Death Valley

First Flight + Death Valley

Yeah! Vacation is finally here!!! July 8th, 2018.  I took a 1/2 day off to get finished packing and get to the ATL for our 7:00 flight.  This was the girls’ first time flying and their first time heading out to the Wild West. They had all their gear packed up in their little backpacks and were raring for takeoff.

Tip: If it’s your kids’ first time flying, make sure to tell the check-in clerks and ask if the kids can visit the cockpit. They will generally let you board first and the kids will get to meet the pilots.

So, this was our first time flying Frontier and I had previously told the girls that we get served drinks and snacks on the airplane.  WRONG!!!  Guess those low fare airlines are getting good at cutting corners, lol.  Out of principle (budget-minded me), I refused to buy a $3 can of Coke and you could only imagine how bad of a mistake it would have been to start the trip out like this.  The girls WERE NOT happy.   I finally cracked my code of ethics and asked the flight attendant for ONE can of Coke that the girls would have to share.  Oh, the rules you’ll break for your kids. 

Upgrade the car

Since we planned to do a lot of driving, we chose to spice it up a little with a convertible rental car.  The Mustang was a blast to drive out on the open roads and I highly recommend it if you will be doing some sightseeing while out West.  It was well worth the $$ and was a nice vacation treat.  We arrived in Vegas pretty late, so we didn’t have time to do anything that evening.  We checked into our resort and hit up Walmart for  a few groceries/snacks for the road.  After that, lights out!

Day One: Death Valley

Today, we got up, ate breakfast, and took off driving without a plan.  We decided to head towards Death Valley and see what came of it.  It was 90F right out of the gate and was definitely warm, but an enjoyable ride in the convertible.  We got about 30-45 minutes outside of Vegas and the temp dropped to about 75F as we drove through a canyon.  The girls were “freezing”, but that didn’t last too long and was probably a welcoming temp compared to what was about to come.  The ride out there was beautiful, passing colorful canvases of mountains along the way.  Totally different landscape than we see everyday out East.

First little side stop was this cave looking structure about an hours drive in.  Wasn’t a marked site, just a place for us to get out, stretch our legs, and explore.

The entrance to Death Valley is about 1.5 hours drive from Las Vegas, however, this is a big park and 

we probably spent over 5 hours driving to and through it and then probably 3 hours drive back to Vegas (most of the day in the car).  You’ll want to make sure to stop for fuel before you get to Death Valley, as there isn’t a station for 72 miles.  By the time we hit the entrance, the temp was over 100F and was starting to get uncomfortable, even with the a/c on full blast and 90 MPH winds – ahem, I mean 55 MPH.  The girls were starting to complain and I conceded that, at 105F, we would put the top up (sorry kids, but daddy’s getting his money’s worth).  

 

Ashford Mills

Second stop was Ashford Mill Ruins.  Although there is not a whole lot here (a sign, what’s left of a couple structures, and a picnic table), we did stop to take a look around and take in the scenery.  It was on our way, so nothing to lose by stopping.  This gold mining mill was built in 1915 and the remains are only here today because the walls were built twice as thick as planned.  As the story goes, the supplier accidentally shipped twice as much material as ordered and it was too expensive to ship back, so they doubled up on the build.

 

 

By now, the convertible top was up.  I gave up holding out several miles ago.  Definitely was a first for all of us to be in 121F temperatures. It was hot, but a totally different hot than we were used to.  The wind had to of been about 40-50 MPH as I could be out in the heat and not sweat.  Either the wind was blowing it off me as fast as I was sweating, or it was entirely different than Georgia. Why can’t the humidity be like this in Georgia?    

 

Badwater Basin

Next stop was Badwater Basin. This is the lowest spot in all of North America at 282′ below sea level. Funny how the highest point you can reach in North America (closest to the sun) actually has snow on it, but the lowest spot in North America (furthest from the sun) is hotter than Hades.  Did I mention it was 121F?  I really liked this place, as it was one of the most unique places that I’ve ever visited.  It was like what you would expect it to be like to walk on the moon.  It was out-of-this-world.  I wanted the whole family to walk out as far as we could, however, all of the girls said it was too hot to walk, so I hiked out a mile+, while they waited in the air conditioning.  It was very hot, however, the wind was very strong and it did not seem all too bad in my opinion.

Devil’s Golf Course

Next stop was Devil’s Golf Course, which was another cool spot.  Again, looks like something from another planet.  This spot got its name from a 1934 NP guidebook which stated, “only the devil could play golf” there, due to the rough halite salt crystal formations.  Of course, Briylee and I had to get a good lick of salt, just because we could.  

Artist’s Drive 

This drive is a 9 mile, one-way loop that passes some pretty impressive landscapes.  It was a fun little drive with narrow roads and sharp curves.  About five miles in you will reach Artist’s Palette, which has very colorful rock formations.  There is a small parking lot, which allows you to get out and explore around a little.  I believe it is the only parking area along the 9 mile road, so you are encouraged to keep moving throughout this loop.   

A few more miles up the road, after completing the 9 mile loop, we were at the end of Badwater Road (the road that takes you past all the sites above).  There are definitely more sites of interests on this road, but we were trying to cram as much into one day as we could, so had to pick and choose.  At the junction of Badwater Road and CA Hwy 190 is where the Furnace Creek Visitor Center is (we did not have time to stop in).  At this point, we had to make a decision to drive further away from Vegas or start heading back.  We decided on one more stop, which was about a 1/2 hour drive away.

Mesquite Sand Dunes

The Mesquite Sand Dunes was our last stop of the day and we were happy to have made the decision to push on a little further.  Temperature was around 117F and the winds were extreme.  The wind was so strong that it was like a snow blizzard, except with sand.  Sand drifts matted to the sides of the road as we made our way down 190 toward the dunes.  Once we got there, I decided to take a hike as far out in the dunes as I felt comfortable with, while the girls stayed comfortably in the air conditioned car.  The sand was VERY hot.  At one point, in trying to climb one of the dunes, I thought my feet were on 🔥.  I was wearing flip-flops and the sand kept sliding over the top of my feet.  ooh-ahh-OUCH!  My only regret was not having tennis shoes on, as I would have loved to of gotten a picture on top of that furthest sand dune, but no way to get any further than I did with what I had on.  Can you find me in the picture above?  I’m that little dot way out in the middle of the sand dunes.  Amanda said I was crazy for going out in the heat.  I didn’t mind and I survived to tell the story.  

 

If you drive a few miles past the sand dunes parking lot, you’ll come to an area that has a restaurant, hotel, and convenience store.  We stopped at the convenience store to buy a couple souvenirs and refill our water.  Right past this area is an unpaved road that leads you back to Mosaic Canyon Trail.  The road is pretty rough, but we made it with the car.  The hike is about 4 miles roundtrip.  As you start into the canyon, you’ll pass beautifully polished marble walls from years of gritty flash floods.  The girls made it back about 3/4 of a mile and decided to turn back, due to the heat.  I completed the hike and was a little disappointed that it ended with boulders blocking the path.  Apparently, there is a way to get past the boulders, for the more adventurous, but that was a good turning around point for me.  I made it back fairly quickly, as it was all down hill from there.  

After Mosaic Canyon, it was time to head back.  We were able to put the top back down about 15 minutes outside Death Valley, as the temps dropped pretty significantly.  All in all, it was a good day.  Not sure that it is a place that I’d visit twice, but it was definitely a good one-time visit to see some very unique areas.  We now get to say that we’ve been to the lowest place in North America and the hottest place to date.