Woke up early as I had heard the sunrises were spectacular, and climbed up to the top of the nearby dunes to get a good view. Cold, about 6 deg, and a wind blowing to make you realise you were in the desert ! But then the dawn came up, and the sun slowly illuminated the snowcovered tops of the mountains, and then quickly rolled down the blinds of darkness until they were fully awake ! And when the sun suddenly hit my back, you realised that despite the cold temperature, there was a bite to this sun, even in winter. It must be incredible here in summer.
Once I came down from the dunes (not sand, more a kind of bentonite type clay, with a crust on the top like you get on crude bentonite when it rains), I had a leisurely time having my coffee, and corn flakes and yoghurt for breakfast, watching all the people in the campsite going through the ritual of getting mobile and then packing up their tents and vans. Fascinating people watching !! One couple must have been first timers as I am sure they wrapped their tent around themselves 4 or 5 times before they finally got it stuffed into the back of their van !! Checked out a few things on the car, and applied the anti squeal to the front discs, and by about 9.30 drove down to the Visitors Centre to see what they had to offer. Answer - not a lot. There arent a lot of "hikes" in Death Valley apart from just up hills, or across sand dunes. Even the cycling is just along the roads of the valley to all the same sights that one drives to, and just riding along a (not very wide) road didn't really appeal to me. A lot of the emphasis is on hiring 4WD Jeeps and going out into the desert.......I figured I am doing enough driving !! So I chose to go to Scotty's Castle - Some crazy castle built in the middle of Death Valley in the 1930's amidst all sorts of allegations of con jobs and vast gold mines supposedly hidden in the Valley ! A lovely cool morning drive about 50 miles through the Valley and up into one of the side gorges, and sure enough, there was a castle !! (I would actually call it a Mexican style Hacienda, but....) Totally incongruous nevertheless, but worth a look. Incredible story of a old miner (Scotty) befriending a wealthy businessman who then supported him as he built his dream place in Death Valley. It was never really completed, and today exists purely for the tourist dollar, but it does have some fascinating aspects. A solar hot water system that apparently worked very well, and a small hydro electric plant to generate its own power ! And the Bell Tower still strikes the Big Ben chimes every 1/4 hour !! And after he died in 1955, Scotty was buried on a hill over looking his castle, and I went up there to see the view, and sat on a bench up there and just enjoyed a little peace and quiet with my thoughts and thought of everyone. The Castle is quite a stunning place, if a little out of place !
I had brought my own picnic lunch so had that sitting in the gardens, and then started home. Half way back I saw a sign to Ubehebe Crater - 5 Miles - Well, with a name like that, you have to go, don't you ? !! Winding through more amazing countryside, I finally arrived at the crater, and it was quie a sight. Apparently formed about 2000 years ago by an explosion of magma upwards, this is the largest in the area, although a lot of the Valley was apparently formed in this way. Rather than going down into the crater, I decided to hike up around its edges, seeing Hebe crater (1/2 the size of Ubehebe !) on the way. A good hours walk and it was steep too, so between my dawn hike up the dunes, Scotty's Castle and Ubehebe I feel I have had my exercise for today !!
I had a leisurely drive back to the camp site and now am down in the bar of the resort having a cold beer and on the internet catching up on my blog before I head off to Vegas tomorrow. Only a couple of hours drive, so an easy day ahead.
Glad I came to Death Valley as it is certainly spectacular, but think places like Yellowstone or some of the other canyons and National Parks have more interesting hikes and places to go - But that is just my opinion !! I certainly wouldn't want to be here in the summer !! Oh, and yes I did tap my shoes out to remove scorpions before putting them on this morning !! (None were evident !) Rofl.
Pics of the day
https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/DeathValley?authkey=Gv1sRgCL7Np8LskL32wwE#
