Death Valley

A couple hours drive west of Las Vegas exists one of the most hostile environments on the planet and surely, one of the most breath-taking.  Death Valley, CA–part of the Mojave Desert–holds the record for the hottest temperature ever documented; 56.7C (134F).  Fortunately, it being December, the temperature was a comfortable 16C (61F).  Surrounded by mountains five thousand feet tall on either side, the lowest point in the Valley is also the deepest in North America; 86m (282′) below sea level.  Ironically, the highest point in the continental United States is just 132kms away and near a dry lake; Mount Whitney of the Sierra Nevadas at 4421m (14,505′).

Though there is no mountain-biking permitted within the National Park, there was much to explore.  Walking bare-foot in the cold sand of the sprawling dunes; looking a fox dead in the eyes and watching a crow chase away a large bird of prey.  Way out in the sand protrudes a stove-pipe [giving Stovepipe Wells its name], installed to mark the location of a long-used well that would often get covered by blowing sand.  Along the side of the road a couple hundred yards away, lies the final resting place of Val Nolan; died Aug. 1931, buried Nov. 6 1931.

Summitting the Funeral Mountains to the east, we looked down to the valley below; a huge flat expanse of stone and sand.  The road cut clear across the valley’s white floor like some great incision exposing the black tissue below.  Driving up the Cottonwood Mountains to the west, we stopped to take in the view.  Each wandering his own course, we spent a good while just sitting there, trying to absorb the magnificence of this powerful land.

While I am certain Val wasn’t the only person to succumb to the elements here in Death Valley, I’m equally as sure that many more have succumbed to its beauty.

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Elevation -260 feet.

The stove-pipe at Stovepipe Wells

RIP Val Nolan

Sometimes, you’ve just gotta put up your feet, sit back, and take in the view.