Death Valley, California

 mesquite sand dunes

Death Valley National Park is awesome.  I/pictures cannot explain what it is like, other than: Death Valley is a feeling.  Music sounds better there.  If you're not a person who enjoys extremes, you may not like it, but you'll never forget it.  In fact it will probably scare you and you'll swear never to return.  If you enjoy extremes, you will thoroughly enjoy the valley of death.

Death and Valleys both rank high on my list of interests, right up there with Life and Mountains.  Polarize me.

Other things that rank high are Camping and Free.  National Parks are hit or miss when it comes to free camping.  Death Valley has more free campgrounds than pay campgrounds.  Of course, you have to be willing to drive 20-30 miles away from the main attractions and down poorly maintained dirt roads.  It sure helps keep away the conservative RV crowd (generalization).

Ol' NorthFace loves desert climate

 Camping, Free, Death, Life, Valley, Mountains, AHHHHhh

By now, of course, the unchecked poison oak has raged to the extreme.  And with no chance of remedy within 100 miles, we were left to simmer in our own allergic reactions.  Some local beer took the edge off.  It is brewed in Inyokern, CA -- a tiny town we drove through on our way to Death Valley National Park.

Not that Norbie gets jealous or feels inadequate when he greets the high volume of RVs on the western road, but he sure loves it when we treat him like an RV.  After all, he provides recreation and he's a vehicle.  Why not?

RV or Norbie?

The ravens in Death Valley are a strong presence.  They make lots of pissed-off sounds while wildly shrugging their shoulders.  I've never seen anything like it in my limited experience with other ravens.  They seem to communicate that they are pissed off at the unnatural influx of people to their land, and could we all just go back to our condos and burn down the bathrooms on our way out?

Death Valley Raven

We hiked through Mosaic Canyon.  It was pretty vast.

Then we took a stroll through the sand dunes.  Nothing feels better on bare feet/the soul than warm sand dunes with the occasional pricker and sidewinder rattlesnake tracks.

Free, Life, Death, Valley

The park is enormous.  It is the largest national park in the continental US (not counting Alaska parks).

Norbie enjoys life
 

"Devil's Golf Course"

Wee coyote  -- young or just small?

After we left the park and gained cell phone service 100 miles later I told my parents how beautiful Death Valley is.  My mom would hear none of it -- "I've been to the desert, I know what it's like, and I don't like it" me: "Yeah but you haven't been to DEATH VALLEY"