One day in Death Valley

Mikhail Vorobyov aka mb-world writes: “I will continue our photo journey to the West of the USA…

... After spending the night in the town of Big Pine (Big Pine), the next morning we continued our journey. Today we had planned a visit to the hottest point in the United States - the Valley of Death.

Death Valley is a huge intermountain depression in the Mojave Desert, which has the status of a national reserve, with an area of 13,500 km2. The park includes several valleys and deserts. Here is the lowest point in North America, relative to sea level (almost 87 meters below), as well as on July 10, 1913, a record temperature of +57 degrees Celsius was recorded.

By the way, the valley got its frightening name in 1849, when settlers from Europe decided to get to the coast of California by cutting a short way through this place. As a result, almost all the participants of this campaign died before even reaching the middle of the depression. Those who miraculously managed to survive in this infernal hell and called the hottest territory on our planet Death Valley.

Source: Journal/mb-world

1. Entrance to the park is free. Narrow road number 190 winds its way through a desert area overgrown with Joshua trees, with thick, broken branches.

2. The first observation deck is located on a high hill, before descending into the valley.

3. Then begins the winding descent to the bottom of Death Valley. With every meter, the temperature overboard rapidly increased

The thermometer in the car rose to + 46 degrees. The air is very dry and hot. At some point, already almost going downstairs, I smelled a sharp smell of burning. I stop the car, get out and see thick smoke coming from under the wheels. It turned out that going down a steep slope in this heat, I constantly pressed the brake pedal, and as a result, the pads began to boil.

4. I had to wait about ten minutes until the smoke disappeared and we were able to carefully continue the descent ...

5. On the way, I noticed an unusual effect. Among the dense clouds, a column of sunlight cut through, like a stream of water in the shower, illuminating a small piece of the desert

And this place is called Harmony Borax Works - in the 19th century, the Harmony boron production was organized here. Boron is also called borax or borox, from the Arabic bauraq and the Persian burah. It is used in the manufacture of soap. The place is hellish… I can hardly imagine how one can do heavy physical labor in the forty-degree heat. We were able to endure about eight minutes, quickly taking a few shots and returning like a bullet to the air-conditioned interior of the car. By the way, most of the workers who worked here were Chinese. Production did not exist for a long time - from 1884 to 1888.

6. Today, only a part of the furnace remains in memory, as well as a wagon on which the finished product was transported.

Continuing the path, we soon saw a luxurious hotel, surrounded by the greenery of palm trees. An oasis in the middle of a lifeless desert. At this point, the road forks - to the right you will get to Bedwater, where I planned to get at sunset. In the meantime, we have time to go to the left, to the cult place of Zabriskie Point.

This name must have been heard by many, and without reference to the Valley of Death. Let me remind you who forgot that this was the name of Antonioni's cult film, filmed in the era of hippies. Although I, that during the first visit, that this time, the place was not struck. Yes, unusual..but nothing more.

7. To get to the observation deck, you need to leave the car in the parking lot and climb the short path from where the famous view opens.

8.

Badwater Basin

The final place in the Death Valley that we managed to visit.

It is here that the lowest point in North America is located - 87 m below sea level. This is evidenced by a sign that looks like if you look up at the sheer mountain near the parking lot. But the place is not famous for this. And the amazing surface formed by a thick layer of salt, which develops into bizarre patterns. Several thousand years ago, Lake Manly splashed here, but today it has disappeared, leaving behind only salt.

This place owes its name Badwater (which means “Bad water”) to the pioneers of the development of the West. When the first explorers arrived here, exhausted by thirst, they saw small puddles of water that accumulated among the salt patterns. But after drinking a sip, grimacing spat out, shouting Bad water! (“Bad water!”)

9. The thing is that water contains a large number of concentrations of chlorides, sulfates and sodium, which manifests itself in taste ...

10.

eleven.

After sunset, we headed towards Las Vegas on Route 178, which runs south past Badwater. However, immediately after the parking lot, the passage was blocked. I had to detour through Zabriskie Point on Route 190 with a couple of dozen extra miles ...

After leaving Death Valley, we planned to stop for the night in the town of Pahrump, which is located 20 miles short of Vegas. But upon arriving there, it turned out that on the wide central street that runs through the whole city, in addition to numerous shopping malls and chain eateries (almost all were already closed by our arrival), there were only two motels located next to each other. I decided to drive further and see more options, but after just a few miles we found ourselves at the exit of the city, where a luminous building of a modern hotel towered, with shining inscriptions Casino! Win $1,000,000! And stuff like that...

A strange town, it seems that it is only a transshipment base for a short purchase of food and alcohol before entering Vegas itself. Without thinking twice, we also decided not to linger here and continued on our way ...

12. And now, forty minutes later, an endless ocean of fire opened before us. The road passed among high hills, when suddenly, after another rise, a sharp descent began, and shining Las Vegas spread out in the lowland. Amazing spectacle..

In half an hour we were already entering the city. The outskirts of Vegas are unremarkable. Straight streets, as if lined with a ruler, along which numerous eateries, shopping centers, and shops stretch. Advertising posters of casinos and clubs with slot machines are everywhere.

We go to the first available gas station. I immediately draw your attention to the fact that gasoline in Nevada is much cheaper than in California. Having filled a full tank, using the navigator on the phone, we headed towards the main street “The Strip” - the heart of Las Vegas. It is there that all the famous hotels, clubs, restaurants and other places of worship of the city are concentrated.

I was mentally set on high prices for accommodation, but to my great surprise, we almost immediately found a very budget Motel 6 motel right at the beginning of the Strip, from the airport side. It is located actually opposite the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

The conditions are simple, but there are a number of advantages: low price, availability of a swimming pool, free internet, and most importantly, location within walking distance from the epicenter of the Strip.