STL DPB ON THE ROAD - A LAST VIEW OF DEATH VALLEY

Probably. Still at Mesquite Flat Dunes. I think this is one of my better pictures from the trip. You can be your own editor but not your own critic. See what you think.              

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THOSE DUNES

Still at Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley with a point of view pulled back from yesterday's photo. It looks like a romantic 19th Century landscape of the Old West (or that's how it strikes me). The range on the rights is inappropriately called the Grapevine Mountains.

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FRANK HERBERT

Another image from the Mesquite Sand Dunes. The two small figures in the center and right center give some sense of scale, although the sand continues well beyond this ridge. And how far away are the mountains?

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - ARTIST'S PALETTE

There is a road off Death Valley's main highway known as Artist's Drive. It is another wonderful work fo engineering blasted through the tortuous curves of rock. The main feature is this formation called Artist's Palette. We read that the reasons for this splash of color are geologically and chemically unclear. Looks cool, though. Note the two tiny people in the lower right for scale.            

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - LONESOME COWBOY

Just kidding. It's another tourist standing on a ridge at Zabriskie Point, taking pictures with his phone.             

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - DANTE'S VIEW

 

Late post today. Our Internet wasn't working when we got home from the airport last night and I just figured  it out. Dante's View is a point on a mountain top 5,575 ft / 1,699 M above sea level, overlooking Badwater Basin, which is below sea level. The rest of Death Valley sweeps away to the north. The road to the top is an engineering marvel. However, nothing tells you which of the three books of the Divine Comedy you are looking over.

So, great to be home. It's 4 F / -15.5 C.                  

STL DPBON THE ROAD - A MEMORY FROM ZABRISKIE POINT

We've been to Death Valley maybe four or five times over the last 40 years. As I've mentioned, it's one of our favorite places. A memory comes back of a long-ago visit to Zabriskie Point. There is a broad, flat rock to the left of the frame. We saw what we thought was a German film crew endlessly setting up, with Mel Brooks and Alan King off to the side, goofing around and amusing themselves. One of my few close-up star sightings.           

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - ZABRISKIE POINT

It's odd to think of a handful of places in Death Valley's majesty as particularly famous, but Zabriskie Point is near the top. A rock promontory sits amidst these mysterious flows, overlooking the head of equally famous Golden Canyon (which we used to - deliberate past tense - be able to climb to). I know little about geology, but the black caps are lava. You could find out about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabriskie_Point .

It is also the name of an artsy movie that came out when I was an undergrad. The film was a commercial flop but all us 20 year-olds. loved it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabriskie_Point_(film) 

                 

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - THE QUIET AND THE SPACE

 

One of the things we like so much about Death Valley is the silence and the enormous sense of space. It's not busy during the week and you can drive a long way before seeing another car. The distances between main sites are tens of miles apart. Whether driving or walking through, you may have a sense of being a tiny observer in a vast universe.

Those of you who know us personally are aware that the last couple of years, and particularly the last couple of months, have been difficult for our family. Our last stop on Tuesday was the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. The western skies were cloudy as we approached. I was pessimistic about the light but as we walked out into the sand the clouds parted. I don't need any jackpots when we get back to Las Vegas. I got all I want here. Our rental car has Apple Play and I have a lot of music on my phone. I put on some Chopin as we drove back to Furnace Creek and, in all the space and quiet, a sense of peace fell over me.           

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - GOOD ADVICE

The desert tour continues. This is one of the youngest features in Death Valley National Park, Ubehebe Crater. Rising magma caused underground aquifers to seethe with steam, leading to a volcanic explosion. Geologists think it happened about 2,000 years ago, scattering lava over a wide area. If interested, see http://tinyurl.com/48dtbtyr .               

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - DEATH VALLEY

There is no better place we know in the US to clear out your head than Death Valley. It's two hours drive from Las Vegas and, outside of the central village, you might as well be on another planet (with your fellow tourists). This is Badwater Basin, 282 feet / 85.5 meters below sea level, the lowest point in this country. (I'm talking geography, not politics or history.)    

The mountain range in the background and the one behind me are slowly spreading apart as this section of the valley continues to sink. Springs that originate in the mountains drift toward here and evaporate, leaving a crackling salt crust.          

STL DPB Hits Bottom: Badwater, Death Valley

.

I got so many good pictures in Death Valley today but, again, it's late, and I only have time to edit one. This is Badwater, the lowest place in North America, 282 feet / 85 m below sea level. The salt flats seem to go on forever.

There is nowhere like Death Valley in the world. You cannot appreciate its vastness and emptiness unless you visit. It is the US's largest national park and our favorite place to go to clear our heads. More pix when I can work them up.

STL DPB On The Road: The Mesquite Flats Dunes

.

Many of he iconic images of Death Valley are the Mesquite Flats Dunes. It is an area where the mountain ranges and valleys meet in just a certain way, causing the dust and grit in the air to fall and make these mountains of sand. They are accessable from the road so lots of Lawrence of Arabia wannabes trudge to the top and roll or slide down. Like the person below, for example.

STL DPB On The Road: Badwater

.
Badwater, the lowest place in North America, 282 feet or 86 meters below sea level. It was our last stop on our visit to Death Valley. There is a spring bubbling extremely salty water to the surface. A plank walkway runs a short way from the parking lot to the caked salt flats, which seem to run on indefinitely. There's a metaphor here somewhere. And to add another layer, it rained for most of our drive from Furnace Creek to Las Vegas, the rarest occurrence here.

I'm writing this between flights at Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport on our way home. Back to sort of normal tomorrow although I'll probably post Death Valley material for a couple of days (no STL new material on hand). There are lots more good DV shots on my Flickr site here and U "R" Us' here.

STL DPB On The Road: Rhyolite, Nevada

.
Rhyolite, Nevada, is a ghost town just outside Death Valley National Park. Gold was discovered in 1904. By 1908 the population swelled to 10,000. The mines ran out and by 1920 only 20 people lived there. Today, no one, but the US Bureau of Land Management preserves it as a historical site. On the south edge of town is the Goldwell Open Air Museum, a bizarre outdoor sculpture park including these ghostly (hah! what a pun) figures. We learned that people stood under sheets of canvas while a type of resin and plaster was poured over them. They remained still for 20 minutes in the desert sun until the sheets began to harden. This group is part of a Last Supper. You can see another photo I took of the whole tableau here.

By the way, for U "R" us' declaration of the theme of the trip, click here.

STL DPB On The Road: Death Valley

.We've come back to this place over and over. Death Valley, the largest US national park, is the perfect place to clear out your head when it's cold back home. It feels desolate and remote but it's quite accessible and, frankly, fairly comfy. There are many side canyons in the mountains flanking the valley floor. Late yesterday afternoon we walked up Golden Canyon, a short drive from where we are staying at Furnace Creek. U "R" Us clambered up a big bolder to take in the scene.

I apologize for not getting up comments to the excellent 'best of the year" photos from yesterday. We've hardly been in the hotel room and the WiFi is weak and unreliable. Comments may have to wait until we get back to civilization. I don't know if that includes Las Vegas or not.