Death Valley National Park

    After leaving the mountains we found our way into the Mojave desert. It was a nice surprise to see Joshua trees growing along the highway. They really are cool looking plants. It was definitely a barren ride to the park, but the scenery was beautiful in its own subtle way.

    Before getting to the park, we were driving along a desert valley when a weird bird-like shape caught my eye. As we quickly approached it I thought it might be a drone until its shape turned into a fighter jet. It was flying low and we were amazed when it shot past us. The sound followed not long after. It was the highlight of the day for us. Definitely a unique experience!

    When we got out of the car to take a picture the hot was oppressive, but we didn't know what was in store. We had to drive out of the valley we where in and over a mountain pass to get to Death Valley. Along the way we passed lots of runners being followed by vans. It was the Death Valley ultra-marathon. These crazy people were running 135 miles in this furnace!

    We came along massive sand dunes on the way to the visitor center and Emma was finally appeased and believed we were in a desert. The visitor center is located in a place called Furnace Creek and it lived up to its name. It was harsh just getting to the doors in the 118 degree heat. Inside we enjoyed a bunch of displays and a short movie about the history of the place. Down the road we stopped for ice cream that quickly melted.

    Our last stop was Badwater Basin. It is the lowest point in the country and the heat there was the worst. Ri and I were the only ones to venture out of the car and walk out to the salt flats. Ri made the mistake of touching the ground with her hand and paid for it with a yelp as she recoiled from the heat.
We left the park after that and headed for the relative cool of Las Vegas.