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Tag: Zabriskie Point

20 March 2017

Death Valley – a geologic wonder

  March 8-9, 2017

Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park CaliforniaSecond day at Death Valley started early—for me—to catch morning light, not sunrise, on the Mesquite Flat sand dunes.  The real photographers were already parked in a good location on the shoulder.

Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park California

Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park CaliforniaI actually set up the tripod and tried the longer 300mm lens for a little more zoom.  Plus used the smaller Nikon for presumably even more zoom.  People were already out on the dunes, which puts these 100 foot sand piles in perspective.

 

 

 

Gaelyn's shadow Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes Death Valley National Park CaliforniaMesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park California

I took a short walk into the dunes not wishing to hike one mile to the tallest and climb the slippery slopes, especially with a camera.  The wind patterns in the sand are fascinating enough.  This dune field includes crescent, linear, and star shaped dunes.  Quite the pallet for Mom nature’s wind.

Loggerhead shrike Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park CaliforniaThe trilling song of a Loggerhead shrike, lifer for me, caught my attention and surprisingly sat still long enough for a few photos before taking off in its undulating flight.

 

 

 

 

 

Ranger Mike Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park CaliforniaGreat t-shirt saying Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park California

Ranger Mike                                                                       Couldn’t resist

While waiting for the 10am Ranger walk I hung around in the parking lot when I discovered a strong signal.  No surprise that I love Ranger programs when I get to learn something about the environment I’m visiting.

Beetle tracks Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park CaliforniaAfter dark is the best time to spot wildlife in the park.  However, the hardcore survivors at Death Valley leave evidence that tell a story.  So we went for a short walk on the dunes looking for clues.  The Death Valley beetle is a species of concern because it is only known to occur in the drainage basin of the Amargosa River in the southwestern United States.  Also known as a scarab beetle, it scurries across the sand trying to avoid being eaten and thus the stink.

Kangaroo rat & lizard tracks Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park CaliforniaLizard tracks & burrow Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park California

Other than human, lizard tracks are the most commonly seen and other than size are difficult to know which of the many species live here.  If out during the day they will often flatten themselves out on the sand leaving a body print along their trail.  Otherwise, like many animals surviving in the heat, they dig burrows.  Kangaroo rats also dig burrows and can survive their entire lives drinking no water.  Instead they get all their moisture from the vegetation eaten and seeds that gather moisture when left in their underground pantry.     [*Whose tracks are these?]

Canine tracks sand patterns Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park CaliforniaCanine tracks could be a sign of coyote, kit fox, or an illegal dog.  This walk sure was a fun way to learn about life in the dunes.

Mesquite Flat sand dunes Death Valley National Park CaliforniaSo why dunes here and not everywhere?  There are actually five dune fields in Death Valley including Eureka, Saline Valley, Panamint, Ibex, and Mesquite Flat which sprawls 14 miles across the widest part of Death Valley.  For dunes to exist there must be a source of sand, prevailing winds to move the sand, and a place for the sand to collect. The eroded canyons and washes provide plenty of sand, the wind seems to always blow (especially in the springtime), but there are only a few areas in the park where the sand is “trapped” by geographic features such as mountains.

Mosaic Canyon Death Valley National Park California

Mosaic Canyon Death Valley National Park California

map Mosaic Canyon trail Death Valley National Park CaliforniaRaven Mosaic Canyon trailhead Death Valley National Park CaliforniaOnly a few miles down the road from the dunes and just past the developed Stovepipe Wells (store, lodge, gravel parking lot camping, and expensive fuel) I drove the bumpy but doable 2.3 miles uphill to walk in Mosaic Canyon.  The entire 4 m round trip trail starts out wide in a rocky wash, gets narrow, and then opens again.       [Raven welcomes visitors at trailhead, not cropped]

Mosaic Canyon Death Valley National Park California

Mosaic Canyon Death Valley National Park CaliforniaAdventurous hikers can crawl between the boulder jam about 1.3 miles into the canyon, bypass a 20 foot slanted dryfall, and continue to a third set of narrows to a 25 foot vertical dryfall where the trail ends.

