We traveled along this road for about 19 miles and then up those mountains to Daylight Pass at about 4,300 feet elevation. Then the fun began as we descended down to the valley floor at about -200 feet - all in about 13 miles.
Death Valley National Park is a Really Big place. Actually it is the largest National Park in the lower 48 states. Since we only planned to be here for one afternoon of sightseeing we decided to start by checking out the Visitors Center at Furnace Creek. At the Visitors Center we checked out the exhibits, watched the 20 minute movie, picked up a map of the park and took off for a few hours of exploring. There are a couple of nice resort like hotels near Furnace Creek for those wanting the full Death Valley experience - but if you plan on driving around much you better plan on spending big bucks for fuel!
From the Vsitors Center we drove south through the valley about 17 miles to Badwater Basin - the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet Below Sea Level! Once at Badwater Basin you can walk out onto the salt flats and taste the salt and the water and find out they taste salty - don't ask me how I know.
The road south through the valley is closed at Badwater Basin. Believe it or not the reason for closure on the sign was due to flooded roads. Interesting - considering this place gets only 2 inches of rain per year on average!
On our drive back towards Furnace Creek we took the "Artist's Drive Loop Road for some really interesting and colorful scenery.
We also stopped at the Golden Canyon Interpretive Trail and took a short walk through the Canyon. The path leads much farther than we decided to go but the short walk we did take was pretty impressive.
We were going to drive east along Highway 190 towards Pahrump and Las Vegas to visit picturesque Zabriskie Point and 20 Mule Team Canyon --- but we changed our minds and retraced our path back out of the park - back up to 4,300 feet, over the mountains - and then back to Beatty. There is a lot to see in the Park and we barely scratched the surface but it was time to head back. We did pass at least one of the famous Borax mines that provided the Borax hauled by those 20 mule teams. For those of you old enough ... remember "Death Valley Days" - "brought to you by 20 Mule Team Borax." The TV Show had some great tales of the west and was hosted by some notable actors including Ronald Reagan, Robert Taylor, and Dale Robertson. Great Memories ... and that Boraxo is some really great soap you can still purchase today!
Once we made it out of the valley, back into Nevada, and almost back to Beatty we took a turnoff to the nearby ghost town of Rhyolite. Rhyolite was established as a town in 1905 following the discovery of gold nearby by prospectors Shorty Harris and Ed Cross. It was right about this time (1906) that the big San Francisco earthquake hit destroying the city and especially the Financial District. This was followed by a an additional financial panic in the east in 1907. Both of these events sorta dried up the funding for risky gold mining right about the time the town of Rhyolite had reached a population of 8,000 folks and the mines began to fail. In 1920 the town of Rhyolite had a population of about 14.
Not much exists of old Rhyolite today. But the remains of some buildings - like the bank are still sorta standing. The bank was constructed in 1908 and cost some $90,000 to build. That was a whole lotta cash for those days! In its heyday the bank building had 3 floors, marble floors, electric lights, and steam heating!
Then there is the Bottle House built by Tom Kelly in 1906. The construction using bottles was actually a pretty ingenious idea as the bottle walls provide a very good insulation factor! It must have been pretty well built as it is still standing today!
After our short visit to Rhyolite we returned to Beatty - tired but glad we took the day to visit this unique part of the country. Days like today are what makes RVing fun!
Tomorrow we plan on heading further south - through Las Vegas, over the new bridge near Hoover Dam, and then on to Kingman, AZ.
Looks like another fun and interesting day.
What an interesting adventure!! Yes, we both remember the show Death Valley Days and most definitely Borax!! Pretty neat to see it all!! You guys travel safe and enjoy!
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