Best View in the Park

I had another great day of adventuring.  My hiking buddy Isabelle and I headed west this time.  Our first stop was Stovepipe Wells for breakfast and then we drove to Emigrant Canyon to look at more of the many holes in Death Valley.  It had been over a year since I'd been on that road and I had forgotten how beautiful it is.

Our first stop was the Skidoo mine.  The original name was 23-Skidoo which is slang for 'leave' or 'get out of here'.  (I think I need to incorporate that into my house tour.)  However, the 23 was dropped because the post office wasn't going to allow it for the mailing address.  Skidoo was a very successful gold mine.  

Awesome remains of the mill.

More of the mill remains.

On the way back to pavement, we ran into some other holes in the ground we needed to check out.

Evidence we weren't the only ones to travel the backcountry roads.

Pete Aguereberry, who mined diligently but not terribly successfully in Death Valley, said this was the best view of the valley.  I agree.  It was awesome.  Cold, but awesome.

I love this view of the valley.  You can almost see geology at work.  You get a tiny glimpse of some of the colors to be found out here.  You can also see where sediment has started to absorb the mountains and hills that are down slope of the Panamint's ridgeline.

Investigating another hole.

We haven't had a spectacular wildflower bloom this year.  It's been pretty dismal.  But, there were some very vibrant Indian paintbrush blooming up by the Cashier Mill.  Stunning against the cream rocks and blue sky.

It was a great day.  It's always fun to get out and explore a new place and Isabelle is a dear friend and great company.  We ended the day back at Stovepipe Wells for soft-serve ice cream.

This is kind of unrelated but I had to post it.  We are in the thick of spring break in the park.  It has been busy and crazy and wonderful.  However, it means gas prices in the park are going to go up.  If you find yourself wincing as you drive by gas stations in your area, I thought this might make you fell a bit better.

Interviews for summer have started and there might be something in the works...stay tuned for where my next adventure will take me.