Hottest, Driest, Lowest

Greetings from Death Valley National Park!  After a quick visit to Houston and some horseback riding with friends in Nevada, I rolled into the park on the 20^th.  I found the visitor center where a welcome packet was waiting for me, along with directions and keys to my new house.  I found the house, which is a dorm, and unloaded and unpacked in some pretty surprising heat.  The last two weeks I've been in  training.

I do not have internet at the dorms, nor do I have cell service.  A storm took out the my provider's tower a couple weeks ago.  Not having service in Nevada the past two summers, I'm ok with that.  internet, and not getting it, this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me.  Internet is mostly how I keep up with friends and the only way I apply for jobs.

The past two weeks I've been in training.  Up and back to the Castle on the commuter van makes for long days.  We've been able to get out and explore and have had some trips to old mining sights and hikes through canyons.  A group of us are going camping tonight, then hiking the highest peak in the park tomorrow.  I'll try to stay as current as possible with my posts, updates, and pictures.

 

Here's a quick glance at the last two weeks. Enjoy! You'll notice no pictures of Scotty's Castle, where I'll be working. I've decided to dedicate an entire post to the Castle some point soon.

 

 Welcome to the park!

Yup, I work for this company!

Lowest: 282 feet below sea level.  There is a sign on the mountains behind me that tells you where sea level is.

 Salt!

Some of the folks I'll be working with at the Castle this winter: Me, Walter, Eric, Alex, Lacey, Keegan, Jeanette, and Paul (seated).

 

Wandering around one of many abandoned mine sites in the park.  The park is 3.5 million acres.  That's a lot of places to explore.

Messing around with the winch that was used to send buckets of gold down, and empty buckets back up the mountain.  Don't worry, we had to hike it up and it was intense.  No trees, no shade, no cover, and steep. 

 Chris demonstrating his balance and yoga skills.

 Chris, Carrie, and I: more goofing off.

Starting our hike up the canyon.

 Layers.  If you're a geologist, this is definitely a place to explore.

 More views of the canyon.

Quick trip up to Natural Bridge.