Sand dunes & sunsets: It was otherworldly driving in. I wondered how many movies had been shot here….124 & 3 TV series. From a plethora of wild west westerns to Spartacus, Star Wars, Greatest Story Ever Told, Tarzan, and Twilight Zone among them. It’s a natural movie set with moonlike terrain.

The name, Death Valley, is forbidding. But the landscape is colorful, with snow-covered peaks, beautiful sand dunes, rugged canyons, the driest and lowest spot in North America, and the hottest in the world. Many times I thought how fortunate to be here during the cool part of the year.

There are 5 different areas of dunes. We visited the most accessible, Mesquite Sand Dunes, and got there in time for the obligatory sunset shots. Jody rose early the next morning to get the shot below. And the sunsets were blood-red remarkable not easily captured by my camera.

Geology: Death Valley was not the bed of a sea before or eroded by a river, but rather by massive movements in the earth’s crust. To have exposed land below sea level and an extremely dry climate is necessary otherwise it would fill with water and be a lake and flow to the sea. When the water evaporates, it leaves salt behind making the salt flats of Death Valley with their intricate patterns. Badwater Basin is the deepest point at 282’, 8th deepest in the world, and filled with salt flats. Looking up, a sign up on the basin wall marks the spot.

We took two canyon hikes. First was Golden Canyon.

We were duly impressed. But then there was Mosiac Canyon. It lives up to its name. Four-miles round trip take you through at least 10 big boulder scrambling jumbles. The canyon abruptly narrows and the passing of grit-laden flash floods have scoured and polished the smooth marble walls into slick slides. Some of them seemed impossible to get up. At one point, it was! Just no way could I do it. But a nice man offered to boost me up. So there we went! His hand on my butt to hoist me up. (Missed the photo op.) And there is a trail through the boulder jumble below. The trail ends at dry waterfall.

Afterwards we drove the scenic one-way 9 mile route to the Artists Palette where the colors were remarkable due to the oxidation of the metals and elements found in the ground here. It produces everything from purple and blue to even a slight green.

The stars: As one might suspect, the stars are fully out blanketing the valley like a twinkling fairyland. With no moon and pitch blackness, you can actually see all the constellations. Gave a chance to use some of stargazing apps to hone in on constellations that we seldom actually get to see because of light pollution. Milky Way shot…. (jodyo.photos)

Death Valley turned out to be a favorite park so far. We even stayed an extra night to have more time for the sunsets, stars, and hikes. Great time of year to be here.