After breakfast Steve went out to make something to lash down the slide topper. The edge is starting to rip, especially in the wind. So he duck-taped two of our tarp poles together, tied a long piece of rope to either end and laid it across the topper and secured each end down under the slider. There...that should keep it from flapping in the wind.
(Reminder: Click on pictures to enlarge)
Now it was time to get on with the day...we are going exploring. We headed out at about 9:30 heading north towards Scotty's Castle. Our first stop along the way was the Harmony Borax Works ruins. However, instead of going into the parking lot, we continued along onto the gravel road to check out these ruins...
There was no place to turn around so we were committed to the narrow road...I guess we will have to stop at the Borax Works on our way back.
Hope we don't have to turn around in here or back out...
We made it through this very beautiful canyon and back to the highway.
We stopped at a roadside point of interest...this is an Alluvial Fan...
Another gorgeous day!
Such beautiful colours...pictures just don't do it justice!
About 55 miles later, we made it to Scotty's Castle. They offer a house tour for $15.00 and an underground tour for $15.00 or a combined tour for $25.00 each so we decided to pass...
"Hidden in the green oasis of Grapevine Canyon in far northern Death Valley, the Death Valley Ranch, or Scotty's Castle as it is more commonly known, is a window into the life and times of the Roaring '20s and Depression '30s. It was and is an engineer's dream home, a wealthy matron's vacation home and a man-of-mystery's hideout and getaway.
Walter Scott, Death Valley Scotty, convinced everyone that he had built the castle with money from his rich secret mines in the area. Albert Mussey Johnson actually built the house as a vacation getaway for himself and his wife Bessie. Scotty was the mystery, the cowboy, and the entertainer, but he was also a friend. Albert was the brains and the money. Two men as different as night and day, from different worlds and with different visions - who shared a dream."
We walked up to Scotty's grave site...
After wandering around for about an hour or so, we took advantage of a picnic table on the grounds and ate our lunch before hitting the road again.
Back in the truck, it was time to head to Ubehebe Crater. Such interesting landscapes along the way...
Another incredible sight...
"Ubehebe Crater is a large volcanic crater 600 feet deep and half a mile across. We often hear mistakenly that "Ubehebe" means "big basket", but the Paiute name Ubehebe was first applied to the 5,678 ft. Ubehebe Peak, 24 miles southwest of the crater. How the name Ubehebe became associated with the crater is not known. To the Timbisha Shoshone Indians, the crater has been known as "Tem-pin-tta- Wo’sah", meaning Coyote’s Basket. Although applying this translation to the word Ubehebe has produced a great deal of confusion, but comparing the crater to a basket is appropriate."
This is the view on the opposite side from the crater...
Now it was time to go to Stovepipe Wells.
Along the way we passed Mesquite Flat Dunes..."These dunes are the best known and easiest to visit in the national park. Located in central Death Valley near Stovepipe Wells, access is from Hwy. 190 or from the unpaved Sand Dunes Road. Although the highest dune rises only about 100 feet, the dunes actually cover a vast area. This dune field includes three types of dunes: crescent, linear, and star shaped. Polygon-cracked clay of an ancient lakebed forms the floor. Mesquite trees have created large hummocks that provide stable habitats for wildlife."
I took over the driving from this point...serious stuff!
We stopped at Harmony Borax Works...
And with that...our tour for today was complete. I took one last shot as we neared our campground...Furnace Creek Inn. It was just after 3:00 when we got home...what an incredible day of such changing countryside...unusual rock formations, beautiful vistas, and stunning scenery. Thank goodness the wind had died down...hopefully that is it for the wind, at least for awhile.
Thanks for the wonderful tour! Looked like a fun day.
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