Mileage: 59,841 Sunset Campground Death valley National Park Death Valley, California

We watched the sunrise as we drank our morning coffee.

We got our first glimpse of a Joshua tree as we headed north toward Death Valley. It is an odd looking tree with bottle-brush like appendages on its limbs. It looks like a Lorax tree!

We rounded a bend to incredible mountain grandeur. Indescribable beauty. I made a foolish attempt to capture the loveliness with a camera.

As we drove through the Mojave National Preserve, we realized that we had chosen the perfect camping spot last night by the dunes. There were no other places in this sandy wilderness that we could have stayed!

In Baker, California we crossed over Route 15. If we had gone 15 in the first place it would have been so much quicker…but then we would have missed a truly gorgeous ride.

We took Scenic Route 127 through Tecopa. We took a short ride along the road to the town. We passed this dry riverbed of the Amargosa River.

We stopped in Shoshone to fill the RV and Jeep with fuel.

We told someone the other day that we were headed to Death Valley. His response was something like…Why would you go there? It is just a bunch of sand and rocks. I suppose that many people might see it that way. We however think that this park is worthy of the word “magnificent.”

We got settled in the Sunset Campground. We were going to rest awhile but we were both eager to get out and explore.

We drove the Jeep to Dante’s View. The scenery was outstanding. Dante’s View is at 5,475 feet of elevation. Below us we could see the Badwater Basin or Death Valley. The lowest point in North America, the basin is 282 feet below sea level. The snow-capped peak in the distance is Telescope Peak. It is 11,049 feet high and only 20 miles away. What natural power formed these incredible peaks and valleys?!?

Then we took the Jeep trail called Hole in the Wall.

Everywhere we look there are beautiful mountains. Mothers Nature’s finest handiwork. There are mountains that appear to be draped in all shades of rumpled velvet. There are mountains that are a tapestry of striped bands in muted shades of red and gold and brown and green and grey and cream. There are mountains covered in a patchwork quilt of uneven remnants.

We saw a chuckwalla. We also saw a mouse and a lizard…both too speedy to capture on camera.

We were only out for a little while this afternoon. I cannot wait to see what we can find out there tomorrow!