America. During the summer it is often 120°F during the day and still over 100°F at night. We didn’t know what to expect in Death Valley so we were pleasantly surprised when we found out there were a fair number of short trails. Once again we were lucky with the weather, as it was fairly cool for the desert. We took advantage of this and left the dogs in the van while we checked out the trails (no dogs are aloud on National Park trails).

View of Death Valley from Dante’s View

Dave at Badwater the Lowest Point in the Western Hemisphere

One neat spot in the park was the Devil’s Golf Course. It is an immense area of rock salt that has been eroded by the wind and rain into jagged spires. The saying goes “only the devil could play golf on such rough links.”

dave at Devils Golf Course

Devils Golf Course Soil Up Close

Here are a few of the other features in the park:

Natural Bridge

jody at Mosaic Canyon

Here is a neat quote from the park newsletter about one of their endangered species:
“Wetland and riparian areas have a unique scientific value. The Death Valley area is a classic example of a plant and animal laboratory in evolution. This fact is due to the relatively recent development of the desert climate and unique geologic history where large marshes and lakes were relatively plentiful as recently as 15,000 years ago. This combination of events has had the unusual result of confining several aquatic species that were probably widespread during the last ice age to remnant wetlands that have persisted for thousands of years. …. one of these species is the pupfish. Some pupfish have developed the ability to live in water that is 2.5 times more saline than seawater and can live in water up to 107°F.” We were able to see these small fish from a short trail. They were VERY active as this is their mating season.

Pupfish Mating

Just after we left Death Valley, we spent dave’s birthday (geezer) in the middle of the Nevada desert. We celebrated with chicken wings and french fries. It was a rather quiet birthday with no cake or candles but it was fun none the less.