We left Joshua Tree and drove through dessert-y nothing-ness for 5 hours (with a stop of B's choosing at the Mad Greek for a fresh strawberry shake) and eventually arrived at huge, majestic nothing-ness, aka Death Valley. This National Park is truly otherworldly: huge mountains tower behind gigantic sand dunes, way-below-sea-level-salt flats and boulders, while deep gorges filter the sunlight and play with shadows, and pastel rocks dot the horizon.
Every day we drove for miles and hiked many miles too. If you just walk a few extra steps, you can escape the other people and coaches. And if you can cope with the bizarre hotel options (think of it as inspiration for your first novel), a trip to Death Valley will be mind-blowing, awe-inspiring, and overwhelming (in a good way). In three days we visited the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Zabriskie Point, Golden Canyon, Titus Canyon, Artists Palette, Badwater Basin, and Devil's Golf Course. So, with that said, here's a glimpse of all those spots (I'm not sorry for the somewhat excessive number of shots of sand and salt!).
