Death Valley, Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes/Stovepipe Wells

                                Saturday 3/31/2012 : Continued

On our 2nd day of sight seeing Death Valley National Park, we left the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction,  and enter the park at the same entrance as our first day drive.

We retraced our drive, but I still had to take a few pictures, because there was more light than the cloudy 1st day.

We stopped at Zabriskie Point again. They have benches at the top, so we walked up for lunch.

At the T in the road we took a right to the north instead of south like we had on our 1st day drive in Death Valley. Less than  1/4 of a mile we came to Furnace Creek Ranch. At Furnace Creek Ranch there is lodging, shopping, general store, RV Park with hookups and the Borax Museum. We just stopped to see the Old Dinah steam tractor.

We had a long day planned, so we continued north.

We stopped at a gas station that is located next to the Furnace Creek Ranch. Joe wanted to get a couple gallons of gas just to be on the safe side. Fill up before you get into Death Valley National Park. This was the only gas station we saw in the park and as you can see, very pricey!

Next to the gas station is the is the Furnace Creek Visitor Center.We stopped toget another brochere and looked around a bit. They have a movie but, but we didn't realize it until later.

Across the street  from the visitor center was a no hook up RV camping area.

Just up the road from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center was the site where Borax was discovered.

A twenty mule team transported the Borax 165 miles to the railroad until 1889.

One of the ruins left at Old Harmony Borax Works.

We continue north on Hwy. 190.

We drove 19 miles before Hwy 190 turned west.

As we turn west on Hwy. 190 we see the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes

Our last stop on Hwy. 190 will be Stovepipe Wells. The west side of Death Valley National Park is too far and will have to be explored some other day.

We stopped at Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes before going to Stovepipe Wells. While Joe uses the restroom I head out on the dunes.

Here he comes. I waved to let him know where I was.

Joe said he went back to the car looking for me. He finally figured out I must have headed out on my own.

Our first dune to climb.

Joe climbs to the top to show the true dimensions of the dune.

Up another hill

 The largest dune is called Star Dunes in the distance. There were some people in the picture that were almost to the top of it. It stands at 130 to 140 feet tall.

We could see Stovepipe Wells from the dunes. It is the specks of white in the distance. So far our favorite dunes are the Coral Sand Dunes in Utah, Great Sand Dunes of Colorado, and the Ocotillo Wells Sand Dunes in California.

A close up of the previous shot of Stovepipe Wells.

These sand dunes have been used in several movies due to it's close proximity to Hollywood. It was use in one of the Star Wars movies. Don't be an idiot and kick off your shoes and walk barefoot on the dunes. I saw a guy having a very hard time trying to get back to his shoes. The sand feels good for a while, but it doesn't take long for the sand to turn warm to very hot. I bet the guy's feet were burned by the time he got back to his shoes.

Stovepipe Wells is the best place to stay if you want to explore the west side of Death Valley National Park.

It has a motel with a swimming pool, saloon, gas station, and restaurant. This motel was first built in 1925 which began the first tourist into Death Valley.

The RV park is open year round and has 50 amp. for those who need it. It also has a general and gift shop.The village is at 10 ft above sea level.

We headed back 7 miles east on Hwy. 190 until we reached the intersection. At the intersection we went straight onto Daylight Pass Road toward Beatty, Nevada. To be continued: