The Harmony Borax Works in Death Valley

One of the fiercest deserts on Earth is only about five hours northeast of where I live. I am referring to Death Valley. It’s not actually a valley despite its name: It’s actually a graben, referring to a piece of the Earth’s crust that is shifted downward in comparison to adjacent pieces of crust which have shifted upwards.

Dry and desolate though it may be, it is also strangely beautiful. But only if you visit it at the right time of year, namely winter. If you visit in summer, the temperatures push upwards of 120-130° Fahrenheit (49-55° Celsius).

Martine and I visited in 2008, when these pictures were taken. We stayed at the motel at Stovepipe Wells in January 2008. The rooms were excellent, but the food in the restaurant was pretty dreadful. Who ever thought of dumping old gravy into the soup?

Ubehebe Crater

I would love to go back to Death Valley sometime, perhaps this time staying at Furnace Creek rather than Stovepipe Wells.

We could also visit Lone Pine, one of my favorite towns along U.S. 395, where there is a museum of film westerns and some surprisingly good places to eat.