Marble graphite Mosaic Canyon Death Valley National Park California

 

Marble walls Mosaic Canyon Death Valley National Park CaliforniaI only went a bit past the first narrows—not much further than the last time hiked—because it’s the shinny, water polished marble (metamorphosed limestone) contrasting with breccia (sediments with upstream rocks cemented together) that fascinates me.        [Note the dark graphite where I poured water on the marble]

spiderweb Mosaic Canyon Death Valley National Park California

Mosaic Canyon Death Valley National Park California

Timbisha Shoshone Village signs Death Valley National Park CaliforniaAfter my meander I was hungry and feeling too lazy to make lunch so decided to check out the Indian Tacos sold on the reservation village near Furnace Creek.  The Timbisha Shoshone Tribe were formerly known as the Panamint Shoshone Indians of Death Valley and were best known for their fine basket making skills.  Over a thousand years ago they would move from the valley floor into the mountains during the summer months, ten return for the winter.  The Timbisha Indian Village was created in 1936 yet it wasn’t until Death Valley National Monument was expanded in 1994 and became a national park that the tribe asked for a reservation that was signed into law in 2001 covering 7000 acres of land both in and out of the park.  The Tribe consists of close to 300 members, 20 of whom reside in the Village.  I sat at a large table enjoying my taco with a couple from Idaho chatting about the park and what’s going on in the world.

Badlands Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park California

Badlands Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park CaliforniaThen I visited Zabriskie Point for the afternoon and that turned into sunset.   The late afternoon light and shadows superbly set off the badland formations.

Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park California

Badlands Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park CaliforniaThe light color rock is the Furnace Creek formation made up of nine million year old lake sediments, gravel from nearby mountains, and ashfalls from the then active Black Mountain volcanic field.  The dark-colored material capping the badland ridges is lava from eruptions that occurred three to five million years ago.  And then there’s minerals to give everything color.

Badlands Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park California

Badlands Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park California

Badlands Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park CaliforniaIt wasn’t easy to shoot towards the late afternoon sun, but I was focused more on the detail than the big view.

Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park California

sunset Death Valley National Park California Although sunset wasn’t quite as exciting as the night before at Badwater I was rewarded with a soft sunset on the way back to camp for my last night in Death Valley.

The next morning I dumped the camper tanks and was on the road by 11am with a quick stop for signal at the sand dunes before heading to Owens Valley and the Alabama Hills outside Lone Pine, California.

* Kangaroo rat upper left, and lizard

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California, Death Valley National Park, National Parks and Monuments, Places I've been, United States Mesquite Flat sand dunes, Mosaic Canyon, Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, Zabriskie Point 17 Comments
05 March 2016

Big views & badlands at Dante’s View & Zabriskie Point Death Valley

February 19, 2016

Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park CaliforniaOur third day visiting Death Valley for the Super Bloom included a drive up and down to Dante’s View & Zabriskie Point.  With so much diversity in the park we couldn’t limit ourselves to just flowers because the geologic story is ancient and mind-boggling.

Road to Dante's View Death Valley National Park CaliforniaThe 13-mile drive up to Dante’s View is challenging, two-lane paved, no shoulder, tight curves at the top, 5000 feet above the valley floor, and limited to vehicles no longer than 25 feet.  Just my kind of road.

Valley floor from Dante's View Death Valley National Park CaliforniaThe wind smacked us in the face as soon as we stepped out of the truck, a cold wind compared to the valley far below.  But oh so worth it, briefly, for the view.  I always love looking back at a place I’ve been or to a place I’m going.  Not only did Dante’s provide the biggest view of the valley but also 11049 foot (3368 m) Telescope Peak in the snowy Panamint Range to the west.

