Leaving Death Valley (April)

Before leaving the desert we decided to hang around the valley to see some of the landscapes. It was still pretty windy, so we decided to skip the sand dunes and head for Devils Golf Course - named because only the devil would play golf here. Huge salt formations create this jagged surface. The mountains behind Michael were crested with snow.
We then took a scenic drive along Artists Loop. This 5-mile drive illustrated the various hues of the canyons. Along with the reds, browns and tans, there was also a lot of white and greenish blue tones where minerals provide highlights in the soil. Here you can see the white of the valley floor in the distance.

Next we visited the Bad Water Salt Flat. This was named by an early explorer who found a nice pool of water for his horse to drink from. When the horse refused, he claimed it to contain "bad water". Where everyone walks, the ground looks like snow. Off the beaten path the ground is patterned with salt crystal formations. Up close you can see the threads of salt crystals in each of the depressions.