Page update July 6, 1999
Site update Sept. 19, 1999

written by Julie Hackler & David Fink

March 7, 1999 to March 10, 1999

Death Valley National Park, California

The scenery here ranges from sand dunes to huge craters left by volcanic explosions. They have several abandoned gold mines where I think I found gold! Dave called it fool’s gold but I’m going to keep it anyway. They have two notable canyons Mosaic Canyon and Titus Canyon. Beautiful colors and fantastic rock formations. Artist’s Palette is a mountain range that is so colorful it looks like and artist spilled their palette all over the top of it.

The lowest elevation in the United States is located in Death Valley. Badwater at 282 feet below sea level is an interesting place to see complete with a simple sign placed high in the mountains to the north stating “Sea Level”. There is also a millionaire’s castle located in the park called Scotty’s Castle. It was built by a rich man whose doctor told him he should spend time in the warm dry climate of the desert. It cost $8 for an adult to tour the inside, but Dave and I didn’t want to pay so we just toured the outside of the castle and the surrounding area. The castle grounds were a big contrast to the miles of nothing our here in the desert. We stayed at Stovepipe Wells. It is a large gravel parking lot that they claim to be a campground. It cost us $10 a night, a big disappointment compared to the beautiful campsite we got for free at Joshua Tree National Park. It was nice but not one of my favorites. I look forward to southern Utah!