Wald's World On Wheels: Death Valley

Death Valley National Park was a fun experience, but visiting the park is mostly just the novelty of descending to an area that is 282 feet below see level and has the hottest recorded temperature on the planet of 134 degrees. While we were there it was about 105 degrees, which was hot! The heat and dry climate was so oppressive that we were thirsty all day long and needed to drink quite a bit of water throughout the day. In that type of climate the human body loses about 1 gallon of water a day. This was especially true while hiking a couple of the many trails that the park has to offer.

There is no vegetation in most of the park so shade was a rare and a welcome relief from the sun when we found it. Most shade was provided by the walls in the canyons we hiked.

The landscape in Death Valley looked like much of what we saw while driving across Arizona and New Mexico so there wasn't anything to distinct about this particular park relative to scenery.

After a long day in the heat we jumped in the truck, cranked up the A/C, and headed back to camp for the day in search of our next adventure!

At sea level, heading to Badwater Basin which is the lowest spot in America.

We didn't drink all of the water, some of it Tristan poured over his head.

The girls at the natural bridge rock formation.

Water/Shade break!

At Badwater Basin with the salt flats behind us. And yes, that is standing water in the background. The water has a high salt content and not fit for consumption which is where the area's namesake is derived.