Sunday
The original plan was to get up early and avoid the intense heat of the desert. Sadly that didn’t work, we overslept! Hopefully we’re not too late for breakfast. Just waking there makes us realize the heat is going to be a problem and it’s only 9am. The first attraction of the day is Mesquite Flat sand dunes. It’s on the way to Furnace creek, a 10 min drive. On these dunes, 30ish years ago, were shots the scenes of Star Wars IV when the droids land on Tatooine in the escape pod (shortly followed by storm troopers). We walk about for an hour. We wanted to go all the way to the bigger dune but it’s actually very difficult to correctly evaluate distance in a sand desert. Also we left with just one bottle of water for two and even though it’s 10am, the sun is unforgiving. We get back to the car and head to the 2nd stop of the day – Mosaic Canyon. To get there, the only way is a gravel road in bad conditions. We have to take it very slowly to avoid wrecking the car after just 1 day of road trip.
The beginning is very impressive. It’s a narrow canyon with marble walls sculpted by water. There is no water at this time of the year but when there’s, it’s sudden and violent. The different layers of rock are like natural paintings, one nature took a few millions years to create. We get deeper and deeper into the canyon for about an hour until it widens. On the way, we’ll also come across a dry waterfall sculpted from marble too… magnificent.
It’s noon and too hot for us to stay outside. We go back to our room with AC. There’s really nothing to be done outside until the heat diminishes a bit. Time for a nap and a lap in the pool. A few hours later, refreshed and rested, we head north to Ubehebe crater. It’s an hour away but we first stop at Salt Creek since it’s on the way. We’re in the heart of Death Valley but this little creek has water. Sure it’s salted water and it evaporates during the summer but it’s enough for a very tough species of fish (Salt Creek Pupfish). They had to adapt to these difficult conditions but found a way to reproduce and survive the drought every year. The only way to walk around in this creek is on a stilt walkway to avoid disturbing the fragile ecosystem. After having completed the mandatory lap around the creek, we get back on the road. The landscape around the crater is very different from the rest of the valley. It’s black soil everywhere on which only grows shrubs and nothing else. You feel like being on another planet altogether. The crater itself is very impressive, especially when understanding how it came to be. Once there was a pocket of water at the bottom of what was not yet the crater. Volcanism underneath heated that water to a point where the whole thing exploded, creating a crater 200m deep and 500m wide. The plain surrounding the crater is dotted by rocks more or less big. It gives an idea and the power of the explosion. We walk around the two craters for a bit enjoying a beautiful sunset with magical colors.