After a slow start today, we packed a lunch, loaded up in three vehicles and off we went exploring.
Our first trip was through Twenty Mule Team Canyon. It is a 2.7 unpaved road right off of SR-190, north of Furnace Creek. Although it is named the Twenty Mule Team Canyon, this trail was not actually part original 165 mile twenty-mule-team Borax freight route.
The old Monte Blanco mining office and bunkhouse was located at the southern end of Twenty Mule Team Road - in 1954 the building was moved to Furnace Creek where it now houses the Borax Museum.
Scenes from the trail - WOW!:
WOW!
Our journey continued to Dante’s View. Dante’s View is named from Dante Alighieri, who wrote the Divina Commedia, in which there are described the nine circles of Hell, the seven terraces of Purgatory and the nine spheres of Paradise.
The view is 13 miles from the turnoff on US-190. It rises from below sea level to over 5000’ and what a view it is!
On the way to the view:
The view - both humbling and breathtaking:
This is an alluvial fan:
“An alluvial fan is a triangle-shaped deposit of gravel, sand, and even smaller pieces of sediment, such as silt. This sediment is called alluvium.
Alluvial fans are usually created as flowing water interacts with mountains, hills, or the steep walls of canyons. Streams carrying alluvium can be trickles of rainwater, a fast-moving creek, a powerful river, or even runoff from agriculture or industry. As a stream flows down a hill, it picks up sand and other particles—alluvium.
The rushing water carries alluvium to a flat plain, where the stream leaves its channel to spread out. Alluvium is deposited as the stream fans out, creating the familiar triangle-shaped feature. “
This is looking down on the Badwater area - 5000' feet below:
The black line on the bottom left corner is the highway in the above picture.
More views:
Looking down on one of the alluvial fans - the black line is the highway:
And even more views:
WOW! WOW! WOW!
We came back down the mountain and headed to Hole in the Wall Road. This is a gravel road about 6 miles long (not a loop). Four miles in there is a break (“Hole in the Wall”) in the Mountains.
The ride is as beautiful as the “Hole in the Wall.:
Here we go:
After we went thru the “Hole”, we started seeing these really interesting cacti in the washes:
I think they are called “Cottonwood Cacti” - their flowers look like cotton.
This is the end of the road. There are hiking trails up further but no motorized vehicles. We had lunch and then took a little walk over the hill to the left:
There were some really interesting plants there including these silver ones:
Heading back out - holes all over:
Strange uplifts:
Coming back out of the hole - first is Pat and Ron, second is Geri and John. Andy and I rode with Bruce and Sue.
Here is the “Hole in the Wall”.
Another great day exploring followed by a great Happy Hour.
Stay tuned for our next adventure and enjoy today.
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