mARTa's Art

Visiting Death Valley must be well planned. In summer the temperature can soar to 130 degrees F or 54 C. So visiting in November was perfect with mild sunny days and cool nights. We had no electricity save for the 12 volt battery to power a light in the evening, about 30 gallons of water for washing dishes and ourselves and no cell or internet at all. At night we'd fall asleep to the sound of howling coyotes off in the desert. It was so relaxing.

During the day we made it a point to hit all the view points; stopping to take photographs or sketch. We accomplished 2 short hikes; one to Natural Bridge and the other to Mosaic Canyon where I had fun sliding down the polished slick rock. A trip to Death Valley wouldn't be complete without a visit to Scotty's Castle for a tour of the desert oasis which was a vacation home to a wealthy insurance man of the 1920's. After one of our hikes we stopped at Furnace Creek Inn for an alcoholic respite at the bar and for me to catch up on my sketchbook journaling. We also found our way on our last night there to the Furnace Creek Saloon for snacks and beer.

We so fell in love with this park as we have with so many that we were fortunate to visit this year. We are already planning for our next adventure! Just yesterday I read a news article that on Thursday (while we were hiking) two other hikers in a remote area of the park found human skeletal remains. Authorities are pretty sure they are from a German family that disappeared in the desert in 1996. It really does bring the point home on being extremely cautious while hiking in Death Valley.

Please enjoy the movie I made filled with lots of photos and my sketches of the trip!