Family Travel Zion National Park and Death Valley National Park Most pictures link to larger images. Use your browser back button to return to this page from the pictures.

Our plane from Wilmington to Las Vegas was scheduled for 6AM Easter Sunday.  I do not like getting up a 2AM so we spent Saturday night at the Jameson Inn in Wilmington.  We made 3 trips across the street to Target to buy things we forgot.  The flight, connection in Atlanta, and 10AM PDST arrival in Las Vegas was easy.  We knew we were in Las Vegas because the airport was full of slot machines.  After some confusion picking up the rental car we were northbound on I-15 heading out of Nevada.  (you didn't really expect me to discuss Las Vegas did you?)  We had a new white Chevy with about 1K miles on it.  We were excited to be back in the desert and even though it was well past 2PM (body time) we did not stop for lunch.  Only when we were surrounded by mile upon mile of scrub brush and cacti did we realize we were hungry.   We stopped in a casino town on the Nevada Arizona border for sandwiches and some very expensive gas.  We were not in Arizona long and soon entered the land of weird rocks and cold saltwater, the state of Utah.  We headed east on Utah 9 and arrived at the Zion National Park Lodge about 3PM MDST.  We had spent about 4 hours in Zion National Park in June 2002 and wished to return when possible.  Zion is truly an awesome place.  April through October private cars are not allowed in the Zion Canyon.  Only guests at the lodge can bring cars into the canyon, then only straight to the lodge where they must be parked in favor of the shuttle system.  We parked Chevy for 2 days.  It is a great system.  We came to hike and our first hike was to the Lower Emerald Pools.

Monday started off cool and partly cloudy.  We caught the Zion shuttle up the canyon to the Temple of Sinawava and hiked up the Virgin river trail until the canyon narrowed and we were in the river.  The water was cold so we caught the shuttle down to the Grotto trail.  After lunch we hiked from the lodge back to the Grotto, crossed the Virgin River and started on the West Rim Trail.  We really did not know what to expect on this trail.  It was heading up into the canyon cliffs at a rather steep rate.  Soon we were doing switchback after switchback and Graham kind of wanted to head back down.  But I had spotted what seemed like a ledge cut into a cliff far above us.  I could see people passing through that ledge on the cliff.  I had to see what was up there.  The West Rim Trail was the highlight of the day for me.  Jeannie and I went all the way up, through refrigerator canyon, up Walter's Wiggles to the start of the Angle's Landing Trail.  We did not take the last half mile up Angle's Landing where hikers had to balance clinging to a single chain to get up the razor ridge.  We were all tired, some got too much sun, but it had been a good day.  The view from the top is always worth the climb; all were rewarded with ice cream back at the lodge.

Tuesday morning was rainy and cold. Jeannie had 2 cups of coffee.  We started the day at the Zion Museum and Visitor Center waiting for the weather to clear.  Graham said it might snow and the adults had a good laugh about that.  We drove up the Zion-Mount Carmel highway and tunnel.  This was the quintessential switchback mountain road that finishes with a mile long tunnel built in the late 20s.  The trail head for the Canyon Overlook Trail was just on the other side of the tunnel.  The trail was interesting and the view was without compare.  As it begin to rain again we all wished for a warm clear day.  After driving around the east side of the park we decided to go into Springdale in search of warmth and lunch.  It was so cold I even passed on ice cream.  After lunch we returned to the Visitors Center to hike the Watchman Trail.  By now it was snowing and getting colder.  After some negotiations among the troops we decided to abandon the trail and ride the Zion shuttle back through the Zion Canyon.  The further back into the canyon we went the harder it snowed.  We really could not see the cliffs and mountains.  Graham said if it kept snowing it would start sticking to the ground and again the adults had a good laugh about that.  As we returned to the lodge the snow stopped and we were treated to a water fall in the cliffs above the lodge.  The waterfalls only appear in the rare times it rains.  The day was a little of a disappointment, but into every vacation a little rain must fall. 

