Death Valley - May 8, 2008
| Summer Vacation 2008 (7 of 19) : |
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I've always wanted to visit the Furnace Creek Inn. This is one of the most famous hotels in the USA. It was built in 1926 and renovated in 1990. It's incredibly beautiful. The gardens have to be seen to be believed. It's an oasis. Magnificent palm trees, water falls, ponds and water lillies. A cool, tranquil heaven in the middle of the hellish hot Death Valley.
The plaque to remember the 49ers is outside the hotel. It's difficult to believe the transition from 1849 to 1926. In less than a lifetime, this place went from wild dangerous frontier to luxury hotel. In 1849, the guys arrived in covered wagons. By 1926, air conditioned cadillacs. Progress!
I've heard slightly different versions of how this place got its name. I believe the 49ers arrived in December 1849 while trying to take a short cut on the way to the Gold Fields of California. And they didn't know how to get out of Death Valley. They split the party and some made it to California and returned with help. As they were leaving one said something like 'Farewell Death Valley' - and the name stuck. I don't know how many were killed in this adventure - however they did suffer starvation and severe dehydration.
And then onto the Badwater Basin - the lowewest point in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level. I'd never thought about why there are so few places below sea level - and of course it's obvious. 70% of the planet is below sea level - it's called the ocean!
Places below sea level will fill with water - unless they are dry. So all the low places are very dry saline places. Any water that does arrive evaporates, leaving crusty sand. There is surface water here - it seeps through the mountains from Utah or somewhere. An early surveyor couldn't persuade his mule to drink the water and he wrote 'Badwater' in his log. The name stuck. The water looked horrible - I wasn't tempted to see what it tasted like.
This is of course where the Badwater 130 begins. 130 very tough miles from here to Whitney Portal. How do they do that? To do this in December would be difficult. Long dark nights and possibily frost or snow on the high plane between Death Valley and Lone Pine. However to do this in July with temperatures of 130+ F (50+ C) seems mad - totally barking crazy.
I think we'll be back here for the Badwater race. We'd crew. I think Mark W, Bill D or Jean are the only Striders who could attempt this. All made enough to try - and Ali and I will volunteer to help.
On the way back to our Furnace Creek Lodge, we drove the "Artist's Trail". Very beautiful rocks - marvellous pastel colors of reds, yellows, browns and greens.
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