Go to Death Valley that is.... for some reason we hadn't planned on going there but many many people thought we should. So uncharacteristically for us we did what many people said we should do! We're glad we did but for some reason we are both exhausted from our trip, keep in mind it was 150 (ish) miles round trip! I thought it was going to be like the Badlands in our new home state but I liked Death Valley better - more color etc.Anyway, the picture above is from Zabriskie Point, a look out about 5 or so miles into the park from Death Valley Junction, CA. The area we saw of the park was probably the southern 1/3 of the park and the eastern most area. The park itself covers approximately 3.4 million acres isn't that huge! I will try not to get onto my national treasures rant but there were no manned welcome centers, no manned stops along the way and we saw not one park ranger! Foolishly, we left our National Parks books at home and had done little homework prior to our trip over there, partly because we assumed there would be at least a couple welcome centers with at least maps of the park. NOT! So we sort of had to wing it from what little memory we had of conversations with people about the park.
Above (I believe) is another view from Zabriskie Point
Above and below are pictures of what were, for me, the highlights of the day. Above is Badwater Basin which lies 282 feet below sea level. There were awesome salt flats there too. Below, although it looks like a bowl of ice cream (maybe?), is a shot taken along the "Artist's Drive" of the park - a 6 1/2 mile loop, that has incredibly beautifully colored rocks.
Below is just a picture of different colors on the rocks/mountains that impressed the heck out of me! I've put a new album (strangely enough entitled Death Valley) on our picasa site for your viewing pleasure! I have to add captions to them, which likely won't be done tonight but the pictures are there. One I put there that I think is pretty cool is a picture from Badwater Basin looking up to a sign indicating where sea level is! Kind of a neat shot I think.
We are probably leaving Pahrump tomorrow but we are changing our plans and scrapping the northern CA, Oregon and Washington state leg of the travel for now. We are thinking we are heading to Utah and South Dakota from there - who knows via what states at this point, and even if we did know we'd change our mind anyway!
Above (I believe) is another view from Zabriskie Point
Above and below are pictures of what were, for me, the highlights of the day. Above is Badwater Basin which lies 282 feet below sea level. There were awesome salt flats there too. Below, although it looks like a bowl of ice cream (maybe?), is a shot taken along the "Artist's Drive" of the park - a 6 1/2 mile loop, that has incredibly beautifully colored rocks.
Below is just a picture of different colors on the rocks/mountains that impressed the heck out of me! I've put a new album (strangely enough entitled Death Valley) on our picasa site for your viewing pleasure! I have to add captions to them, which likely won't be done tonight but the pictures are there. One I put there that I think is pretty cool is a picture from Badwater Basin looking up to a sign indicating where sea level is! Kind of a neat shot I think.
We are probably leaving Pahrump tomorrow but we are changing our plans and scrapping the northern CA, Oregon and Washington state leg of the travel for now. We are thinking we are heading to Utah and South Dakota from there - who knows via what states at this point, and even if we did know we'd change our mind anyway! 
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