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.

Each day offers something completely different in this amazing park.

This is our home for two nights- Furnace Creek Campground... the perfect spot for being in the middle of it all.
Zabriskie Point, for a brief explore, was our first stop today.


We then drove through another interesting canyon, one of diverse views and some scary turns. We loved it all.


Our afternoon was spent at Dante's View, a spectacular area almost 6,000 feet about the valley floor (and 25° colder). We were here for The View to Another World as part of the Dark Sky Festival.
Visiting this site was a first for us as it's pretty much a 26 mile detour. But sometimes detours are so worth it and this certainly was... breathtaking.



Our host was Bruce Banerdt, Principal Investigator for the InSight Mission to Mars (Jet Propulsion Laboratory).  Looking out over Death Valley, this talk surveyed landscapes of extreme environments, along with Bruce's first-hand account of work going on today in the harsh environment of Mars. So dang cool.

A first for us was to explore the Inn at Furnace Creek. We began at the ruins of the Inn's historic old laundry building.



The Inn opened in 1927. Its motto,  “Would You Enjoy a Trip to Hell?...You Might Enjoy a Trip to Death Valley, Now! It has all the advantages of hell without the inconveniences.” It truly is an Oasis.

We ended our day at the Dark Sky Festival Evening Program called Exploring the Habitability of Ancient Mars with the Curiosity Rover.
Presented by Paul Mahaffy, Director of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, we spent the evening learn more than I possibly could about this amazing project. It was a very cool way to end day #2.

We love visiting the largest National Park outside of Alaska. Its rich history, diverse terrain and constant opportunity for fun exploring makes Death Valley one of our favorite escapes.

Almost instantly, we were greeted by wildflowers. Not a super bloom but super beautiful, none-the-less.



Since we entered the Park on a different road than in year's past, we had the chance to discover new things, including the Ashford Mill Ruins.
In January 1907, a man named Harold Ashford wandered into the Death Valley region and attracted by the gold strikes nearby. Harold and his brothers, Henry and Lewis, worked the mine off and on between 1910 and 1914, without good results. In November 1914, they leased the mine to B. W. McCausland and his son, Ross.
No one made their fortune here though the ruins of Ashford Mill remain and consist of the crumbling walls of a concrete office building, and the ruins of the mill itself. Not much is left of the mill, with the exception of the large concrete foundations and a very limited amount of debris. The ruins of the mill foundation and the office building are rather interesting, and according to local legend, are due to the fact that a double load of cement was shipped to the McCauslands when construction was in progress. Rather than send it back, which would have entailed further transportation expenses, the extra cement was used in the construction of the mill and office building, which largely accounts for their still standing today. Yes, history is everywhere!

We can never drive by Badwater and not pause for an explore. Where else can one linger at 282 feet below sea level? Answer: No where else!

Steve is pointing to a cliff with a sign indicating just where sea level is, from the desert floor. So cool.

Another must is a cruise through Artist's Drive. The green, blue and mauve colors at Artist's Palette are a result of weathering of volcanic rock and ash. This amazing path is a one-lane 9-mile scenic loop road and is one of the park’s most popular attractions.




Lunch was delicious Indian Tacos prepared by the Timbisha Tribe. Wow.


Part of why we are here this weekend is for the Dark Sky Festival. "Explore the park’s unique landscape and dark night skies that help us better understand the wonders beyond our world. This event is a collaboration between the park, Death Valley Natural History Association, NASA, and many other organizations." Tonight's Keynote speaker presented to a standing room only crowd. So very interesting.
"Join Michelle Thaller, Assistant Director for Science Communications at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, on an interplanetary park tour! We gather tonight in one of the most unique places on our planet: Death Valley National Park.  What we learn here about the forces of geology and the tenacity of life changes how we view the rest of our solar system.  What places beyond earth might be someday designated as “Interplanetary Parks?” Moons of Saturn have deserts made of organic dust, methane seas, and liquid water geysers hundreds of miles high.  What about the strange, disconnected mountains floating on the nitrogen glaciers of Pluto? Looking farther out, we find wonders like a nearby star that has seven earth-sized planets tucked in to an area much smaller than the orbit of Mercury.  Some places are more wondrous than any fiction, and it’s time to explore."

What a great day #1 in Death Valley.