Wednesday morning the ground was covered with snow and again the adults had a good laugh about that!  There were several inches on Chevy.  The park rangers were in disbelief at this late April weather and snow in the desert.  This was travel day so we cleared the snow from Chevy and checked out of the lodge.  The desk clerk said last year in late April the weather was hot with highs in the 90s.  We retraced our route out of Utah and back to Las Vegas where we promptly got lost looking for Nevada 95 North.  However, the time wandering around on the small city streets gave us a chance to better appreciate Las Vegas.  We did not see Elvis, but we saw everything else.  We stopped for lunch, stopped for ice cream, stopped for more cash and eventually found Nevada 95 North.  We were soon back in the desert passing through one military reservation after another.  We even passed the Nevada test site where the government used to test atomic bombs.  We passed Yucca Mountain where DOE wants to store nuclear waste.  We were far from civilization now, and getting further out as we were headed for Death Valley National Park.  I did not know what to expect at Death Valley and so was surprised at the contrast of the expansive salt flats surrounded by tall mountains.  We were surprised to see wildflowers in Death Valley.  We learned that it has just rained, and that coupled with the unusually cool weather, wild flowers were common for the first time since the late 90's.  We were told we were lucky to see the wildflowers of the desert.  We tried to take pictures of the wildflowers.  However, the wind kept the flowers moving just enough to cause the cameras to focus on the background.  After we checked in at the Furnace Creek Ranch we piled back into Chevy and started up 5,475' tall Dante's View on the east side of the valley.  It was cold up there and the late afternoon view was to the west and into the sun.  We decided to return the next morning when the sun would be in the right place for pictures.  We drove down the salt flats on the valley floor and toward Badwater.  Badwater is the lowest elevation in the US at 282' below sea level.  Along CA178 south toward Badwater we detoured through Artists Drive and stopped at Artists Palette.  These mountain passes are on the east side of the valley.  They were washed with the setting sun which made this an ideal time for this drive.  We also stopped at Devils Golf Course.  Graham said it was way cool and Jeannie stepped in the only mud in all Death Valley.  This is an area on the valley floor of lumpy salt crystals.  It was just too weird.  I really would not want to be here in the summer.  We then drove on to Badwater.  It was getting dark; so after a quick look at Badwater we returned to the Furnace Creek Ranch.  What had been planned as just a travel day had become quite an interesting transition from the snow of Zion Canyon to the salt flats of Death Valley.

Thursday morning we headed north on CA190 to CA267 and on to the end of paved road in the northern end of Death Valley.  We ended up at Ubehebe crater.  It was smaller than we expected.  (After seeing Kilauea at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park,  Ubehebe was nothing.)  We wanted to go all the way to the Racetrack Playa for moving rocks but that required a high clearance 4WD vehicle, which we did not have.  The park ranger had told us not to even think about driving to the Racetrack Playa in Chevy.   I would have liked to drive the Titus Canyon road too, but it also required a 4WD.  We stopped at Scottie's Castle so we could visit a gift shop before lunch.  We also saw some excellent examples of alluvial fans.  Graham had studied alluvial fans in school, however, we had to look up alluvial to satisfy the adults curiosity.  By now we were getting hungry and set off in search of a picnic table with shade.  We drove back south on CA267 and west on CA190, through the Devils Cornfield and past the sand dunes to Stovepipe Wells.  Stovepipe has gas and the only lodging in Death Valley other than Furnace Creek.  Furnace Creek is a natural oasis with much green vegetation.  It has supported humans since they first arrived in the valley, and it is where most people stay in Death Valley.  In contrast, Stovepipe seems to be in the middle of the desert on the edge of the vast dune field.  The buildings are fewer in number and seemed newer that at Furnace Creek.  If we ever come back I would like to stay here.  During lunch I spun a huge yarn about Stovepipe Wells being famous for ice cream.  I reminisced about all the 49ers stopping at Stovepipe Wells for ice cream.  It was not hard to interest the troops in ice cream.  But, we could not find ice cream.  We just bought some expensive gas and continued west on CA190 to the Emigrant Canyon Road turnoff.  

