The drive from Joshua Tree National Park to Death Valley (Panamint Springs) was quite surreal - that is the road 178 through Trona. Lots of mines and some naval weapons ranges, and some stretches of unpaved road - it seemed like I was the only guy with a car there, but there were plenty of trucks. Since it was a fairly gray day (see previous images of the blooming flowers), as it was getting dark the whole scenery turned into an impenetrable shade of gray (the rocks are also gray in color).
Death Valley was definitely the highlight of my trip. I find this place very fascinating.
Driving into Death Valley before sunrise made me aware of the sheer size of this National Park, after all it is the largest one in the US apart from the ones in Alaska. First stop were the Mesquite Sand Dunes. The light was a bit more diffuse than I liked it to be, and therefore the sunrise did not make a big impression. I therefore ended up playing with white balance to paint the dunes in strong colors.
In the background of the last shot you see the Tucki Mountain, which is one of the reasons the Mesquite Dunes exist in the first place. Wind blows from the North and is slowed by the mountain, depositing and shaping the sand.
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When I came back to my car from the dunes at 10am, it was already pretty hot (32 degrees Celsius or 90 degrees Fahrenheit), which is slighly above average for March. You might have heard that this place is bloody hot and you might wonder why (more on that later). I had already encountered 35 degrees C in Joshua Tree, but the hottest in Death Valley on my trip was 39. For general interest, the hottest officially recorded temperature in Death Valley ever is 56.7 degrees C.
