Death Valley National Park Pt.2

It cooled off quite a bit throughout the night and I was able to sleep pretty well. I woke up at 5:30 am to catch the sunrise at Zabriskie Point. I wasn't the only one with this idea and there was a pretty good turnout at the overlook. It was windy but I enjoyed the cool air because I knew in a matter of an hour the sun would heat up the valley. The bright sun slowly but surely peaked over the mountains to the east and simultaneously lit up the face of the mountains to the west. The layered red and tan rock glowed against the morning sun. After I made a quick breakfast to eat on the road and then I was off to drive a new area of the park I hadn't seen yet.

I passed the Furnace Creek Visitors Center and kept going on highway 190. I made a stop at Salt Creek and walked the boardwalk. Pupfish squirmed and fluttered under the shallow, rippling creek. Green brush populated the fertile shores and ravens croaked and swooped just above the oasis. There was a lot of life in Death Valley. I continued on and had my final stop at Mosaic Canyon. The gravel road to get to the trailhead was long, and Darlene and I took it slowly, very slowly. Luckily people passed us with patience and we didn't feel too bad about taking our sweet time. The hike was a 4-mile out and back, with sights of "young" rock embedded in silt and debris to make it look like a mosaic. The mosaic rock features were not the only thing to take notice of, but also the "old" rock that met up with the "young" rock that smoothed out the look and movement of the canyon. Some areas of the canyon were wide and contained colors like that of Artists Drive. Other areas were narrow and you had to climb up and down to move on to the next area. A lot of it was in the shade, which was nice since it got to 80 degrees at 7:45 am. After I finished the hike I went back to my van to eat an early lunch before leaving the park.

The road that leads to the western side of the park had many small hills and I kept getting what my family calls tickle bellies, which is that dropping feeling you get on a rollercoaster or ride, and I couldn't help but laugh most of the way out of the park. I drove over a mountain pass and then drove down it, drove along a cliff edge that made me think my mom would be clinging to the handles in the car if she were there, and past a few more beautiful canyons.

After leaving the park and being on the road for a while I came to an intersection that said where I was going to the left and Bishop, Ca 80 miles to the right. I worked in the mountains outside of Bishop two summers ago and it made me feel quite nostalgic to know I was only 80 miles from a place I called home for a summer. I had initially wanted to make it one of my stops on my trip but much of what I would have wanted to revisit is still under a lot of snow, so I decided I'll have to come back another time.

I talked with a friend on the phone for much of this drive but I got a glimpse of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which is always a welcoming sight. As I got closer to Bakersfield I saw lush green hills that were so pretty, I don't really know where I was but I'm glad I came across it.

Once I got to Bakersfield I got a shower in at Planet Fitness and stopped at a laundromat to do a load of laundry. I accidentally ran the dryer on its lowest setting so my clothes came out a little damp. I didn't want to spend more money on the machine since it was a $6.00 minimum card operated machine so I took my damp clothes and spread them throughout my van to air dry. I had a hard time deciding what my next move was and had planned to stop in Sequoia National Forest for the night but ultimately decided to head up to Visalia, a city close to Sequoia National Park, to Walmart camp so that I could get some planning in the next day before heading off to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.