March 8, 2012

March 8, 2012

Las Vegas is not our destination, just a convenient stopover point. Before heading out of town, we stopped at a local pawnshop near the Strip. No, we are not here to get some quick cash but to visit one of my favorite TV shows, “Pawn Stars”. Since our bodies are still on Mountain Time, we arrived too early. But it was a good thing we were early, because by 9AM there was a long line behind us. Over 4000 people visit every day. The inside is a lot smaller than it looks on TV. It is also packed. For filming they need to clear the entire place of customers and employees. Sadly the four main characters were nowhere to be seen.

From Vegas we drive two hours to Death Valley National Park across the border in California. Once in the park, we make a detour to Dantes View. This spot at 5000-foot elevation gives a great overview of the park. Below us we can see the long Death Valley with its white saltpan floor surrounded by very high mountains.

From Dante we drive farther into the park amazed how mountainous and colorful the terrain is. There is obvious black volcanic formations mixed with whitish gold sedimentary rocks. We drive downhill and make a left onto Badwater Road. This path follows the saltpan down to its lowest point at 282 feet below sea level. We get lucky and arrive just in time for an excellent ranger-guided walking tour. During the Ice Age, a lake filled Death Valley. It has since evaporated leaving all the salts behind. Even though Death Valley is the driest point in North America, it isn’t dry. Natural Springs flow underground into the valley. The water table is only a few inches below the surface. The constant churn of water is like a little natural chemical factory separating all the minerals eroding out of the surrounding mountains.

On the way out of Badwater Basin, we make a short detour along Artists Drive up into the side canyons lining the salt flat. Here we get close up looks at the spectrum of colors that result from Mother Nature’s chemical separation process. We also stop at Golden Canyon for a short hike up an eroded mudstone canyon the color of whitish gold.

Since we are in a National Park without the RV, we tent camped. Oh how we miss our motorhome. No running water, no lights, no comfy bed, and no cold beer.