gswrt: day 2: life below sea level

panamint springs, where we are staying in death valley national park, is actually on the side of the panamint valley, adjacent to death valley, at about 2000 feet above sea level. the weather here is a cooler than in death valley, although the landscape is similarly rugged. this morning we ventured over the panamint range, which tops out at about 11,000 feet (the pass we took is at 5000 feet), to make our first official descent into death valley.

before it got too hot out (the predicted high on the valley floor was between 95 and 100 degrees), we took a short hike up mosaic canyon. this winding narrow canyon has marble walls, which have been polished smooth by flash floods, mixed with colorful conglomerate rock which resembles a mosaic pattern.

the narrow walls of the canyon provided us with the opportunity to have some fun scrambling and bouldering our way up the canyon. along the way we discovered a number of interesting cactus and other plants. we felt this one best exemplified the spirit of death valley.

from mosaic canyon we headed down to badwater, at the deepest part of the canyon floor.

this is the lowest point in the western hemisphere, and the hottest place in north america. it is a broad, flat, salty valley, and is certainly something to celebrate.

just up the road a few miles from badwater, 100 or so feet closer to sea level, is a spot that is poorly named the devil's golf course. the name comes from the belief that if there was a golf course here, it would be so challenging that only the devil himself would be able to play it. it is not a golf course, nor does it particularly resemble one. what it is is an immense area of rock salt spires that have been eroded away by wind and water into intricate and jagged forms about knee deep. it is quite gnarly looking and seems to go on forever.

we finished the day with some scenic drives and shorty hikes to places of interest like the borax mines which were home to the famous 20 mule teams. while we were at the visitor center getting our national parks passport stamped we saw a couple coyotes jog through the parking lot (he's in the shadow).
marta posed an interesting question, "why do we pronounce coyote, cai-o-tee?" anyone?

after all that, the heat finally wore us down. i can't say exactly how hot it was today, but i wouldn't be surprised if it hit 100. we returned to panamint springs for a siesta and an early dinner. tomorrow it is off to the las vegas, where we will answer the all important question, "what happens in vegas?"