Exploring the Furnace Creek Area of Death Valley

 We didn't have the best weather.  The high temperature was 100 degrees with strong Santa Ana winds in the afternoon.  We stayed at the Ranch at Death Valley and took advantage of their 6 AM breakfast buffet.  We left the hotel before 7 AM.  It was an 8-minute drive to Zabriskie Point, one of the most famous overlooks in Death Valley.  It is a short walk to a panorama view of the golden-brown hills and canyons.

About a 30-minute drive away is Dante's Peak.  This look-out sits about 5,000 feet above the Valley.  There is the eerie sight of the Amargosa River, which is underground through Death Valley.  What looks like shimmering water is actually salt.  It is a breath-taking view!

The view includes Badwater Basin.  It is about a 50-minute drive down to the riverbede.  The Basin is the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level.  You can walk on the salt flats, which feel damp.  There is wet earth a few inches below the salt and there is even a small pond.  It is the weirdest place I've ever visited.

                                                This is a small pond of salt water and has its own species of fish and snail

From there, we drove the 9-mile loop known as "Artist's Drive".  This road takes you through canyons with formations of pink green, gold, tan and black.  The colors are caused by natural pigments in the rocks.  My photos don't do the colors justice.  The hills were backlit by intense sunlight.

Our last stop was the Furnace Creek Visitors Center, which had an interesting museum and helpful rangers.

We saw all this is about six hours.  Each stop has multiple places for hiking.  We didn't do any hiking, because it was already hot.  The roads were all paved with parking lots available and places to pull-over.  It is a special place!