Bakersfield Life

Death Valley is alive!

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    Think vacation time is over? Well, guess what? It’s just beginning. The fall and winter months are the time to vacation in Death Valley when daytime temperatures are just right for exploring this amazing national park.Getting there    First we checked the roads into the park and discovered that all but one would probably not be too much fun in a motor home due to steep, twisty, windy and/or narrow roads. So, prudent travelers that me and my husband are (cowards actually), we took the route that most easily accommodates cars, trailers and RVs — Highway 58 to Baker, then Highway 127 to Shoshone. What to see    A three-day trip wasn’t enough to see all we wanted to see, but then I’m not sure a month would be long enough. So maybe several trips at different times of year are the answer.       Our first stop was the historic village of Shoshone. We got a bite to eat at the Crowbar Cafe & Saloon, then visited the museum (a really old gas station) and viewed a fascinating display of mammoth and mastodon bones. They gave us a walking tour guide of the village that took us across the street and up a dirt road to the Shoshone Cemetery and the Dublin Gulch Caves. From the early 1900s through the 1960s, the caves, carved out of the clay hills, were home to miners and vagabonds. Thousands of rusty tin cans told us about the eating habits of the cave dwellers.   We left Shoshone and headed west on Highway 178 (Badwater Road) for approximately 55 miles to Badwater, the most visited site in Death Valley and the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. When it rains (yes, it does occasionally rain in Death Valley) a large lake only a few inches deep forms, evaporates and leaves behind a salty crust that looks like a white jigsaw puzzle.    We thought The Devil’s Golf Course, 1.3 miles off Badwater Road, was appropriately named because it looked like something out of a science fiction movie. Once a lake, the area is now a rough surfaced salt pan that studies suggest might be 9,000 feet in depth.  We fell in love with the Artist’s Palette formation, also off Badwater Road on Artist’s Drive loop, a scenic nine-mile one-way road. It is truly one of Death Valley’s most beautiful attractions. The colors (red, pink, yellow, green and purple) on the mountain face are like a watercolor painting. The oxidation of different metals and decomposing tuff  — porous rock formed by volcanic ash or dust — are but two of the scientific explanations for the various colors.    We were told we had to see Zabriskie Point at sunrise. At first we cursed the people who told us that we had to do this, later we thanked them. Zabriskie Point overlooks an amazing landscape of colorful ravines and mud hills that seem to ebb and flow like ocean swells. Other magnificent views can be had by climbing adjacent hills. A foot trail through the mud hills leads to other points of interest: Gower Gulch and Golden Canyon.    In the black of night we ventured out to the Harmony Borax Works interpretive trail. Remains of buildings, machinery, tanks, piping and waste tailings are all that’s left of the romanticized 20-mule team operation that hauled Borax overland to Mojave. I had a lot of fun trying to copy another photographer’s photo of the site (he’s still much better than me) using flashlights and a long shutter speed.     Scotty’s Castle, considered an engineering marvel, is at the northern end of Death Valley. Set in the middle of an “oasis” (Grapevine Canyon), the 1932 Moorish-style mansion is fed by several natural springs. The oasis along with the house’s indoor waterfalls and its underground cooling system help keep the house cool during the summer months. The castle’s history is rich — tall tales about a friendship between an unhealthy man and a talented con artist. We took a living history tour of the house and need to go back for the underground tour. You can’t help but be impressed by the castle’s antiques, furniture and rugs, most of which came from Europe.Lodging    Since winter is the most popular time to visit Death Valley, it’s a good idea to make lodging reservations. You can pamper yourself at the Furnace Creek Inn, built in 1927, where you can swim in the natural spring-fed pool, relax by the fabulous poolside fireplaces, stroll the terraced palm tree garden and enjoy a massage.    The Furnace Creek Ranch is like a small town with its 224 moderately priced guest units, RV spaces, three restaurants, saloon, general store, Borax Museum, spring-fed swimming pool and world’s lowest golf course.         More lodging is available at Stovepipe Wells Village, which is close to many of the most popular attraction,s and last but not least the Panamint Springs Resort, located at the western edge of Death Valley.       Of the nine public campgrounds only Furnace Creek Campground takes advance reservations. Otherwise it’s first come, first served. Prices at campgrounds vary according to amenities.        Despite its ominous name, we found Death Valley to be very much alive with people exploring all the fun and interesting things there are to do. I can’t wait to go back to see the things I missed.Other points of interest:             Mesquite Flat Dunes, Dante’s View, Tecopa Hot Springs, China Ranch, Amargosa Canyon, Wildrose Charcoal Kilns, Devil’s Cornfield, Mosaic Canyon, Racetrack Playa and the Ubehebe Crater.Facts about Death Valley

•  Death Valley comprises 3.3 million acres.
• It’s the largest national park in the contiguous U.S.
• The second-highest temperature in the world of 134 F was recorded there in 1913.
• Want to know more? A downloadable Visitor Guide to Death Valley National Park available on the National Park Service site — nps.gov  — provides information on sightseeing, tours, ranger talks and walks, lodging, dining and more.