Death Valley is one of those places you grow up hearing about, but never give much thought to seeing yourself (at least in my experience). So it kind of took me by surprise when Jim mentioned the idea of going there this weekend. We knew we wanted to get out of town and go somewhere, but for such short trips, our ideas are always in Utah, Arizona, or Nevada. It never really occurred to me that California is pretty close too… after all, there’s an entire state in between here and there! But Jim’s idea to go to Death Valley seemed promising. I tweaked the driving route to better fit our short amount of time, got Friday off work, and we were ready to roll. Only one problem… the government might shut down and close all national parks! Gah! After chatting with a ranger, I decided we should go for it anyway, and if our incompetent government can’t get its shit together, we will adjust our plans accordingly. We hit the road by 9 on Friday, and despite a snowstorm and several bathroom breaks, we made it to Death Valley around 2 (and I didn’t even speed!). I was shocked at how fast and easy the trip was!
Not knowing if we’d be kicked out the next day, we opted to hit up the main attractions first: Zabriskie Point (pretty damn pretty), Artists Drive (boring), and Badwater Basin (excellent once you get past all the other visitors). Badwater Basin, for those who don’t know, is the lowest point in North America. It’s 282 feet BELOW sea level. What’s so incredible about it is that just a few miles away Telescope Peak towers at 11,043 feet. Now that is some serious elevation gain!
And as the afternoon rolled on, we were sick of the tourist crowd, so we headed over to West Side Road, a dirt road that runs along the opposite side of Badwater than the paved road. From West Side Road, you can access several backcountry roads that you’re allowed to camp off of (granted you’re at least two miles up them). We chose to go up Hanaupah Canyon… the canyon in Death Valley with the most vertical drop (from Telescope Peak right down to Badwater). We wound our way up 3.5 gnarly miles of “road” before pulling off at what would be our home for the night. We definitely picked the right place. From our little slice of heaven we could see Badwater below us and Telescope up above.
So, I don’t know if I wrote about it before, but I seriously LOVE my Xterra. Not just for the places it can take me, but for the fact that I can sleep in it. We slept in it at Toroweap a couple months back and it was superb. This time it was even better because 1. we didn’t have the dogs hogging up space, 2. we didn’t crack the windows, and 3. we brought extra pillows and blankets. Best camping night of sleep I’ve had in forever! I even woke up early and decided to set up a time-lapse video of the sunrise over Badwater… but when I checked it an hour later, it had shut itself off after half an hour. Gah! So I have a 5-minute video of the sky slightly changing colors, but that’s about all. Fail.
On Saturday, we packed up camp and set out to see if the park was closing, but it was open! Thanks government, for finally doing something right. Anyway, we headed north to Stovepipe Wells and did a quick hike up Mosaic Canyon and then headed out on the Mesquite Dunes. I live about twenty minutes from sand dunes, but I have never really been out on one, so I was very excited to play in the sand! Then we decided not to stay in Death Valley again that night, but rather head back to Vegas to be a little closer to home for Sunday’s drive back. We stopped in a ghost town called Rhyolite and also a brothel along Highway 95. No, we didn’t go for sex… it was at the GAS STATION! Ah, Nevada. We intended to camp again that night at Red Rocks or Valley of Fire, but when we were about 45 minutes outside of Vegas, we realized we were so close and would rather just go home and sleep in bed. So Jim took over the driving and we made it home at 10 pm. It still blows my mind that we left Friday and came back Saturday. We did SO MUCH and yet it didn’t feel exhausting at all. It really was the perfect quick getaway. And best of all, we had Sunday to relax at home (but of course, with a hike in town).
Death Valley is absolutely huge, and we didn’t have time or energy to see all of it, but it didn’t matter because we knew we’d be back. It is now one of my most favorite places ever. It’s funny how a place with death in the name can make you feel so alive. We did go at the perfect time of year (it was actually quite cold compared to normal), but I want to go back in the summer, because 1. I want to hike Telescope Peak when it’s not covered in snow, and 2. I actually really want to experience the deathly heat that Death Valley is famous for. I know it must be awful, but I want to feel what 125 degrees feels like. I just need a taste… then I’ll go to higher ground where it’s cooler. So, I don’t know when we’ll get back, but I can guarantee it will be sometime… and I can’t wait!
by Sarah
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