Thursday 7 November 2024 - Another early morning drive along the Death Valley floor to Artists Palette.
A stop where the volcanic rocks, which are rich in iron oxides and chlorite, create a rainbow effect.
The colors are amazing.
One ridge of colored rock after another marching up the mountainside.
Stream bed running out of the colorful rocks.
Another great breakfast at the Oasis hotel and then back to our hotel.
This afternoon we headed out to the Badwater Basin of Death Valley. It is the bottom of a huge lake
which has no outflow. As there is no outlet for the lake, it collects salt.
It is also the lowest point in North America at -282 below sea level.
The patterns of salt form as the water below the surface pushes up through cracks and deposits more
salt as it evaporates.
Over time the pattern in the salt grows larger and larger.
Setting sun on the nearby mountains. At the foot of those mountains are our trucks - so a long way.
The patterns and textures were remarkable.
While I walked, I could feel the salt crunching under my feet. I felt bad as I was crushing
formations which took many days, weeks, months, years to build.