Next place on the list of places to see was Kings Canyon. Well, another nice Canyon which is definitely worth going. However, I just place a little bike video here, as I have pasted enough pictures of Canyons already, I guess.
Okay, I had to add this little squirrel, stealing from an old potato. Isn't that cute??
Interesting, in the Southern part of the park they have trees so huge, they don't fit in the picture:
Then I got myself on the road again to the place they actually called "Death Valley" or more dramatic in German: "Tal des Todes".
It is actually more than just one of the hottest and deepest points below sea level. There is much to see and that's why it also has become a National Park here in the States. In the 19th century in the Mahogany Flats they produced charcoal in these stone huts. "Und wer hat's erfunden? Die Schweitzer!" Swiss engineers created those and had them built up by Chinese labors. Remote as they are, they still look like they did when they got abandoned over a century ago.
"The Golden Canyon"
Passing "Sea Level Elevation" a couple of times,
I finally got to the most Northern part of my trip through the valley, the Uherebe Crater. About 2.000 years ago this volcano blew up in a vast explosion, leaving this hole in the ground behind until today.
And not all too far away from that a guy named "Scotty" boldly did what no man has done before: he built himself a caste into Death Valley. Ever since it's called "Scotty's Castle". The visitor center they have built here looks pretty much like everything here in the valley: dead.
There it is:
Scotty has found his grave up a hill behind the castle. Crazy as he must have been, you can't say he wasn't a wise man, too! There is a little posting about him on Wikipedia. I hadn't posted the link if I thought it wouldn't be worth reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_E._Scott
However, when I returned to my car I had to realize, that the visitor center wasn't as dead as I thought at all. Apparently I had to go in and pay to walk around. I quickly hopped into my car a took off.
My tent at sunset, in the middle of the valley desert. That place was about 2.000ft up, so it wasn't all too hot at night. However, in the afternoon I had 42°C outside the car. Outside, as above 37°C I put my A/C on.
Death Valley has also a Sand Dune area. Walking in there make you fel like being in the Sahara desert. Except: you have all these high mountains around.
Just where you expect it the least, you can find a little salty creek. Fish has there lived once, the little water that's left nowadays made me doubt, that there is still some left. In any case there is enough to create a small oasis surrounded by heat and dust.
In the small canyons around, strange rock formations are to be found, all in unusual colors.
At the "Artist Drive" it looks, as someone has spilled his colors, he has once painted the desert with. Don't know, if my camera really caught them all.
"The Devil's Golf Court". He must have played golf here for ages and never cared about taking the balls away, there are millions of them.
They are mainly salt, but in the meantime they have become a little dirty. Next rain should wash them all white again. When that will be? Hmm....
The lowest point below sea level in the US. That's where all water goes and takes the salt with it. Before it vaporizes and leaves the salt behind.
After Death Valley I have decided to have seen enough of deserts and went to the sea again. Through the desert, of course:
I passed Los Angeles in the north and saw "all the little boxes, made of ticky tacky, little boxes, all the same" ;-)
From now on there will probably pictures with much of blue in it. I will go slowly northwards to finally meet up with Dennis in San Francisco, my friend from Alaska who will join me on my way up to Canada for zwo weeks. I am definitely looking forward to see him again and having a travel companion for a while...
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Santa Barbara
From Death Valley I went straight to Santa Barbara. I had come at the worst day possible as there was "Graduate Day". Who ever got graduated, they were responsible for almost no room in town available. Stayed at a nice motel which was the most expensive one I ever stayed at in my live:
No coastal city in California without a decent pier.
View from the pier. Click on picture to enlarge the image.
Good to have a bike. I cycled into the city,
where I enjoyed city life a bit.
Yupp, found an Irish Pub which brought the game on!
Last glimpse on the city and after this I went on further North...
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