The Southwestern Sojourn - Day 22: Death Valley National Park

Woke early as usual when camping and shot the sunrise from the Dry Lake Bed BLM site near Boulder City, NV.

I must remember to try to park Uma, the URRV, pointing either north or south....makes for better sunrise/sunset pics.

I left the site right at 9 AM and hoping the morning rush with Las Vegas traffic had ended by then.  Transiting the Vegas metro area via the I-215 beltway proved relatively painless, with no traffic jams.

Drove without incidence all the way to the planned BLM spot but it turned out to have zero cellular signal, nice spot otherwise.

So I drove back to Death Valley Junction, no signal there except for a spot that wasn't designated as BLM a little outside the town.

I resigned myself to staying at an RV park just across the border with Nevada next to the Longstreet Casino Hotel and RV Resort.  They also advertise a 24x7 Bar!

I was pleasantly surprised though that with the Good Sam Club discount, it was only $22.50/night for full hookups!  I booked two nights.

Got Uma settled then unloaded Scarlett and we took off for the 40 kilometer or so ride back across into California, down CA Hwy 127 to the junction with US 190 and headed NW to the Death Valley National Park.

The objective for the afternoon was 20 Mule Team Canyon Road.  It was one of the sights recommended to me by Dave H. aka Mr C.O.B of Sovietsteeds.  I found the entrance easily enough (it's well marked by the park) and enjoyed the sights:

Too soon I was at the exit to the canyon, which dumps you back onto US 190.  It was then I discovered it is a one way loop.  Doh, should have stopped more often for pictures.

So, I went further into the park and came upon the Zabriskie Point.  You can walk up a ramped walkway and gaze at pretty cool erosion formations.  At this viewpoint you're now below 1000 ft above sea level.

I returned to the 20 Mule Team Canyon Road as I was running out of daylight by this time and I wanted to get some more pictures of the canyon's rock formations.  It was the "golden hour" so the warm light from the sun added its own coloration to the canyon's geological features.

Found the best spot for posing one's vehicle unoccupied this second time in the canyon and so parked Scarlett there for pictures.

The view at the exit point for the 20 Mule Team

Canyon Road

At this point I discovered I was missing my right glove....I'd taken it off to enable faster picture taking at each stop and thought I'd stashed it in the tank bag.  Nope.

I retraced my route past Zabriskie Point and entered 20 Mule Team Canyon for the third time today.  I did find the glove, it had fallen off shortly after one of the picture stops I'd made.

Only one picture taken during the third run

into 20 Mule Team Canyon

Turns out, the delay caused by my stupidity, placed me on the road back to the RV park at the right time to be in the right place just north of Death Valley Junction for sunset pictures.

Back at the URRV, sitting on the steps having a snack, I enjoyed the last views of the sunset for the day:

That's not Uma, the URRV, that's another

camper in the rv park.