Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Days 120 - 121: Death Valley & Shoshone, CA

So, after spending a couple of nice days at Lake Isabella, which by the way had a great beach, we decided to check out Death Valley.  Angie was reluctant to go but I figured we were so close it'd be a shame to miss it.

Probably should have stayed on the beach at Lake Isabella...


Death Valley is dry and extremely hot.  Of course, we knew this but it's mid-October.
It can't be that bad, can it? 
It was worse!


We basically drove thru it and got the heck outta there!  "Artist's Pallette" was pretty.  You can't really see it, but it's a cliff with brightly colored rocks, all blues and greens and reds and oranges.


Badwater Basin
Lowest point in North America, it was like an oven.


The Basin is full of salt because Death Valley used to be a huge lake.  Over about 12,000 years, the water evaporated, along with most of the minerals.  Salt is the only mineral remaining.   

Then we left.


Just East of D.V. is a little town called Shoshone.  Just a little elevation made all the difference, still warm but not brutally hot anymore.


Stayed the night at the Shoshone Trailer Park....



.....which had a pool fed by a warm spring!  Felt like a bathtub.  Very nice.  Hard to believe this is just outside Death Valley.  All for $18 bucks!


However, don't get your gas there.


We checked out some old miner's dwellings nearby.


They carved them right into the rock.


Basically man-made caves.  Comfy!
"Man Caves" literally!


Hadn't really planned on going to Las Vegas but it's only 84 miles...


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