Midafternoon found us at Kelso Dunes, the preserve's most distinctive feature. The 45 square miles of sand dunes, ranging up to 600 feet tall, are wonderful to explore. It takes close to two hours to reach the top, and it's hard work plowing through the dunes, formed over the eons by sand blown from the Mojave river flood plain. We stayed overnight in Baker, basically a shabby, overgrown truck stop with four motels, greasy food, high gas prices and cheesy souvenir stands. Heading for Death Valley on Highway 127, we took the short 10-mile loop to explore Tecopa Hot Springs.
People arrive in wheelchairs and walk outta here on two legs.
Encountering the rugged mountains and foreboding badlands of Death Valley gave us an appreciation for what pioneers likely felt as they entered what must have loomed as a stark and shimmering hell. The sobriquet stuck and was formally adopted in 1861. Early explorers entering from the south, as we did on Highway 178, followed the Amargosa dry riverbed up the valley, inching across the hard-baked pan in wagons pulled by oxen and mules, heading into the nation's hottest and most hostile desert, where temperatures can reach 200 degrees Fahrenheit. A popular photo spot, Badwater, at 282 feet below sea level, is the Western Hemisphere's lowest point. Telescope Peak, a spectacular contrast.