Ann's Travelogues - DEATH VALLEY AND BEYOND 2016-17

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TRAVELOGUE # 3 - Adventures in Death Valley and the 49ers Encampment (DV part 2 of 3)

Tuesday November 8, 2016 -Thursday November 10, 2016

Published Dec. 11, 2016

The Death Valley 49ers is a long-standing group of volunteers who honor the history of the valley and have hosted this annual event since 1949, the centennial of the 49ers traveling to California for the Gold Rush. You can find out more at www.deathvalley49ers.org. The encampment was officially from Nov. 9 - 13th. But there were some "pre-encampment" activities starting on the 6th, like western and fiddle music on several stages.

Anyway, one of the first official events was a Pet Parade on Wednesday.. I didn't take Sunna (she's not a crowd lover), but several of the Solos had their pets in it. Leroy and Corky won second prize (Corky has won a prize for many years running).

One of the big events of the week is the arrival of the wagon train - these folks travel for at least a week to get to Death Valley. On the way, they stopped and on Wednesday invited the Escapees to join them for potluck dinner and BBQ and music and a bonfire. I passed on that because Wednesday was the talent show in Furnace Creek, and I performed with a fiddler that I just met and Gail Foster, a Solo that I had met at a LOWs campout in October. That was a lot of fun, but I don't have any photos.

On Thursday, Myrna and I had the whole day free to explore, so we took the side road where the wagon train had been camped, and passed them as they continued into Furnace Creek, arriving on Friday with a parade. In these photos, they are in regular clothes, later they dress in period costumes for their grand entry. We drove the West Side road all the way to its end, then came back past Badwater and Artist Point Drive. A full day indeed.

There were horse and wagon rides available all week. Nice draft horses!

Leroy and Corky - Corky showing off as usual!

This gal with her two dogs and clever "covered wagon" won first prize. This event happened on Election Day, so I guess that's why she changed her sign to "Canada or Bust".

Above - the whole pet lineup. Below, lots of Solos came to cheer them on.

Corky getting her prize...

This was one very well fed looking coyote, who wandered around near the craft booths, as if he belonged.

Here are some of the "wild" coyotes we saw out near the campground. We also heard them at night.

Above and below: the way the salt flats morph when the water dries up in the hot sun.

This explains the crystals and how they are formed.

Sunna and Myrna being patient while I take photos!

Here is the lead horse of the wagon train - along West Side Road.

Above: Cute! Below, this wagon was pulled by a team of 5 small horses.

The West Side Road was a dirt road and we continued to head south on it.

Below: all that's left of the borax works. I was amazed that in spite of the heat of the desert there was marsh grass all around!

Just try to imagine traveling by wagon - no established roads, no services, no chase cars. The natives knew what to eat and where to find water, but these new travelers didn't.

Above and below: some pictures of the various rock formations and colors. Incredible! Imagine it in person!

Above: what are those black humps? Volcanic ash?

Unbelievable colors!

Here we are approaching Badwater - the lowest point in Death Valley - 292 feet BELOW sea level.

Red arrow shows Sea Level sign.

Above: looking out onto the salt flats. Below, from out on the flats looking back.

There were a variety of textures to the salt flats. It felt very hard like concrete, but wasn't really very thick.

Above: looking out across the valley. Below, about a half mile out looking back at the visitor parking.

Red arrow marks the Sea Level sign...

Here you can see that the salt layer is not very thick. The shadow obscures the water sitting in the bottom of the hole - in other words the water table is very close to the surface!