Today was sightseeing in Death Valley National Park – the largest National Park in the lower 48 states. Sunrise over a mountain is always an impressive sight.
After breakfast we headed out to Furnace Creek – the location of the hottest temperature ever recorded in the US (and arguably the hottest place in the world – depends on air or surface temperature or something like that). On the way, we stopped at the Mesquite Sand Dunes and the Harmony Borax Works.
The Borax works was only in business for 5 years before succumbing to financial problems, The remarkably-preserved works was run by Chinese laborers paid $1.30/day (less food and accommodations.) The ore had to be processed locally to reduce transportation and the costs to remove waste products. The ore was boiled to dissolve the minerals, then the borax precipitated onto iron bars that the laborers scraped. This precipitation process would not work under 120 degrees F, so it was not done in the summer months.
We did our touring around 9:15AM, and it was plenty hot. The signs discouraged anyone from going hiking after 10AM in the summer.
Next stop was the Furnace Creek Visitors Center. Since most people avoid this time of year, we got to park in their very limited covered parking. We saw short and excellent video, then asked a ranger if Scottie’s Castle is, in fact, closed – we didn’t trust the signs. It is closed. When we left at 10:00 or so it was only 94 degrees F.
We then went to Badwater Basin – the lowest place in North America at -280 feet. We had the opportunity to walk on the salt flats, which we did much less enthusiastically than our fellow tourists.
Then on to the Devils Golf Course, then Artists Drive. Lots of great colorful scenery. Then back to the camper for lunch. Scott had a previously scheduled Teams meeting at 2PM. Kinda toasty, as the outside temperature hit 103 degrees F and the inside temperature never got below 83. But, after the call neither of us wanted to brave the heat so we spent the rest of the day sweating in the camper.
Tomorrow we head for Lake Mead, where the temperature is not predicted to go above 94 degrees.