Death Valley

 

If you think Death Valley is a featureless landscape you'd be sadly mistaken. 

This was my second trip and was awed just like the first time. I went to some

places I missed and returned to others. (see my previous post from some sand dunes)

To get to the valley you get to go up and over.

Then you start to see some real interesting formations

And different layers

Lots of examples of what formed the various features

One of the 'must sees' is the Devil's Golf Course.  An area formed by various salts

deposited by rains into the valley, it's a huge area

A closer look gives you some idea of what the formations look like

Some large

Some small and very interesting

Next up is the lowest point in the United States, Badwater Basin, so named after a 

prospectors mules wouldn't drink from the water. The little white sign on the hill 

is sea level, 282 feet above the basin.

The salts in the basin are mostly NaCl, yup, table salt.

This is from the Artists Palette section. I would love to see the colors

immediately after a rain.

Natural Bridge is well above the Valley, first the road and then the hike.

 

Just about every where you go there's magnificent rock formations

I didn't expect to see any flowers in Death Valley during January, but on a hike

 to Darwin Falls I spotted these little beauties

Darwin Falls was about a mile hike and a few miles from where I was staying.

If you go during a time of the year were more water is flowing, wear waterproof

boots or expect to wade some

Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph.

Dave