May 12 - Las Vegas - Death Valley - Bakersfield

We left the mighty Mandalay Bay and pointed the Nissan towards Death Valley along I-50 South and drove through parched, desolate, rocky lands with huge brown, rocky mountains on either side of us for miles and miles.

Death Valley was formed over three million years ago when the earth's crust ripped apart and rose to 11,000 feet (3,353 metres) on either side above the floor of the Valley. The Valley floor is the lowest place in America and was once a vast lake over 150' (46 metres) deep.  Climate change has pushed many species to extinction, we learnt however that pupfish are found here in Salt Creek, and nowhere else on earth.

 

The 1870's saw mining flourish here with gold, silver, lead and copper being extracted from the ground. Borax became the most mined and towns were born, boomed and died within a decade. We saw remnants of those days and the dreams lost of so many.







The vehicles used for the transport of borax from Death Valley to Mojave.





The base layers of Death Valley are now used by hikers looking to experience it up close - the wind, water and evaporation have led to a myriad of amazing patterns in the landscape where they can explore.

The Timbisha Shoshone tribe still live in the Valley believing it is up to them to protect the land. Death Valley was entrusted to the care of the National Parks Service in 1933. The Shoshone people ask that we, "protect the land and come here with goodness".  We did.

Claire told the Ranger she would like to become a Jnr Ranger and he gave her the booklet and some instruction and within an hour and a half Claire had completed all of the tasks and was duly sworn in.

The newest "Death Valley Jnr Ranger".

Did I mention the temperature here? 100 F! (38 C) Not quite the 110 F (43 C) in the shade, that we had four years ago when we came here with Josh though.

No poems today, but Claire did have to create an animal.  She named it: "the Kerpra, and it lives under big trees and survives in the extreme heat because it digs with its one foot to make a hole to lie in.  It gets water by digging till it finds water.  It protects itself by using its venom that it spits at its enemies.  Description: one leg, one eye, its ears look like two mistletoe leaves, it is scaly, and it poos M&M shapes.  It's call is 'kabarrk, kabarr, kabarrk'" (Yes the second call is without the "k"!) and it's mating call is, 'eekon, bookan, bacon'".

Claire also learnt about the many animals that live in this Valley including the bighorn sheep, sidewinders (rattlesnakes), chuckwallas (lizards), zebra-tailed lizards, desert tortoises, kangaroo rats, road runners, coyotes and kit fox.

Onwards we went, heading west along the interstate highway towards the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The countryside was ever changing, from dry and sandy to rocky with green saltbush giving the landscape a completely different look. We travelled over a mountain range to 6,000' then down the other side, and then travelled south on Panamint Valley Road - going where? And in the middle of nowhere there was a STOP sign, and another giving restrictions for vehicle lengths ... Truly we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

 

Through the city of Trona - the pictures speak for themselves. A desperate town full of very little hope I'd think for anyone growing up here, particularly kids.

 

And here, you could buy a "red-nose pup for $5.00"!

"Red-Nose pups for sale - $5"

We finally made our destination of Bakersfield ready for an easy drive into Yosemite tomorrow morning.