Revisiting Death Valley CA

In the morning we decide again to use the path less taken by entering Death Valley via the south. From Tecopa Hot Springs, we drive north on Hwy 127 towards Death Valley National Park. At Shonshone, we turn west on 178 to enter the park from the little used south entrance. In fact, this entrance used so infrequently, there's not even a booth with rangers collecting entrance fees. Instead there's an electronic ATM like stand urging you to pay your entrance fees. Since we have our Geezer Passes giving us free access, we sail right on by wondering if we'll ever be questioned.

Hummm - were do we go next?

Northward on Hwy 127

We love this entrance. As we drive along, panoramic views of Death Valley open up around almost every turn - all without having to compete with hoards of visitors. In fact, there's hardly any cars at all.

Around one turn

and then another

Descending into Death Valley

The first attraction we come to is Badwater Basin. Although there's a number of cars already parked in the lot, we have no trouble finding a good place for the camper.  Ah the joys of traveling off season. We meet a group of good natured Dutch students and have fun swapping stories and photos. At 282 feet below sea level, Badwater Basin was thought to the the lowest lake on earth until the discovery of Laguna del Carbon in Argentina at 344 feet below sea level. The water is mostly fed by an underground spring, but the spring is so briny that the water is completely undrinkable.  Occasionally, a rare rain storm will fill the basin creating a shallow lake. However, soon the hot dry air of the desert causes the water to evaporate leaving behind even more salt and minerals.

Water pool at Badwater Basin

We then continue north until the turn off for Artist's Palette, one of my favorite stops in the park.

Again we see several foreign visitors in the parking lot.  A couple from Italy drive in about the same time. They are impeccably dressed in expensive clothes and are driving either a BMW or Mercedes car rental. They look at us strangely in our funny looking camper.  I guess you don't see many Alaskan campers in Italy.

The wide array of colorful minerals in this area never ceases to amaze me.  Even though we are here on a cloudy day and the colors are muted, they still live up to their name.

Colorful Juicy Van rental

Preparing to take photos

How Artist's Palette gets it's name

Pano of Artist's Palette

It's not only the colorful minerals that draw us back to here, but also the twisting and turning rollercoaster of a one lane road that leads back to the main road. Larger vans and buses aren't allowed on this road because of the narrow roadway and sharp turns, but I'll bet a few have tried and created a major mess in getting it out of these narrow passage ways.

Almost back to the main road

After an unremarkable lunch at the Date Grove in Furnace Creek, we take Hwy 190 towards the Western entrance through Panamint Springs, where we stop for the most expensive fuel in the park at $5 a gallon for diesel. Ouch! Yes Peter, we should have opted for a gas station in Owens Valley.

Pumping pricey fuel

Exiting Death Valley