Leftovers From Death Valley
Leftovers can be good. Like pizza or Chinese food, leftovers may be better than the originals.
Visitors explore the Stovepipe Wells Sand Dunes at Death Valley National Park, California. I don’t walk on these dunes because of the extreme foot traffic it receives. Doesn’t make for good photos except from a distance.
The Furnace Creek Inn at Death Valley rents for a cool $499 per night. They also charge a $13.44 per day resort fee. Really?
The bright colors of Mustard Hills at Death Valley National Park, California
Death Valley’s Panamint Valley
Another large valley at Death Valley National Park is Panamint Valley. It is 65 miles long and up to 10 miles wide and stretches from Panamint Dunes, located inside the park, to the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Center. It is also home to the Barker Ranch, infamous as the temporary home of the Charles Manson gang in the late 1960s.
Wide expanses and elevation changes are the predominant features at Panamint Valley. That’s snow-covered Telescope Peak, at 11,043 feet, the highest point in Death Valley NP.
The main road meanders through the valley and has some incredible elevation changes.
Panamint Dunes was formed when high winds forced sand into the north end of Panamint Valley.
Brightly colored Zinc Hill in the Argus Range.
Eureka Dunes In The Abstract
The lines and shapes of the sand dunes at Eureka Valley at Death Valley National Park make for some good abstract images. The contrast between shadows and highlights also accentuate the abstractness.
The Remote Eureka Valley
Eureka Valley is located within Death Valley National Park and was added to the park when Death Valley became a national park in 1994. Death Valley NP is now the largest national park in the lower 48 states at over 3.3 million acres, 50% more than Yellowstone. Ninety One per cent of the park is designated wilderness and Eureka Valley is definitely wilderness. It is approximately 28 miles long and up to 10 miles wide. Eureka Valley could be its own national park. The valley is known for its soaring sand dunes, the colorful Last Chance Range and views to the snow-capped White Mountains that reach some 14,000 feet into the air.
Clouds pass over Eureka Valley at Death Valley National Park, California
Eureka Valley, upper left on map, is a 2 hour drive from the center of Death Valley NP, mostly on dirt and gravel roads.
Colorful strata are the predominate feature of the aptly named Last Chance Range.
The snow-covered White Mountains as seen from Eureka Valley.
Lazy clouds pass over Eureka Valley.
A full moon lights up the landscape over Eureka Dunes.
High winds kick up sand at Eureka Valley and eventually settles at the south end where the dunes reside.
The dunes rise up to 700 feet, amongst the tallest in North America.
The dunes look rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Sunset over the valley.
It’s amazing that anything grows or survives here.
Small mammals survive here by burrowing into the sand for relief. These nests are home to the kangaroo rat.
Rain makes an occasional appearance at Death Valley, but only a few inches annually.
Wintry Owens Valley
In the middle of my visit to Death Valley last week, I made a side trip through California’s Owens Valley. The snow level was much lower than in previous years as California has been hit with numerous storms this winter. Unfortunately, low clouds obscured the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Death Valley Moonrise
A full moon rises over the Last Chance Mountains at Death Valley National Park, California.
Nothing better than camping under a full moon at a remote desert location. The moon was so bright, I didn’t need any artificial light.
Death Valley’s Badwater Basin
Badwater Basin at Death Valley National Park, is a landscape of extremes. Extreme temperatures, extreme elevation changes and extreme dryness. Because the basin is at an elevation of 282 feet below sea level, the average high temperature in July is 116 degrees F. The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 134 degrees at Death Valley in 1913. Little wonder that I and most others visit during the winter months.
Badwater is surrounded by soaring peaks and eroded sandstone formations. Snow-covered Telescope Peak, standing at 11,049 feet, is quite a contrast to the salt flats at Badwater Basin. The salt flats are approximately 200 square miles in area and are formed when rain flushes minerals from the nearby hills and mountains to the flats of Badwater. The high heat and dryness ( DV only receives 2 inches of moisture annually) evaporates everything except the salt.
You wonder how this lone coyote survives in this environment.
It Never Rains In Death Valley
Well, almost, it did a little this past Friday. Death Valley only receives 2 inches per year, mostly in the winter. In a lot of locations in this world, you can receive 2 inches of rain in less than an hour. The storm clouds gave Death Valley National Park a look I normally don’t see. The clouds and filtered sunlight produced some memorable images.
Death Valley Fighter Jet Captured!
You may remember last year I got the rush of my life when a fighter jet at Death Valley National Park buzzed right over me. The Ultimate Rush?
I went back to the same spot the other day and this time, I had my camera ready. Now I did not have a fighter jet fly right over me but this one was fairly close. The sounds of its engine penetrated my psyche but I did get some decent photos. I planned to video a jet flying over me but it never happened again while I was there for 2 days. More photos of my Death Valley trip to follow soon.
You don’t really hear the jets until they get close but I spotted this one coming in fast so I had time to grab my camera.
The fighter jet is stationed at nearby China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center.
You may not be able to tell, but I enlarged this image in Photoshop and the pilot was looking right at me. There is a second pilot in the back. I believe this is a F-16. I wasn’t using my zoom lens so he was pretty close.
You want to be in continuous shooting mode to maximize the number of exposures you will get. These jets move by really fast!
As he passed me, the jet headed towards this mountain range, turning to the right and around Eureka Dunes. It’s a pretty tight maneuver. The sound from the thrusts of its engine reverberated off the the side of the mountain.
This all happened in less than 10 seconds.
