DEATH VALLEY (Day 10 - part 4)

Water from the sparse rainfall soaks into the sand, which acts as a sponge. Plants with long tap roots, such as mesquite, can flourish along the dune's edges.

Sand is everywhere in a desert, but dunes are not. It takes three things for sand to gather into dunes: 1) supply of sand, 2) strong wind, 3) something to slow that wind down. Here, 1) sand erodes from the surrounding mountains, 2) winds from the north carry sand down the valley until they hit Tucki Mountain, causing the sand to collect at its foot, 3) winds from the south create a huge eddy. The sands may shift but the dunes are trapped here.

Parched earth

Sculpted sand ... and critter tracks

(right) Burned Wagons Point

The Jayhawkers were the group of travelers in 1849 who split off from the Bennett-Arcan party and went north. In order to survive, they burned their wagons, dried the meat of some oxen, and with the remaining animals, continued westward over the Panamint Mountains on foot.

Our journey by car over paved roads was much easier! We drove back over the Panamint Mountains and and turned south on State Route 178, heading down the Panamint Valley towards Ridgecrest.

Crossing the Panamint Mountains

Approaching Panamint Valley

Heading down Panamint Valley

Sand often blew across the road.

Leaving the valley

The Searles Valley Minerals chemical plant

Near Trona

From Ridgecrest, we took the 395 south, through Adelanto, over the Cajon Pass (between the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountain), and into Orange County.

The old Boron Air Force Station off Locust Road was built in 1950. It was one of 28 stations built as part of a radar network, prompted by the start of the Korean War, It was deactivated in 1975 but parts of it were used as a federal prison until 2000.

Nearby was another isolated tower, possibly related?

Joshua trees

Cajon Pass

Ironically it was warmer here than in Death Valley!

return • continue