A Death Valley Adventure

Fourteen Villages formed a carpool caravan on the first day our trip to Death Valley and took time to get to know each other while our fearless and flexible leader John Jackson talked about the plans for the day.  The travelers were: Cheryl Graffi, Marcella Murphy, Nancy Pine, Sally Asmundson, Maude Sutherland, Kee Blow, Tom Polenzani, Dave Foltz, Jocelyn Keene, Wayne April, Jeff Gutstadt, and John Jackson. We were joined by Executive Director Katie Brandon (and her parents for part of the trip).

Who knew a caravan could be so much fun? Our first stop was at Fossil Falls where the day was already quite hot. From the parking lot, we took a short but challenging walk through rocky, uneven volcanic debris. Most of us made it to the overlook. Native peoples lived in the area when there was still water in the river water polishing the ballast rock to the smooth sheen we see today. Our next stop was the Owens Lake Plover Wing Plaza. This is an art installation and access to trailheads to explore Owens Lake. Raymond Ramirez, Environmental Specialist, LA Dept of Water and Power met us there to talk about the Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Project and how successful it has been. 

Tuesday we were on our way to Death Valley right after breakfast where we had a stunning surprise... we saw the Alpen glow of the rising sun on the peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, an inspiring sight to start the day.  At Mesquite flats Sand Dunes we had a short hike to see the dunes and feel what it’s like walking on loose sand.  The plan was to go to Titus Canyon, but when we discovered a closed road due to construction. John easily pivoted to driving to Furnace Creek, stopping at the Harmony Borax Works before lunch. The giant thermometer there showed a temperature of 101° F.  We arrived at the Longstreet Inn just outside the park in Nevada and had dinner together in the hotel restaurant.

Wednesday was a busy day with a trip to Rhyolite and exploration of the ghost town and outdoor art gallery. From there, we drove to Badwater, Artists Palate, Zabriski Point and the beautiful Valley Inn and were back at Furnace Creek for lunch.  After lunch we toured Marta Becket’s Amargosa Opera House where the theater and stage are filled with murals painted by Marta who had regular dance performances for many years before her death in 2017. Just one of many dreams of a new and better life in the wide-open desert.  While not totally abandoned, it felt sad and mostly deserted.

We enjoyed a final evening dinner at Ruby Market where the staff were attentive and kind to our large group and everyone enjoyed the evening. We were far away from night sky light pollution, so some Villagers drove out later to soak in the night sky, where constellations were clear and the Milky Way stretched across the entire sky.

Before we began our drive home, John was presented of a memento of the trip, a beautiful wooden cutting board signed by all of us. On the drive home, we did an unplanned side trip up the Zyzzyx Road to visit the former site of a spa and retreat center popular for in the 60’s and 70’s. The site is now a Desert Research Center run by CSU Fullerton. We were home in Pasadena by about 4:00 pm, tired and happy to have done the latest Village excursion. We all agreed that another trip was in order and our intrepid leader John Johnson said he was game. We are fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and willing Villager to keep these adventures coming.