Day Two: From Sunrise to Ghost Towns
Unfortunately, due to Tropical Storm Mario, which hit the area just ten days before our arrival, some of the park's main roads were still closed. That meant Badwater Basin, Artists Drive and Golden Canyon were off-limits since Badwater Road hadn't reopened yet. Luckily Dante's View was still accessible, so we decided to wake up early and catch the sunrise.
On an exceptionally clear day, you can see both Mount Whitney (14,505 feet) and Badwater Basin in the same frame--the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States.
It was incredibly windy up there, so we didn't stay long--which only confirmed that we'd made the right choice for our sunrise spot!
Closeup of the bottle wall
We also saw "Portone" by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, a striking steel sculpture made of nine frames forming a ladder-like gateway. It symbolizes renewal and transformation--a "doorway" between chaos and calm.
Funny enough, when we first saw it under the desert sun, we thought it was a frame for the pink Lego lady!
We waffled a bit between driving the extra 40 minutes to Dante's View or stopping at Zabriskie Point, where we knew we'd have a solid vantage point. I pushed for the sure thing--especially since our friendly cashier from last night had recommended it too. She was right, always trust the locals.
It started slowly, but as the light began to rise, we were thankful for the clouds streaking the sky. Clouds always make sunrises and sunsets more spectacular. These clouds had unusual "tails", which, as it turns out, are formed by strong winds high in the atmosphere stretching out cirrus clouds made of ice crystals.
Clouds with tails
Sunrise from Zabriskie Point
Zabriskie Point at Dawn
When the sun finally crested, we turned to catch its warm light spilling across the desert floor.
Looking South
Looking West
Dante's View.
Our next stop was Dante's View, a stunning and otherworldly lookout point that perfectly showcases the basin and range topography stretching from eastern California to central Utah. Here, steep, elongated mountain ranges alternate with flat, dry, desert valleys--evidence of the Earth's crust being stretched and cracked along north-south faults over millions of years.
At more than 5,000 feet above the valley floor, the view is breathtaking. From this high vantage point, you can see across nearly the entire 110-mile-length of Death Valley. Far below lies the shimmering white salt flats of Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level.
Standing on the spine of the Black Mountains, it's easy to imagine the forces that shaped this land. As the Earth's crust stretched, parts of it were pushed upward to form mountain ranges while others dropped to create deep valleys. Over time, gravity and rain carved the mountains down, slowly filling the valley floor with sediment--an endless cycle of creation and erosion.
View from Dante's Peak
Badwater Basin with Sierra Nevada range in the background
Exploring the Furnace Creek Area
Back at The Ranch, we checked out, mailed a few postcards from the tiny on-site post office, and strolled through the outdoor museum before the heat got too intense.
By mid-morning the desert sun was relentless, so we ducked into the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to cool off--and confirm that yes, it really was as hot as it felt!
Inside the center, I learned that Death Valley National Park is the largest national park in the lower 48 states, spanning more than 3 million acres of protected desert wilderness. It's also:
Stagecoach
Steam tractor (replaced Twenty Mule Teams)
Wooden Wheel
Wood and metal trailer
Desert heat
- The hottest place on Earth - record high of 134℉ (57℃)
- The driest place in the U.S. - less than two inches of rainfall per year
- The lowest point in North America - Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level
Rhyolite Historic Gold Mining Town Site
From there, we made our way to Rhyolite, a historic gold-mining ghost town in Nevada that once boasted nearly 10,000 residents between 1905 and 1911. At its peak, the town had two churches, 50 saloons, 18 stores, two undertakers, eight doctors, and even an opera house.
Today, ruins remain--the Bottle House, the train depot, the three-story bank building are among the last standing reminders of the town's fleeting prosperity.
Tom Kelly's Bottle House is one of the most fascinating. Built in 1906 using over 50,000 glass bottles, it's one of the few surviving examples of bottle-house architecture in the United States. Miners in Nevada, short on wood, used bottles as bricks--creating homes that were naturally cool in summer, warm in winter, and full of light.
Tom Kelly's Bottle House
Side Wall
Rhyolite's boom was short-lived. By 1910, the mines had dried up and people moved on. Many buildings were dismantled, others simply fell to ruin--but their stories remain etched into the desert landscape.
Train Depot
Cook Bank Building
Goldwell Open Air Museum
Just outside of Rhyolite sits the Goldwell Open Air Museum, a surreal outdoor art installation created by a group of prominent Belgian artists led by Albert Szukalski. In 1984, Szukalski unveiled "The Last Supper," a haunting, ghostlike reimagining of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece--set against the Mojave Desert backdrop.
"The Last Supper"
by Albert Szukalski (1984)
"Ghost Rider"
by Albert Szukalski (1984)
Among other pieces, Fred Bervoets' "Tribute to Shorty Harris" features the famous Death Valley miner alongside a penguin--a symbol of the artist's own sense of displacement in the desert.
"Tribute to Shorty Harris"
by Fred Bervoets (1994)
"Portone"
by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya
Apparently not.
We left full and happy, promising we'd be back the next day. Then it was early to bed--ready for our big day ahead.
Our "Portone"
"The Pink Lady"
by Dr. Hugo Heyeman (1991)
Wild Burros and The Road to Bishop
As we were leaving Rhyolite, traffic came to a standstill--thanks to a herd of wild burros wandering across the road. Descendants of 19th-century miners' pack animals, they now roam freely in and around Beatty, Nevada.They were surprisingly friendly--too friendly, in fact. Ira had to roll up his window as a few curious noses pressed against the car! We followed the park rule and resisted the urge to feed them.
Two and a half hours later, we were in Bishop, California. We planned to visit the ancient Bristlecone Pines the next day, so for now we explored the town's charming downtown and its Little Free Libraries--most sponsored by local organizations and placed in public spaces.
Burros or wild donkeys by the side of the road
Burros on the Move
Burros at the car
Even at the gas station, they were just hanging around town like locals.
Burro at the gas station
Library in The Bishop Community Garden
City Park
Rotary-sponsored Library
Afterward, Ira needed his afternoon espresso fix, so we found the only open coffee shop before heading back to the hotel to relax. Dinner that night came from a highly rated taco truck, Taqueria Mi Guadalajara--and it absolutely lived up to its 4.9-star reputation. The owners were warm and welcoming, and the food was spot-on.
Taco Truck
Three Taco plate
Birria Taco
A dopo!
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