January 9, 2016 - Tanya's Trip to Death Valley National Park - Day 1

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN:
​DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

Explore I must!

​Happy Saturday and welcome to another edition of the weekend! 

Greetings from the lowest elevation point in North America - Death Valley National Park (technically Badwater Basin Salt Flats is the lowest point here in the park).
But I'm writing at -190' below sea level - that's CRrrrAaaaZzzzY wild.

I've gotta go to the good 'ol general store and get me a t-shirt saying "I was here!" Lol -
Any excuse for shopping huh?!

Dave and I came out for a very long and silent ride yesterday - the tunes were turned off and we weren't speaking (yup one of "those" rides).

But as per usual when I'm not in the drivers seat I tend to take full on advantage of the sweet rocking and swaying of the car.
I fall asleep like a baby and it's my sweet lullaby!

Good thing Dave is like an animal behind the wheel! Not that he drives like an animal (but if he did, it would be a sloth), but it's that he just is awake like no other - this is the guy who looks like he's falling asleep at the dinner table. Go figure! 

Well aside from this little village(ish) sort of resort. We are kinda out here in the middle of freakin nowhere! Change that from kinda to we ARE out here in the middle of freakin nowhere!!!

Good thing we have gas! Whew.
But ya know what else that means...no bathrooms and having to go Bushy Bushy (St. Lucian slang for tinkling) behind a bush - and guess what folks...no bushes! Yeaaaa Cosette would just love it here. HA

Such an austere beauty.
It's rather curious that it supports any life at all...

​When in actuality it serves as home to 51 mammal species, 307 bird species, 36 reptile species, 2 amphibian species and 5 fish species!!!
I'll be on the look out for Bobcat, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Desert Iguana, Kangaroo Rat, Kit Fox, and even the Mule Deer.

Kit Fox

But one resident that I'm unlikely to (ever) see is the Devils Hole Pupfish --- an inch long fish that have managed survive in the high heat, mineral rich water with limited food sources for more than 20,000 years!!

Devils Hole Pupfish

Oh and did I mention how lucky I am that the "resort" offers wifi?! Because there is like ZERO cellular signal in pretty much this entire HUGE (nearly 3.4 million acres) park - with the exception of the "resort".

So by the time we had rolled in, it was after dark, 
and I've gotta say that the extreme darkness and lack of polution really made for some incredibly awesome star gazing! Or should I say sky gawking?!
Death Valley Harbors some of the darkest night skies in the United States.
It was a really just a super majestic sight and unless you've seen the sky so brilliantly full of twinkling stars/planets/constellations and more then I'm sorry but you're really missing out -
*these were my exact thoughts as I was looking up in awe and a comet streaked across the sky. 

Did you ever wonder how Death Valley got its name??
Find this out and more in Elisa's column, as she shares 16 Fun Facts about Death Valley National Park.

While yesterday was pretty much a travel day, Today, I've got my eyes and my itinerary on seeing some cool sights/locations. 

Zabriske Point (at Sunrise - from which I've just returned)

​Surrounded by a maze of wildly eroded and vibrantly colored badlands this is a spectacular and unforgettable view of Death Valley and the mountain ranges that surround it.
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The other places I'll be heading today:
Artist's Drive
Badwater Basin
&
Racetrack Playa 
Maybe even more if I can squeeze them in before it gets dark!

I'm pretty stoked! And maybe, just maybe there'll even be some conversation today...guess we'll have to see about that!

I'll tell ya all this, show ya more pics and let you in on even more SCOOP tomorrow...

Until then - Have a GREAT one!
​-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop

​

16 Fun Facts about Death Valley National Park

Hello, hello!! How are you this chilly January Saturday!

I'm writing to you from Manorville, at Dream Come True Farm.  Yes, another Saturday at the barn and horseback riding!

Gianna & All-Star

Molly

Molly & Kelsey

The excitement of these kids cannot be contained when it comes to riding!!!

So, here I am, with a few other moms, hanging out in a cold barn and arena, adoringly watching as my girls ride away!

And speaking of "riding away"...Tanya headed out on the road yesterday towards Death Valley National Park!!

I can't tell you how I wish I was caravanning away with my girls, along with her and Dave.  As you may have read, Cosette and Dominic opted NOT to join them on this trip.  

But, I can almost guarantee that if Gianna and Kelsey were going to be on this trip, that these two kiddos wouldn't have hesitated to go!

Anyway, how much do you know about Death Valley National Park?  Check out these...

16 Fun Facts About
​Death Valley Nat'l Park

1. In 1994, the "Death Valley" section of the Mojave Desert was named a national park by Congress.  

2. Death Valley is on the border of California and Nevada, two hours away from Las Vegas.
 
3. According to the National Park Service, Death Valley was named by California gold seekers who had to cross the desolate wasteland in order to reach the gold fields in 1849.

4. Death Valley is home to the country’s lowest point, Badwater Basin, which lies at 282 feet below sea level.  

5. Death Valley National Park is 3.4 million acres, making it the largest national park in the mainland United States.  

6. Death Valley is the hottest place in the country with the highest recorded temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit, measured in July, 1913, which also happens to be the highest recorded temperature in the Western Hemisphere.  

7. At Furnace Creek near the center of the park, the ground temperature was recorded at 201 degrees on July 15, 1972.

8. Many scenes in the original "Star Wars" trilogy were filmed in Death Valley

9. Home to more than 1000 species of plants (including 50 that are found nowhere else in the world), 300 species of birds, 51 species of mammals (including bighorn sheep and mountain lions), 36 species of reptiles and a few amphibian and fish species.  

10. There are nine designated campgrounds in the park and $20 is all it costs to keep your vehicle in the park for a week.   
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11. There are plenty of roads to travel Death Valley including more than 300 miles of paved roads, 300 miles of dirt roads and several hundred miles of 4x4 roads.

12. There are an estimated 6,000 -10,000 abandoned gold mines in Death Valley.

13. Mount Whitney, the highest summit in both Sierra Nevada and the lower 48 states, is visible from Telescope Peak, according to the National Parks Service. 

14. Dante's View, Zabriskie Point and the sand dunes are the most popular places to watch the sunset.

15. Scotty's Castle, the former villa of Chicago millionaire and conman, Walter E. Scott offers tours.  Built in the early 1900's, the guides dress up in 1930's attire for authenticity. 

16. It is recommended that visitors not bring their pets to Death Valley due to the high temperatures and the threat of large mammals.

Don't forget to read all about Tanya's first day at this amazing National Park!!

Have a FAN-TAB-U-LOUS Day!!!

-E
xoxo