Our Dark Sky Festival event happened at 9 AM today. I didn't want to miss Mars-like Places on Earth: A Journey into the Ubehebe Crater. Our hostess was Rosalba Bonaccorsi, research scientist at SETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center.

I never miss a chance to hike into this crater and how cool to do it with a scientist who made me look at it all so differently.





Steve chose to do something different so while I was IN the crater, we walked the entire rim, looking down on me exploring. Fun stuff.
I appreciated the fortitude of this plein air painter, bracing her art against the intense wind.
Steve and I actually booked this weekend in Death Valley to go on a very special tour. On October 18, 2015, over a three hour period, almost 3 inches of rain fell on the Scotty's Castle area in Grapevine Canyon, causing a massive flash flood that dramatically changed the landscape. The road and utilities were destroyed, some buildings damaged, and access to this historic area was closed.

By purchasing these tickets, we were able to see first-hand how the power of water shaped the landscape of Death Valley. We spent two hours walking  the grounds of Scotty’s Castle with Ranger Giovanna and we learned about the damage sustained and the repairs in progress.


While we toured the Castle about 20 years ago, we were enthralled with the stories of this unique palace in the desert, the people who called it home, and the plans for reopening this unique historic district.



For those unfamiliar with this architectural gem, it is hidden in the green oasis of Grapevine Canyon in far northern Death Valley. Its real name is Death Valley Ranch, but it is more commonly known as Scotty's Castle.
It is a window into the life and times of the Roaring '20s and Depression '30s. It was, and is, an engineer's dream home, a wealthy matron's vacation home and a man-of-mystery's hideout and getaway.




Walter Scott, Death Valley Scotty, convinced everyone that he had built the castle with money from his rich secret mines in the area.  Truth was that Albert Mussey Johnson actually built the house as a vacation getaway for himself and his wife, Bessie. Scotty was the mystery, the cowboy, and the entertainer, but he was also a friend. Albert was the brains and the money. Two men as different as night and day, from different worlds and with different visions - who shared a dream.


We've seen the damage done and look forward to when all is back to its glory of the 1930s. The history is too wonderful not to restore and by taking this tour, we did a little part in helping the Castle return.

We ended our day here at this idyllic setting- The Ranch. It is where WIFI is in the Park. What a great last day here in Death Valley. Tomorrow, Joshua Tree.