Death Valley - November 1-2, 2006
I visited Death Valley for my first (and only time, thus far) in Fall of 2006. I drove over from Las Vegas through Pahrump. From there, I headed south on NV-372/CA-178 towards Shoshone, California before veering Northwest into Death Valley from the south. Since I did not actually enter Death Valley until mid-afternoon, my goal was to drive north on two-lane road until I reached Furnace Springs; once there, I would set up camp for the night. The next day, I visited Dante's Peak and Zabriskie Point before continuing north to CA-190. At this point, I decided to continue west and exit the Valley, and go home. Getting over to US-395 from here took a long time, or so it seemed.
If you are going to visit Death Valley, November is a good time to do so. The night I spent there was a bit chilly, but the day was absolutely wonderful - not hot at all. The only complaint I had was the smog. It does collect and there is a constant haze. I also got the impression from the newness of the road south of Furnace Springs that the it had been washed out recently. This part of my drive had a lot of what I call "roller coaster hills" in that you went up a down a series of small hills, kind of like being on a roller coaster.
The drive from the south up to Furnace Creek took the entire afternoon. After you finally enter the Park and drive about 25 miles into the middle of the Valley, there are several things to stop and see - Ashford Mills, Badwater, Artists Palette. I finally made it to the campground about sunset; it was a very clear night with a full moon. I did not need a flashlight or latern at all! The next day, I drove over to Dantes View and Zabriskie Point (this is probably my favorite attraction in the Park) before heading north through the Valley. I stopped at the Harmony Borax Works and Salt Creek and at the Sand Dunes before heading west towards Stovepipe Wells and Emigrant. Eventually I got on CA-178 and headed out of the Park towards US-395.
Since I took over 2 years to actually add the details of my visit to the website, I don't have much commentary, just a lot of pictures. At some point in the future, I will most likely make another visit and add some words to those pictures.
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