Death Valley

Sunday, 09/23/18:

Yaaaay, today we went to Death Valley. A long-standing dream.... to drive through the Death Valley...

We started our journey without breakfast and made our way to the nearest rest area. After an hour, we found it and immediately unpacked all the food that our car had accumulated, and sliced up whatever needed to be sliced... cucumber, tomato, lettuce.... a fresh breakfast - including ice cubes in our drinks - was a delight for us despite the increasing heat.

At first, I wanted to go to the Darwin Falls, but after 2 minutes of driving at an average speed of 2km/h on a gravel road with very big and sharp stones, we turned around because the fear of getting a flat tire was too great. We were still driving with our flat tire from the day before... we could do without such an experience in Death Valley. So we continued on the perfectly paved road.

We crossed the Death Valley National Park and stopped at: the Mesquite Sand Dunes, Badwater Basin, Artists Drive, Dante's View Point and Zabriskie Point.

We made a 'short' stop at the Badwater Basin (86.5m below sea level): we got out of the car, by now it was 45°C, hot, stuffy... a quick stop at the sign and we started walking towards the basin. There was barely any air to breathe... Stefan bravely walked by my side, even though he couldn't stand the heat at all. After 5 minutes, he gave up and turned back. I kept going... always with the white destination in sight. After another 10 minutes, I arrived... it felt like half an hour. I have no idea how hot it was, but it felt like over 50°C. I had already considered turning back because the heat and wind were unbearable and I knew I had to walk all the way back. But I was almost there... so I kept going.

When I arrived at the basin, I had the strength to take 3 photos and immediately turned back. My water bottle was half full, so that should be enough. But the way back was naturally worse, despite the tailwind. Luckily, many other tourists were also on their way, but I still didn't want to be the only one collapsing from exhaustion. So I kept going.... Stefan enjoyed the coolness of the air conditioning and leisurely drove past the basin. When I arrived back at the parking lot, all I wanted was water. I rushed to the car and to the water in the trunk. After about 10 minutes of driving and the air conditioning on 100%, I recovered. By the way, it was recommended not to walk after 10:00 AM... we started at 1:00 PM. Not smart, but the schedule didn't allow for anything else.

We continued to other viewpoints, which required small hikes again. Every time I motivated myself to climb the next small hill for a better photo, I was glad to be back at the car.

The trip to the Dante's View Point was definitely worth it. We had a great view of the Badwater Basin with its dried-up salt lake.

In the evening, we arrived in Las Vegas and were just happy to have a cozy bed after taking a shower.

Regards, Steffi