Death Valley

On the way to Los Angeles I crossed through Death Valley. It is much nicer than it sounds. To get across I had to master quite a few elevation changes: as high as 5,000 ft above sea level to as low as 282 ft below sea level (the lowest elevation in America).

The lowest point is the Badwater Basin, as spring fed pool of ‘bad water’. It is undrinkable because of the high salt content (even mules did not like it). Currently there was no water on the surface. You only could see the honeycomb salt formations created by freeze/thaw cycles. It is really salt. I tasted it.

I was driving along Artists Drive, a short one way bypass from the main road, minding my own business. Suddenly I hear a car horn. I look in the rear view mirror and see people waving frantically. I thought something was wrong with my car and stopped. When I got out of the car I saw the young couple from Germany, who I met a few days ago in Mesa Verde National Park. I guess the park hiking world is small …

There were quite a few steep and winding roads to make the elevation changes. But there are also quite a few long stretches of straight roads, way too straight and way too few cars on it to maintain 65 mph. (sometimes just by myself).