I had originally planned to get up really early and do a sunrise hike out to the dunes (before it got ridiculously hot), but I guess I was exhausted from all the driving. By the time I got packed and out the door by 10am, it was already 96 degrees. This is when I decided to do a driving tour rather than a hiking tour of Death Valley. I stopped periodically by the side of the road to take pics of the amazing sand dunes and surrounding mountains. Along the valley floor are these beautiful white salt flats, stretching out for miles and miles.

I drove to Badwater, the point of lowest elevation in North America (282 feet below sea level). I met a nice British couple who took my picture by the sign in exchange for me taking theirs. The man commented to me, "there's no sound out here." He was right - it seemed like all the normal "nature" sounds of the outdoors were muted or hushed. There also weren't many birds flying around or other animals out in the heat of the day. I'm sure there are more that come out at night.

I left the park to make my way to my next stop, Mojave National Preserve. I stopped for lunch in Baker, CA. The giant thermometer outside the restaurant read 115 degrees - yikes!

I saw my first Joshua Tree when I entered the park area. They are kind of neat-looking, with thick twisty branches with something resembling a cactus on the ends. I made my way to "Hole in the Wall," the location of the Rings Climb. About 18.5 million years ago, volcanic eruptions spewed layers of lava and ash over this area. When the lava cooled, the gases formed pockets or holes in the rock, creating unusual and somewhat creepy patterns. The rock formations created a canyon that you can hike down into, but the trail is so steep, you have to climb down using these metal rings embedded in the rock wall. It was challenging getting back out, but it was fun. It was also creepy because I was the only person there.

I left Mojave so that I could make it to Twenty-Nine Palms by dinnertime. On the way out, I drove part of historic Route 66 and saw some more interesting mountains and rock formations.