Destination: Death Valley@California
Time: 3 hours. Depart from Las Vegas (Journey is shorter if compare to depart from Santa Clara)
Entrance fee – USD 20 per vehicle (pay at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. The pass is just a small piece of pink paper, just stick it on your car's wind screen. If we did not enter the Visitor Center, we never know we need to pay for it. Can we skip this if we did not stop by the center?)
Our route:
Dantes View > Zabriskie Point > Sand DUnes > Golden Canyon > Devil's Golf Course > Badwater Basin > Artist's Drive >> Rio Hotel (stop by) >> Planet Hollywood (stop by) >> Vanetian Hotel (Blue Man Group show)
Death Valley is the hottest, driest and lower national park. Before we enter to the Death Valley, we passed by a 'ghost town' which just right beside of the Highway 127. Does it has ghost exist? I' don't know. I just saw that no people is living here. Interesting town :) Afetr that, we enter to the Highway 127 which you wil feel like you in roller coaster, and direct go to the Dante's view. You can direct visit the view point If you know where is the interesting point located at... do not need to stop by the Vistor Center because the center located furthere away from a lot of view point.
Thing you need to prepare before you go:
1. Hat - the weather is damn hot. The sunlight feels like burning you.
2. Full tank of petrol - the petrol rate there is high! USD5+ per galloon.
3. Wide angle lens - you can't take a nice photo if without it.
Station 1: Dante's View
*The most breath-taking view point in the park, this mountain-top overlook is more than 5000 feet above the inferno of Death Valley. The paved access road is open to all vihicles less than 25 feet in length.
Cold weather and stong wind. We can see the salt area from the top. The view is awesome!
Station 2: Zabriskie Point
*Surrounded by a maze of windly eroded and vibrantly colored badlands, this spectacular view is one of the park's most famous. Zabriskie Point is a popular sunrise and sunset viewing location. The view point is a short walk uphill from the parking.
Another great view. Again, wind is strong... it might pushing you.
Stopped by Visitor Center and having lunch here.
Station 3: Sand Dunes
*Tawny dunes smoothly rising nearly 100 feet from Mesquite Flat. Late afternoon light accentuates the ripples and patterns while morning is a good time to view tracks of nocturnal wildlife. Moonlight on the dunes can be magical, yet night explorers should be alert for sidewinder rattlesnakes during the warm season.
The sand is fine and soft. Sand in brown color plus some black.You will see it is blinking under the sunlight becuase some cystal sand is mixed with them. The ripples are shaped while the wind is blow. Sand is warm, wind is cool. Actaully it is same as the sand in the beach.
Station 4: Golden Canyon
*Hikers entering the narrows of this canyon are greeted by golden badlands within. An interpretive pamphlet is available. 2 mile round-trip walk.
Alfonso was drop by this point and walked ~200 meter from the starting point of this canyon. Well, I don't think it is interesting and I decided wait inside the car. Outside is HOT and DRY! Yes, it is really nothing there.
Station 5: Devil's Golf Course
*Immense area of rock salt eroded by wind and rain into jagged spires. So incredibly serrated that "only the devil could play golf on such rough links. The unpaved road leading to it is often closed after rain.
Wanted to stop by the Natural Bridge but it is closed... now just 3:34pm! Guess there is Something wrong there.
Station 6: Badwater Basin
*Lowest point in North America, -282 feet lower than the sea level. Badwater Basin is a surreal landscape of vast salt flats. A temporary lake may form here after heavy rainstorms. Do not walk on the salt flats in hot weather.
Fromn far away, the area with salt is looked white. Walked a short distance, we are on the vast salt flats. Thought it is a soft ground, surround by salt like a 'salt dune' and thought can collect some salt from here. Actually, it is 'solid' ground. I used my finger to touch the ground in order to get some salt. Yes, I did it and tasted it. It is Salty!
Station 7: Artist's Drive
*Scenic loop drive through multi-hued volcanic and sedimentary hills. Artist's Palette is especially photogenic in late afternoon light. The 9 mile paved road is one-way and is only drivable with vehicles less than 25 feet in length.
It is a different experience, see different thing, worth to go. Well, since it is a desert area, of cause the weather is damn hot but windy. We arrived LV at around 7pm (feel the journey is shorter than we depart). On the way back we go to the Rio Hotel to collect the Penn & Teller Show for tommorow night. After collected it, Alfonso feels like to see the Blue Man Group show. Well, we parked our car at Planet Hollywood and walked to the near by Tix4half ticket stall. The stall is selling the cheaper today ticket for show and buffet. Well, we got our tonight 10pm Blue Man Group show ticket at USD76 per ticket including tax. We rush to the Vanetian Hotel to collect the official ticket before 1 hour of the show started. The way from the stall to the hotel is quite far. We tried our best to walk to the hotel by skipping our 'formal' dinner. How good of the show? Not that impressive, maybe we have high expectation on it. The show is 'play' on our vison effect and 'drum'plus a bit digital element inside. Vision effect: luminecion color, lighting. Drum: Using empty tank, plump pipe etc to play music with live band. Have interaction with the audiances.
Another tiring day. Luckily tomorrow is a relax day. No need to travel to far away. Yeah, the theme of Badwater Basin is Vanice... nice design.
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