Emigrant Canyon Road ascends the mountains on the west side of the valley.  As we drove up this huge wash into the mountains, I was not expecting much.  As usual, I was soon proven wrong as this drive would yield many interesting sights.  The first dirt road back to the east (toward the valley) was the dirt road to the ghost town of Skidoo.  I could not resist a few miles of washboard dirt road to someplace named Skidoo.  It was 9 miles to Skidoo.  After 5 miles of the full washboard treatment I found sufficient willpower to resist my desire to see Skidoo.  All consented to a 180 degree bat-turn and we returned to Emigrant Canyon Road.  I had not informed the family of the odometer readings during out attempt to shake Chevy apart.  When we reached Emigrant Canyon Road I asked how far we had traveled since we turned around.  Jeannie, always willing showoff her comprehension of distances, said it has been 20 miles. (lucky me)  Graham said it had been 5.2 miles.  I will leave it at that.  We continued on Emigrant Canyon Road south through the Harrisburg Flats to the next washboard dirt road to the left.  By then I had lost my willpower and wanted to see Aguereberry Point (6,433').  The family protested to the 7 mile washboard dirt road to Aguereberry Point.  Logic did not prevail.  We passed Eureka Mine and drove through a very narrow canyon wash as we rattled up the mountain side looking for a view of Death Valley from the west.  If we could just reach the summit the afternoon sun would be behind us for the perfect Death Valley picture.  The further we went the smoother the road became.  I guess most Chevys don't make it this far.  But we had 2 cell phones that were out of service range and no fear, so we persisted to the top.  When we reached the summit Graham said "I knew we would make it", and Jeannie said "this was worth the drive but Death Valley was smaller than she expected".  We took lots of pictures.  Our spirits were high and our courage to subject Chevy to extreme vibrations knew no limits as returned the 7 miles to Emigrant Canyon Road.  Jeannie wanted to continue on to Wildrose and the Charcoal Kilns.  The mountains were pretty and the road filled with switchbacks.  We went further and further into Wildrose Canyon until I felt the road was just too rough.  (I now think we were almost to the Charcoal Kilns and wish we had continued).  It was getting late, and I wanted to get back to the sand dune field in the valley before sunset.  We returned to Stovepipe Wells the way we had come. (the only way we could return)  

I expected much of the Death Valley sand dunes, and I was not disappointed.  It looked like the kind of place where Lawrence of Arabia could come charging over the next dune with his army of camels.  I kept trudging through the dunes toward a tall dune off at some distance.  Jeannie and Graham kept asking if I was ready to turn back.  I said I wanted to go a little further.  They would say they would wait in the shade of a dune, then they would follow me a little more.  I guess since I had the keys to Chevy they did not want to lose me.  The sun was now setting and the shadows on the dunes were quite dynamic.  We saw snake and lizard tracks in the sand.  I followed one lizard until I found him.  He was happy to have his picture taken.  Finally, we all struggled up one extremely tall dune and used all the film and memory our cameras had.  There was no more talk of returning to the car.  We were all enchanted with the dunes.  Finally we grew tired and reluctantly turned back toward Chevy.  From the top of that tall dune we could see Chevy in the distance, and I do mean distance.  We had come farther then I had thought.  It was a long walk (with sand filled shoes) back to Chevy.   As we drove back to the Furnace Creek oasis, all agreed it had been a good day.  We also agreed we did not want to come to Death Valley in the summer.

Friday in some ways marked the end of our vacation as it was a travel day back to Las Vegas and back to civilization.  We first returned to Dante’s view, so we could get the pictures of the valley with the morning sun at our backs. Then we returned to Furnace Creek for more expensive gas.  Jeannie said she wanted to see Salt Creek, Graham wanted to drive through Mustard Canyon, and I wanted to drive through the Harmony Borax Works, so we did.  We had a picnic lunch by the spring at the Furnace Creek oasis before heading out of the park on CA190 to Death Valley Junction, Lathrop Wells and on to Las Vegas.  Now Las Vegas is civilization but it is not reality.  As if to emphasize that point we would be staying at The Venetian.  Now this is where they have created the grand canal of Venice indoors, complete with the gondolas.  This time in Las Vegas we did see Elvis.  They also have good pizza and ice cream.

Saturday Jeannie went to her meeting at The Venetian, that was the reason we went to Las Vegas, and Graham and I went to Hoover Dam.  After the security screening at the visitors center we asked the lady at the desk where the dam tour was.  She said we were in the right place for the dam tour and the dam movie would start in a few minutes.  I asked her if she ever got tired of the dam jokes?  She said she grew up in Bolder City and never got tired of the dam jokes.  We had a dam good time too.  That evening we had more pizza and ice cream before our wild night in the casino.  Jeannie had spotted the "I Dream of Jeannie" slot machine.  She feed the one-arm bandit 2 dollars.  Graham seemed to have a good handle on this gambling deal, he suggested we just give the $2 to him.  That was it for the casino.

Sunday morning we got up at 3:30AM, because our plane was leaving at 6:10AM.  This did give us a chance to see the Las Vegas strip at 4:30AM to confirm that this city never sleeps.  At the airport there were still people playing the slots as they waited for their flights.  I gave Graham his allowance and he resisted the slots.

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