Death Valley and Grand Canyon (February 2011)
As a part of my "See the USA" program, I decided to visit two national parks: Death Valley and the Grand Canyon. I have a lifetime pass that allows me unlimited free entry to all National Parks for the rest of my life. The pass cost me only $10, and I've already used it to visit four National Parks. What a deal!
Days 1:
I took an early morning flight from San Jose to Las Vegas, rented a car at the airport, and drove out of the town as quickly as I could, as I don't care for Las Vegas. My first destination was Death Valley, CA.
I took the "Most Scenic Route" recommended by the National Park Service. The scenery started to become more interesting
as I got on Highway 178 and entered the park. The first dramatic view of the Valley was from Mormon Point, looking toward the north.
After driving a short while, I arrived at an observation deck at Badwater.
People were walking out onto the salt flat to enjoy a quite (but crunchy) walk on salt crystals. Once can walk miles across the valley, and I did! There's something soothing about making new steps on unspoiled salt flat, Of course our foot steps will be erased when it rains a bit and the salt melts and recrystallizes. The salt flat of Badwater Basin is 282ft (86m) below the sea level.
I drove on toward Furnace Creek (still about 20 miles away), a small town where most visitors to this part of Death Valley stay. I passed by several points of interest to which I would return on the subsequent days, but I took detour (actually a one-way loop) on Artist's Drive. The road weaves though ravines and colorful rock formations. One spot was aptly named Artist's Palette with rock formations covered with brightly colored mineral deposits, resembling an artist's palette:
I drove past the Inn at Furnace Creek, a ritzy resort hotel where a room costs a small fortune! I had a reservation for three nights at the Ranch at Furnace Creek, a more affordable accommodation. After checking in and settling in, I checked out the grounds. The place had a wide variety of recreational facilities (golf course, stable, pool fed by a hot spring), but as it turned out I was too busy to use any of them. Since a storm that had hit the area a day before was leaving, there was strong gusts from time to time. Fronds on a palm tree were being whipped around as the moon rose.
I had an early supper and went to bed early so that I could get up early enough for dawn and sunrise views.
Days 1:
I took an early morning flight from San Jose to Las Vegas, rented a car at the airport, and drove out of the town as quickly as I could, as I don't care for Las Vegas. My first destination was Death Valley, CA.
I took the "Most Scenic Route" recommended by the National Park Service. The scenery started to become more interesting
as I got on Highway 178 and entered the park. The first dramatic view of the Valley was from Mormon Point, looking toward the north.
After driving a short while, I arrived at an observation deck at Badwater.
People were walking out onto the salt flat to enjoy a quite (but crunchy) walk on salt crystals. Once can walk miles across the valley, and I did! There's something soothing about making new steps on unspoiled salt flat, Of course our foot steps will be erased when it rains a bit and the salt melts and recrystallizes. The salt flat of Badwater Basin is 282ft (86m) below the sea level.
I drove on toward Furnace Creek (still about 20 miles away), a small town where most visitors to this part of Death Valley stay. I passed by several points of interest to which I would return on the subsequent days, but I took detour (actually a one-way loop) on Artist's Drive. The road weaves though ravines and colorful rock formations. One spot was aptly named Artist's Palette with rock formations covered with brightly colored mineral deposits, resembling an artist's palette:
I drove past the Inn at Furnace Creek, a ritzy resort hotel where a room costs a small fortune! I had a reservation for three nights at the Ranch at Furnace Creek, a more affordable accommodation. After checking in and settling in, I checked out the grounds. The place had a wide variety of recreational facilities (golf course, stable, pool fed by a hot spring), but as it turned out I was too busy to use any of them. Since a storm that had hit the area a day before was leaving, there was strong gusts from time to time. Fronds on a palm tree were being whipped around as the moon rose.
I had an early supper and went to bed early so that I could get up early enough for dawn and sunrise views.
Day 2:
Got up early and headed to Zabriskie Point, a popular lookout point just outside of Furnace Creek. There were a number of similar-minded early risers waiting for Mother Nature's show:
After a while the western sky just above the mountains (Panamint Range) turned pinkish, which is what we were all waiting for.
The sun rose very quickly and began to hit the mountain tops:
Then, we all enjoyed the interesting play of the sun light and shadows for a while, but the sun quickly rose higher in the sky.
After the early morning show was over, I drove to Dante's View, a lookout point that is more than 5,000ft above the valley floor. One could almost see from the south end of the valley to the north end of the valley. On the opposite side (west) of the valley is the Telescope Peak (11,049ft or 3,368m):
I decided to return to this spot the following morning to view the scenes at dawn and sunrise, and headed back to Furnace Creek. On the way back, I enjoyed interesting views. I stopped by at the Inn and had a late breakfast to check it out. The service and the food was excellent, but the bill was $$$!
After I returned to the hotel, I shed warm clothing and took off for some hikes. First I hiked into Golden Canyon; as the name suggests the canyon was mostly golden colored. The trail was rather wide and easy - about 2 miles one way.
Got up early and headed to Zabriskie Point, a popular lookout point just outside of Furnace Creek. There were a number of similar-minded early risers waiting for Mother Nature's show:
After a while the western sky just above the mountains (Panamint Range) turned pinkish, which is what we were all waiting for.
The sun rose very quickly and began to hit the mountain tops:
Then, we all enjoyed the interesting play of the sun light and shadows for a while, but the sun quickly rose higher in the sky.
After the early morning show was over, I drove to Dante's View, a lookout point that is more than 5,000ft above the valley floor. One could almost see from the south end of the valley to the north end of the valley. On the opposite side (west) of the valley is the Telescope Peak (11,049ft or 3,368m):
I decided to return to this spot the following morning to view the scenes at dawn and sunrise, and headed back to Furnace Creek. On the way back, I enjoyed interesting views. I stopped by at the Inn and had a late breakfast to check it out. The service and the food was excellent, but the bill was $$$!
After I returned to the hotel, I shed warm clothing and took off for some hikes. First I hiked into Golden Canyon; as the name suggests the canyon was mostly golden colored. The trail was rather wide and easy - about 2 miles one way.
