Death Valley

Jacqueline and I had an entire week off of work! With nothing but time on our hands, we decided that we wanted to spend it out camping, hiking, and traveling. A place not too far from home is Death Valley. Jacqueline had never been there, so I figured this was a good opportunity. We got a good start on our first day out. The drive is not incredibly long being only about 4.5 hours. We decided to mix it up a bit and go out to Devil’s Hole. This is the famous place with the pupfish that seems to be in every Biology textbook. It was a short detour from our drive down some incredibly dusty roads. The hole was exactly what we thought it was. It had gates up and a bridge to look down into it. It definitely warranted a visit, but was rather unexciting from a tourist point of view. Glad I went, but never going back. We continued the drive and found ourselves arriving in Furnace Creek at 100 feet below sea level just after dinner time. We quickly set up the tent and wondered how we were going to sleep in the intense heat. It was over 100 degrees and as the sun went down, we did not get any relief. After getting our camp chores done, it was time for Zyla to go to sleep. She was just melting in the heat, so we decided to not use the pea pod for the night. Instead, we set up the pack and play where our 16 month old dripped sweat with just a diaper on. The pack and play confined Jacqueline and I to a small space. That was not working well as we became a sticky mess. I finally got to sleep when I went out and laid down on the large picnic table in just my shorts. I joined the girls in the tent after midnight and finally got a few hours of sweaty sleep. Zyla did fairly well, but we were all up early and ready to go. We ate a quick breakfast and then went down the road to see the sights. Our first stop was Badwater Basin where Zyla enjoyed playing in the salt deposits.On the drive, we saw a desert bighorn sheep out in the salt flats baking in the 100 degree heat. He must have been lost because I would have been in the mountains if I was him. We finally got out to do a hike to the natural bridge. It was so hot that just hiking out to that spot was challenging. Zyla felt extra heavy in the backpack slogging up the sandy section of ground going up canyon to get to the bridge. It was only a half mile, but it felt like a lot more. The bridge was massive going right over the canyon, but being the mudstone that is so common in Death Valley, it was less inspiring than a sandstone arch. We left from there to go to Devil’s Golf Course which is the very course evaporates that look as uncomfortable as a cactus to fall into. We did what was known as the Artist’s Drive next preferring to stay inside of the vehicle with the comfortable air conditioning. By that time, it was approaching noon and Zyla’s lunch time. So we decided that we did a pretty dang good job of seeing the sights on the Badwater Road skipping only Golden Canyon as the main touristy area. We drove on up to Stovepipe Wells where we had a room for the night and meeting up with my dad and Laura. They let us check in early and I have never been so happy for an air conditioned hotel room. Showers for all and some football watching, before a dip in the pool was in order. So refreshing!We spent the rest of the day just enjoying ourselves until we had an overpriced dinner in the evening. On our way back to our room, a visitor reminded us what kind of creatures truly enjoy this hot environment. We made sure to keep our distance as we were visitors in his home. So far the beginning of our vacation was going great as we were yet to scratch the surface on some of the great hikes and outside experiences that lay ahead for Zyla. Or as she liked to call it “side”, which was quickly becoming one of her favorite words on this trip.