By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
No name in American geography is more foreboding— Death Valley. We hear regular reports of summertime temperatures of 120 and above—and those are air temperatures. On the ground it can reach 150. It is desert—unforgiving, unrelenting, stark desert. Yet it has a certain glamour attached. After all, many of us grew up on regular doses of the radio and TV drama called "Death Valley Days." Among hosts for the TV series was Ronald Reagan who left the program in 1966 to assume the governorship of California.
Death Valley was designated as a National Park containing no less than 3.3 million acres—more than 5,200 square miles—in 1994. Traveling about two hours from Las Vegas' lights, the drive through barren desert is quick and the contrast between neon and sand is stark. Looking at a landscape of the valley discloses little vegetation and virtually no life. Yet, the National Park's visitor center describes more than nine hundred species of plants and trees living in the desert as well as the several endangered species that call the valley floor their home. Uniquely adapted animal life also abounds there. Death Valley promoters note that it's the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. At several places in the Valley, altitude is measured in negatives. Two hundred feet below sea level is common. The actual lowest point is 282 feet below sea level.
It's possible to drive for an hour without passing another automobile. Signs read "No services for 57 miles." Travelers are cautioned to have plenty of gasoline and a day's supply of water. It's almost impossible to imagine the hardships that were experienced by the pioneers who crossed the desert looking for a better life in California.
The 1890 discovery of the chemical borax in the Valley was the reason for the arrival of miners. In order to process the borax, it was necessary to haul the heavy mineral some 146 miles to a rail head at Mojave. To do this, teams of 18 mules and two horses were enlisted for the trip.
Originally, the Valley floor was a seabed. The Valley is flat, level and long. The entire National Park stretches 146 miles between two mountain ranges. Some of the peaks visible from the blistering floor of the Valley are snow-capped all year.
Following an orientation at the visitors' center, it's best to find accommodations for the night. In Death Valley, there's a fabulous hotel complex. As an oasis in the desert, Furnace Creek Inn stands out with its greenery. Several springs emerge from the ground and have been captured to water the trees and lawns and to fill a swimming pool heated by the sun.
Listed as one of the Historic Hotels of America, the Inn, open year-round, was built in 1927 in a mission style. Over the years, the Inn expanded to 66 rooms that have been continually upgraded and modernized; many have spa tubs. The hotel also features a gourmet dining room, gift shop and conference facilities. As a part of the hotel operation and a couple of miles down the highway, the 224 room Furnace Creek Ranch is more typically western. Horseback riding, camping and RV facilities are available as well as a couple of additional restaurants, a general store, a post office and the world's lowest 18 hole golf course. The golf course, by the way, is watered by runoff water from the springs that feed the Hotel's swimming pool and nourish its lawns and date palm groves. All this is done using gravity rather than electrical pumps.
Several side trips will help you understand the stark beauty of the Valley. One will take you to Badwater, near the low point of the Valley. At Badwater, it's possible to walk out on the salt flats and experience first hand the total lack of vegetation. A subterranean spring seeps water with very high salt content—unusable by plants, animals or men. Moving back toward Furnace Creek Inn, a side road will let you experience the Devil's Golf Course. It seems to have been plowed by some gigantic farm machine and left in large lumps on the ground.
In the same area, you can go off the main road toward a natural arch, carved by eons of wind through the soft sandstone. One side drive that's a must on this leg of your excursion is through the area designated as "Artist's Palette." Although it's only 3.5 miles along the main road, the one-way drive curves through about 9 miles of canyons. The multi-colored rocks and the eerie formations within the mountains are breathtakingly beautiful. A pull-off at the Golden Canyon Interpretive Trail will give you the opportunity to take a short three mile hike to the famous Zabriskie Point.
Yet another half-day trip from Furnace Creek Inn will have you driving the 55 miles north to "Scotty's Castle." One of the must-see installations in the Valley, the Castle was built as a joint effort by Walter E. Scott—a prospector, former Buffalo Bill Wild West Show roper and rider, and all-around con artist—and his friend and patron, Chicago insurance executive Albert Johnson. Scott affected the name "Death Valley Scotty." Among those who made the trek into the Valley to visit the Johnsons were celebrity bigwigs like Will Rogers, Norman Rockwell, and Betty Grable.
Until Scotty's death in 1954, he continued as a resident of the Castle. The Castle is now part of the National Park and tours are conducted by park rangers dressed in late 1930s costumes who interpret the history of the Castle from the perspective of 1939 America.
Continue your tour of Death Valley with a drive to Ubehebe Crater. This crater, a half-mile across its mouth and 500 feet deep, is a testament to the volcanic activity that once defined the region.
Death Valley offers unimaginable contrasts. The temperature has reached as much as 137 degrees, the mountains defining the Valley reach heights of 11,000 feet. Its average annual rainfall is under two inches, yet life exists in this harshest of Western Hemisphere climates. It's well worth seeing for its excitement, uniqueness and beauty.
|
