Day 15: Through Death Valley

Today I am heading to the hottest place on Earth. Will I survive Death Valley? Find out all of that and more in today's edition of my travel diary!

But first, my day started in Las Vegas. After having to go without coffee for the second morning in a row and experiencing withdrawal symptoms, I was excited to finally leave this hotel. I was bid farewell by the many addicts who were already (or still) frequenting the slot machines at 7 am.

After that, I set off on the 530-kilometer journey from Vegas through the Death Valley to Mammoth Lakes. The faster route would have actually gone around Death Valley, but I like to play with my life.

After about an hour, I made a short stop for refueling and shopping in the town of Pahrump. I wouldn't have mentioned it if I didn't like the name Pahrump so much. So, it will definitely be the name of my next rental car one day. As a nice bonus, I was personally greeted by the sheriff of Pahrump at the entrance of the Pahrump Walmart.

Pahrump, Pahrump, Pahrump. The more you say it, the better it sounds.

Shortly after that, I crossed the border between two states for what felt like the 1000th and at the same time the last time. After a week of absence, I returned to California from Nevada. Then, I approached the entrance of Death Valley. The roads became emptier, the vegetation sparser, and the temperatures hotter.

Then, I reached the entrance. There was no turning back now. Will the car ride be my death?

The first life-threatening situation was a daring 200-meter hike to a viewpoint. Should I give it a try?

But the completely non-threatening stop sign reassured me because it clearly states that hikes before 10 am are absolutely safe. It was 9:45 am.

So, I started the short hike and was rewarded with a great view of the valley and the surrounding rock formations.

After surviving the first danger, I continued driving and reached the point where the valley goes below sea level.

As mentioned at the beginning, Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth. While there are some other hot spots in the world that have similar temperatures, Death Valley holds the official record of an unimaginable 56.7 degrees Celsius in 1913. During my visit today, the maximum temperature reached 47 degrees Celsius. But what is the reason for this? The two main reasons for these temperatures are the very low elevation of the valley, which goes as deep as 86 meters below sea level at its lowest point, and the surrounding mountains that completely enclose the valley. The combination leads to the hot air getting trapped in the valley and allowing such high temperatures. In addition, the mountains block any rain clouds, resulting in almost no precipitation. These and more interesting information can be found at the Death Valley Visitor Center in the town of Furnace Creek, right in the middle of the valley. Apart from that, I cannot recommend the Visitor Center because they didn't have any keychains for my collection :(

After that, I went deeper into the valley. The possibility of death became more and more likely. However, I somehow managed to survive and reached the Mesquite Sand Dunes. This was the highlight of my visit to Death Valley because it was the first time in my life that I saw real desert sand dunes. Plus, some scenes from the first Star Wars movie were filmed here. It doesn't get much cooler than that, right?

The lowest point was reached and from now on, it was all uphill. In half an hour, Engelbert climbed from -80 meters to 1500 meters. But that wasn't enough: First, it went downhill again into a side valley of Death Valley, and then back up to 1500 meters. And then, it was actually done: I had survived Death Valley. Some of you probably thought I was dead, but I have to disappoint you. The biggest thanks goes to Engelbert, because without its excellent air conditioning, none of this would have been possible.

Shortly after that, the mountain range of the Sierra Nevada appeared before me, which ironically is not located in Nevada, but in California.

On the east side of the mountains, I drove another 200 km before reaching my destination for today, Mammoth Lakes. In winter, it is a ski resort, and in summer, it is a paradise for mountain bikers and hikers. I could hardly believe that just 3 hours earlier, I was in Death Valley with 47 degrees Celsius, because Mammoth Lakes is characterized by forests, an alpine atmosphere, and a very pleasant 28 degrees Celsius.

And suddenly, my legs moved towards the Bavarian restaurant 'The Yodler' all by themselves. I really couldn't do anything about it. And a moment later, there was a beer on my table.

And bam, a giant pretzel joined the party...

After that, I finally checked into my fully booked hotel. It is cozy and completely sufficient, but the view of a garage cannot compete with the hotels of the past days.

That's it for today. I'm glad that I'm alive and looking forward to tomorrow, as it includes one of the most beautiful drives of this trip. See you tomorrow.

Leart