East of Death Valley is Death Valley Junction, home to the Amargosa Opera House, (once a borax mining operations center for the Ryan Mine) and roads to Death Valley, California and Nevada. We often explore the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) area surrounding this historic site.
There is an area that runs for almost a mile along a dirt road that was an old dump site. A century ago it was not uncommon to just dump trash on the side of the road, just outside of town or city limits, often setting it on fire and just leaving what did not burn behind. Evidence seems to date this expansive dump site to almost one hundred years ago. It consists mostly of broken glass and rusting cans. One hundred years ago people did not throw away as much as we do today!
This month we see the BLM has added the no dumping signs in a few places over the past year. While we did not see any evidence of recent illegal dumping it is a good reminder to help keep America clean and beautiful. Noteworthy is that the Keep America Beautiful campaign dates back to 1953.
Back home today, mineralogy symposium and field trip this weekend, then off the Vegas for the Glass Craft and Bead Expo. Hope your week is blessed.
Coffin Peak and Furnace Creek make up some of the place names in Death Valley National Park. Why? Legend has it that pioneers trapped here in 1849-1850, these 49ers, finally able to find passage out of this desert valley, one turning back and saying, “Goodbye, Death Valley.”
Moon rising over the Funeral Mountains, Death Valley
We captured this picture of the moon rising over the Funeral Mountains that make up the east boundary of Death Valley national Park, along the Nevada border.
We have seen the harsh desert and we have seen the oasis and free flowing water that make up this wondrous place that we enjoy visiting. Here are some Death Valley facts that you may enjoy:
3 million plus acres of land
National Monument status in 1933 and national Park status in 1994
Lowest point 282 feet below sea level and mountain above 11,000 feet
Home to more than 300 species of birds
Hottest place on earth: 134 degrees on July 10, 1913 (56.7 Celsius)
Average annual rainfall 2.36 inches (Mobile, Alabama average 67 inches)
Over one million people visit the park each year (Eleven million people visit the Great Smoky Mountain national park each year)
Tim and Sherry find Death Valley to be one of their most favorite parks.
This weekend we have enjoyed the art show, the weather, the people. And don’t forget the wildflowers are in bloom.
Jagged salt crystals at “Devil’s Golf Course,” Death Valley
The sign warns that walking on the Devil’s Golf Course can result in falls, cuts and even broken bones! The picture from one mile up at Dante’s View, appears to show a beautiful white salt-encrusted valley floor. The closer picture reveals a more harsh environment of jagged salt crystals, one to three feet tall.
Salt Flats of Death Valley as seen from Dante’s View, one mile above the valley floor.
Water evaporating from the lake bed leave behind these large salt crystals that trap soil, rocks, and even old animal bones. Here these massive salt flats are preserved, while in other parts of the Mojave Desert, this type of salt deposit is harvested or mined.
Animal bone trapped in salt crystal, Death Valley
We pass one such salt surface mining operation in the Mojave Desert near the town of Amboy, California, an almost 200 mile drive south of Death Valley. Another place to visit the remains of a lake salt mining operation is Zzyzx in the Mojave National Preserve.
Today begins the annual art show here at the Furnace Creek Resort within Death Valley National Park. The weather forecast this weekend is sunny and warm with a guaranteed chance to see beautiful arts and crafts.
Our hobby on the road: Stained Glass Art, Minerals, Crystals, Jewelry, Rockhounding
