Day 219 - Tue 3 Mar 2020 - Trona Pinnacles

We learn that these tufa pinnacles are primarily made of calcium carbonate and were formed underwater in 3 separate ice ages between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago. The tallest ones measuring more than 40 meters tall.

We're setting course to Sequoia National Park. On the way Martijn get another aircraft fix as we pass the entrance to Secretive China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station. There are 2 classics, the rare F4D Skyray with it's delta wing, and the legendary F-4 Phantom which saw a lot of service during the Vietnam war.

We take the scenic route past Lake Isabella, which turns out to be less scenic than expected. No trees, barren land again. As we get to the western side of the mountains we are finally amongst trees again. Then we descend into 'Central Valley', which is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, providing more than half of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States. We see lots of different types of fruit orchards.

Today: 342km - 7h29m

Total: 26,581km - 518h58m

Day 218 - Mon 2 Mar 2020 - Death Valley part two

It is still a bit windy today, but we have to work our way to San Francisco for our next pet sit by the end of the week. We head back through Death Valley to do a few more sites and walks. Once we're in the park we drop the trailer at a car park and make our way up a steep and windy road to Dante's Peak. At 1669 meters high it provides a commanding view over Death Valley and on to the Panamint Range in the distance.

We also see an enormous volcanic crater, nearly 800 m wide and 200 m deep.

The park is huge so it's another day with lots of kilometers. We find a spot for the night just outside the park near the Trona Pinnacles so we can explore those first thing tomorrow.

Today: 443km - 6h45m

Total: 26,239km - 511h29m

Day 217 - Sun 1 Mar 2020 - China Ranch Date Farm

That storm from yesterday is here to stay. It also brought in a whole bunch of clouds. It's been a long time since we have seen the sky so cloudy.

We decide it would be better not to drive with the trailer today. Instead we pay a visit to the nearby China Ranch Date Farm. We're skeptical about seeing a date farm in the desert... As we get close, the road suddenly descents into a small canyon oasis. A Chinese worker started the farm after the Borax factory in Death Valley closed. The date palm is the oldest known cultivated tree crop, going back 8,000 years!

There is a lovely walk behind the farm going through the Amargosa river valley. It's interesting to see the abrupt change of scenery around the river where plant life is so abundant. We also see remnants of old and long forgotten railways, cars and dwellings. Janine finds some fool's gold. The clouds turn darker and we get about 10 drops of rain, but that's it.

We have to cross the river (which is currently only a small stream) to get to a slot canyon. We climb into the narrow canyon until we get to a dead end. Martijn uses his long legs to get past and makes is all the way to the real end to submerge out of the canyon.

About 2 hours later we are back at the farm and treat ourselves to a date shake. Yummie!

Today: 24km - 1h6m

Total: 25,796km - 504h44m

Day 216 - Sat 29 Feb 2020 - Hot Springs

We need some relaxing after all that excitement so we head to a natural hot spring. At the campground they have a hot water pool fed straight from the spring. In fact, there is so much water coming out of the spring, that it also provides enough hot water for all the taps and toilets as well!

We get chatting with some of the other campers. One of them is from BC and he promptly invites us over to his mountain retreat when we get to BC. Another couple is from California and they give us loads of tips on which way to drive up and they give us a ton of maps. The kids find some more dogs to pet.

In the evening a storm rolls in that rocks the trailer all night. Feels like we're back in Newfoundland.

Today: 115km - 2h

Total: 25,772km - 503h38m

Day 215 - Fri 28 Feb 2020 - Viva Las Vegas

We dive headlong into the madness that is Las Vegas. Many Casinos have free shows on throughout the day and/or built copies of famous landmarks. We get to see mermaids petting manta rays, walk over the Rialto bridge and under the Eiffel Tower, see a pyramid, watch greek gods battle it out and an erupting volcano, walk through botanical gardens... and of course rows and rows of slot machines, poker tables, roulette tables, etc.

As the day turns into night, the crowd is getting rowdier so we make a quick escape.

Today: 124km - 3h13m

Total: 25,657km - 501h38m

Day 214 - Thu 27 Feb 2020 - Nevada

Brrr, that was an unexpected cold night. After a hot cuppa we head into Nevada and find a beautiful spot on public land in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.

There are many off-road vehicle trails here and after lunch we go and explore the area. We spot some more Joshua Trees and lots of gun shells. Must be a popular hunting area as well.

We get up pretty high and we can see our trailer in the distance.

On the way back we bump into some other campers and have a lovely chat with them while Niels and Lucy play with their dogs.

At night, we can see the glow of Las Vegas in the distance beyond the mountains.

Today: 100km - 2h8m

Total: 25,533km - 498h25m

Day 213 - Wed 26 Feb 2020 - Seeing more of Death Valley

Happy Birthday Janine!!

First stop today is an abandoned Borax factory. For a brief period (1882-1888) the plant ran to refine Borax found on the nearby salt flats as it was cost prohibitive to send the raw product. Borax will not crystallize above a certain temperature, so they could not run the factory during the summers. The famous '20 mule teams' would transport the heavy carts with the produce out of the valley. More than 10% of their cargo was drinking water for their journey!

At the Visitor Center we learn that Death Valley is so dry because the air coming from the Pacific has to go over three mountain ranges to get here. Each mountain range squeezes more and more moisture out of the air resulting in an average annual rainfall of less that 5 cm.

Regular summer temperature here is 49C with night cooling down to about 35C. Death Valley holds the world record for hottest air temperature of 57C!! Fortunately, today it is a pleasant 25C.

Despite all this, Death Valley is teaming with life thanks to the springs and snow covered mountains. The name was given by latecomers to the 1849 gold rush. To get around the snow covered Sierra Nevada, a party veered south and stumbled into the desert. They lost animals, wagons and each other and sometimes their lives. As the survivors were led out of the valley by rescuers, one of them turned back and said:”Goodbye, Death Valley.” The Native Americans however had already long before figured out how to live there and they call it Timbisha after the red pigment found in the rocks.

Next stop is the lowest point in the USA. Badwater basin is 85.5 meters below sea level. It's a mostly dry lake bed of salt crystals.

Early explorers couldn't get their mules to drink from this water and hence marked it on the map as 'Bad Water'. The name stuck. The water is not poisonous, just salty and is home to aquatic plants and insects and a unique species of snail.

High up on the surrounding cliff Martijn spots the sign for where sea level is.

Next up is Devil's Golf Course. Only the devil would play golf here. Crystallized salt formations create a forbidding landscape.

After that, more inspiring views over 'Artists Palette'. The name says it all really. The colors are created by different minerals and metals in the rocks.

We do some more sightseeing and leave the park after dark. Since we are so close now, we decide to make a move for Las Vegas.

Today: 191km - 4h19m

Total: 25,433km - 496h17m