Badwater Basin from Dante's View Death Valley National Park CaliforniaDeath Valley sits between two gigantic mountain ranges today, Panamint to the west and Amargosa to the east.  Yet in the geologic past this area has been covered by oceans, lakes, beaches, rivers, lava, and ash leaving behind multiple layers of limestone and sandstone sediments.  The story began ~250mya (million years ago) when a shallow sea receded and movement of tectonic plates over the next 180my (million years) caused the earth’s crust to uplift, stretch, and fracture, forming fault lines.  Tilting and rotating of two blocks of land between faults created Badwater Basin and the mountain ranges on either side.  On top of these growing ranges volcanic ash and cinders were deposited over 60my and eventually revealed as the colors at Artists Palette.  Then about 3mya crustal movement changed and the valley began to form, slipping downward along the fault that lies at the base of the Black Mountains to the east.  At the same time, erosion from the mountains deposits rock in the valley.  I guess it all balances out right now but will change again.

Hawk soaring above Dante's View Death Valley National Park CaliforniaWatched a hawk soar on the hellish winds.  Just imagine its view.

Road to Dante's View Death Valley National Park CaliforniaThen back down the road we went.

Bill & Sasha Greenwater Valley Road Death Valley National Park CaliforniaMade a stop to take Sasha for a walk on the gravel Greenwater Valley Road.  One of few places in the park where dog walking is allowed.  Although the road was signed for high clearance 4×4 the part we walked looked doable by any vehicle and could be an interesting route to Shoshone.  Especially with the southeastern entrance into the park currently closed due to flood damage.  You can also boondock along this road one mile beyond the paved junction.  Something to consider if trying to escape summer heat in the valley.

Mine Dante's View Road Death Valley National Park CaliforniaThe lower section of the road to Dante’s View parallels the park boundary and evidence of mining is visible along the way.  What a rough country to work and live in.  Note the tipped and curved layers of rock in the distant mountains.

People Zabriskie Point trail Death Valley National Park CaliforniaNext stop Zabrisikie Point, 100 yards from the parking lot the paved trail funnels visitors to known features and overlooks.

Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park California

Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park CaliforniaPanorama shot with multiple sun-spots

The badlands, with trails wandering in all directions.  Erosion is one of the best tools for sculpting the earth, water, wind, and us.

 

Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park California

 

 

The almost other worldly landscape seen at Zabriskie Point is part of the Amargosa Range on the east side of Death Valley.  However, about 9-5mya lakes filled a long, mountain filled valley here.  Fine silt and volcanic ash washed into the lakes, settling to the bottom, and ultimately creating a thick deposit of clay, sandstone and siltstone called the Furnace Creek Formation.  Due to change in climate the lakes dried.  The primary source of borate minerals gathered from Death Valley is from this 5000 feet (1500 m) thick formation.

 

 

 

Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park CaliforniaThe dark-colored material capping the badland ridges is lava from eruptions that occurred 3-5mya.  The layers are constantly being tilted by seismic activity and pressure, uplifted and eroded.

Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park CaliforniaImagine what it looks like here during a gully washer.  The folds look like ripples of satin to me.

View West Zabriskie Point Death Valley National Park CaliforniaNo surprise this location was used in movie making.  One 1970 counterculture film named after the iconic overlook is not highly acclaimed yet the soundtrack features music by Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Jerry Garcia and more so can’t be all bad.

Furnace Creek Inn Death Valley National Park CaliforniaThe overlook was named after Christian Zabriskie, vice-president and general manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company in the early 1900s.  The company’s twenty-mule teams were used to transport borax from its mining operations in Death Valley until the 1920s when borax was in low demand.  So the company looked for other uses for their land and opened Furnace Creek Inn in 1927.  They then initiated  for protection of Death Valley which became a National Monument in 1933 and a National Park in 1994.

Hwy 190 Death Valley National Park CaliforniaFrom Zabriskie Point we drove past Furnace Creek Inn then north through the flowers to hike in Titus Canyon Narrows.

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California, Death Valley National Park, National Parks and Monuments Dante's View, Death Valley, Zabriskie Point 22 Comments

Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

I started exploring US National Parks in 1977 and 20 years later became a seasonal Park Ranger.  I’ve lived full-time in a RV for 30 years working summers and playing winters.  I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow old, other than grow up.

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