Death Valley

What better place to vacation than a valley called Death Valley! The second hottest temperature on the planet was recorded in Death Valley (57°C), and even in October the average daily temperature is 33°C.

The drive into Death Valley National Park was spectacular.

We saw Joshua Trees, which are actually large yuccas.

This Tarantula was just leisurely crossing the road.

Apparently the males go looking for hot ladies this time of year.

It's easier to see the rocks without all that vegetation getting in the way.

This is the the Panamint Valley, west of Death Valley.

One of our first views in Death Valley - massive sand dunes.

We arrived at the campground in the early evening and set up camp. The night was hot, windy and dusty. It felt like a hot summer night when you can’t get to sleep and every time the wind gusted, it blew dust under the fly of the tent and covered us. There were times in the night when we had to breath into our pillows because it was so dusty! Needless to say the next morning we were gritty and our eyes were crusty, but we still got up early to see the sunrise over the valley.

We got some great photos and then went for a hike in the Golden Canyon before it got too hot.

We also visited a broken up salt flat known as The Devil’s Golf Course, went to a natural arch, and visited Artist’s Drive, so-called because of the multi-coloured rocks.

By mid-morning it was uncomfortably hot and by the time we made it to Badwater, the lowest point in the western hemisphere, it was well into the mid-30s (Celsius). After a short walk on the salt flats we went back to Furnace Creek to find an ice cream and a cold beverage. We saw a roadrunner while we were eating lunch and then (sweaty, gritty and feeling hung-over) we made for higher ground and cooler temperatures.