Canceled July 21, 2012
We began our summer family vacation on a Friday evening by flying into Las Vegas. We arrived in Death Valley National Park at about 3:30 am and drove to Zabriskie Point. After sleeping in our rental car for about an hour, we watched the sunrise. It was warm, but the day had just begun.
Excessive extremes help create the hottest, driest and lowest park in America. We walked in the Badwater Basin which is the lowest elevation in the United States at 282 feet below sea level. Next we hiked a few trails like the Artists Palette, Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes, Mosaic Canyon, and the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail.
As the day turned into afternoon, the temperature was 120 degrees and the wind felt like an oven full of heat. It was hard to breathe as well as exceedingly difficult to sustain energy. We took our environment very seriously and drank plenty of water. Our lodging was inside the park at the famous Furnace Creek Ranch.
Enjoy your American National Park Quest Tee Shirt.
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- Death Valley – Front
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- 59 American National Parks Quest – Back