Death Valley...Flooded?!?

 

So oddly enough one of the driest places on earth can flood and when it does it creates terrible mud slides. Our campground we booked was between those two red lines on the left side of the map. They sent us an email letting us know that for our size rig there was really no way in or out...so plan B! We drove all the way around the bottom of the park so we could enter from the east side. Guess that still counts as a missed stop Paladin group!

 

The colors here don't seem to do it justice but it really was a pretty place. We did almost all of the hikes/scenic drives that were open. We started at Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below sea level.

Loved the sign that said Extreme Heat Danger after 10am...um, it was 1:30pm when we where there! But it's a dry heat, right??

We hiked the Natural Bridge Trail and the views were great looking back at the parking lot. Not bad under the bridge too!

 

This poor guy didn't make it in the heat...

Good thing we had lots of water! Thanks Emma for the Great Smoky Mountain water bottle. :)

It wasn't the hottest day ever, which was 134 degrees on record July 10, 1913, it was just a balmy100 degrees while we were there. :)

We did the Artists drive and the colors were really amazing. Again, these pictures just don't do it justice!

 

and then in the middle of the desert...an Oasis!!

 

The Ranch at Death Valley was indeed an oasis! We spent a little time there and enjoyed the flowers, the palm trees and the saloon! 

We ended the day at Zabriske Point for the beginning of the sunset (yes, that really is a picture I took!) and then Dantes View to catch the moon! Next stop is Mom's recommendation, Valley of Fire.