Whilst I was in Texas I saw an old map from the 19th century which described modern day New Mexico Arizona, Nevada and California as the “Great American Desert” the drive from Winslow to Death Valley makes it easy to see why. I really feel like I’ve experienced every type of desert scenery today and loved every minute there is something magical about the dessert landscapes I’ve witnessed today.
After leaving Winslow it was straight back into the now very familiar arid scrubland of Arizona, but I had a pleasant surprise when I got close to Flagstaff where the interstate wound its way through Kaibab National forest, with the railroad running close by I felt like I was driving through a model train set. I tried to get a photo from the car but didn’t really capture the beauty of the place.
Just one of the many spectacular views of Kaibab National Forest on the drive from Winslow to Death Valley.
First stop on todays 400+ mile journey was the Hoover Dam a stunning monument to human ingenuity, and a testament to the availability of cheap labour during the great depression. Made from enough concrete to lay a concrete pavement 4 feet wide around the equator, it holds back the largest man made lake in the USA and generates power for Las Vegas and much of Southern California, the best part for me though is the Art Deco styling of the whole structure, there are little flourishes all over the place which are right out of the 30’s.
This would be my only stop in Nevada, with California signalling the end of my drive West and the destination today.
Bendy Dave striking a pose at the
Hoover Dam
A view of the massive turbine room inside the Dam
After a couple of hours exploring the dam I was back on the road for a short 2.5 hour drive to Death Valley. On the way the temperature was increasing by a couple of degrees for every 1000 feet we dropped, by the time I got to the entrance to the national park it was 3 degrees hotter than at the Dam despite being much later in the afternoon.
Death Valley
5 minutes further down the road was the first of many photo ops, I donned the cowboy hat and did my best to look like John Wayne but don’t think I quite pulled it off, and there is nothing wrong with posing for a tripod although I did get some interesting looks from other tourists!
It was a little windy but still time to strike a pose at the first scenic overlook in the park.
Next stop was the Badwater Basin Salt pan, the 400 meter walk out onto the flats took a full bottle of water, it was hot, and 298 feet below sea level. The basin got its name from an aquifer that keeps a small pool of briney water topped up that’s too saline to drink. In the heat of the day I can’t imagine what it would have been like when early explorers found water only to realise it was unfit to drink.
Bendy Dave at 298 feet below sea level taking in the views of the Badwater salt pan
Next stop was the Devils Golf Course which was accessed by a 2 mile dirt track, to put it bluntly this was very fun to drive on and the combination of desolation, a muscle car and loose gravel brought out my inner child. I think this photo is the cheesiest self portrait so far, comment if you think I’ve taken a dodgier one already.
I think this is what you call perfect isolation, I definitely didn’t do any donuts in the desert…
Next stop was the artists drive which is best described as a self driving rollercoaster winding on a one way road through the mountains the views we’re brilliant but the drive was an experience all of its own so much so I forgot to stop and take some photos.
As the sun began to get lower in the sky I parked up on the drive back to my hotel for the night and spent 45 minutes watching it slowly set, the picture covers the experience pretty well, I think I have about 30 shots of this mountain range with a sun behind it, those lucky enough to see me any time in the next month will likely see them all.
Bendy Dave and I watch the Sun go down.
Just after the sun set I was back on the road only to be stopped by a Coyote casually crossing without a care in the world, he even stopped to pose for the camera.
I think I just missed roadrunner…
After getting to the hotel I had a very overpriced buffet and faced my first tipping dilemma on the trip, why would I tip a waitress when I’ve served myself?
AFter dinner it was time for a bit of star gazing and the night sky didn’t disappoint, I even managed to get a photo after playing around with my ISO settings and shutter speed randomly until it worked, I will never read the instructions!
There is so little light pollution you can see every star in the sky.
That’s it for death valley, I’ll be leaving in the morning and heading for sunny San Diego where I’m sure I’ll stay classy.