Pahrump, Nevada, where I had been working, is roughly a two-hour drive to Furnace Creek, Death Valley. It was late January. The days were short. If I wrapped up my work by 2 pm, would it be worth it to make the drive to Death Valley with sunset at 5 pm? Survey says … yes.
The road between Pahrump and Death Valley is a lonely two-lane desert road that crosses the Nevada-California border with little fanfare except a shot-up road sign to note that you are entering Inyo County. No stateline casinos here.
I made a brief stop at Death Valley Junction, located almost dead center in the Amargosa Valley. The town has a population of about four and has no gas station. The only feature of Death Valley Junction is the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel originally built in 1925 by the Pacific Coast Borax Company. The thing that made the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel famous was an incredible human by the name of Marta Becket. She was a dancer, ballerina, and artist that upon entering the then run-down mining town recreation hall that became the Amargosa Opera House, she found her singular calling in life. It was by chance, having been waylaid in Death Valley Junction awaiting the repair of a flat tire. She took over the hall in 1967, renovated it, painted the walls with an exquisite rendition of an audience, and performed a one-person ballet and pantomime show for over 40 years, well into her 80s. In the earliest years she often performed to a small audience or to no one. She was discovered in articles by National Geographic and Life in 1970 that announced her to the world. The audiences came, making her story a sort of a Cinderella story. Marta passed away in 2017 at the age of 92. But the Amargosa Opera House continues.
With daylight waning, it was time continue to Furnace Creek, passing through the Funeral Mountains, and eventually to Badwater. That was loosely my plan. The place names of Death Valley are foreboding and conjure thoughts of suffering, and certainly the story of the Death Valley ‘49ers is one of incredible suffering. But not for me in my modern rental car car.
My first stop was the Visitor Center at Furnace Creek to pick up my hall pass. I had purchased a Lifetime Senior Pass for $10 a few years ago, so I just had to show that, and my ID and I was good to go. Furnace Creek was full of tourists and cars. I had to leave it as soon as possible. But before leaving, I stopped at the store and picked up an ice cream bar, one of those covered in chocolate and nuts. For dessert I had a marshmallow rice krispy treat. Pure fast burning energy food with no nutritional value.
After burning precious daylight in overrun Furnace Creek, I headed south toward Badwater. I had uploaded an app on my phone called Just Ahead, the Death Valley guide. The app narrates your drive as you course through the park. It’s surprisingly interesting and detailed, like having that friend with you who knows everything, leaving nothing to the imagination. Still, I recommend the app.
I veered right at the sign for Devil’s Golf Course. Devil’s Golf Course is an evaporative salt pan, left over after a lake that once filled Death Valley dried up leaving these expansive salt deposits behind. The salt deposits grow into pinnacles as a result of salty water in the underlying mud deposits being pulled up by capillary action and then quickly evaporating leaving the salt to crystallize and grow into the amazing pinnacles.
I headed back out to the main road, making a right turn south toward Badwater. After not too long on the main road, I veered left at the sign for the Natural Bridge. It was a short hike from the parking area to the bridge. On the hike back to the car, the sun had already dropped behind the Panamint Range.
With just enough daylight left, I headed south again, toward Badwater. Many people were walking out onto the salt flat on a packed surface leading farther out. I didn’t linger too long. I had seen few people between Furnace Creek and Badwater. In front of me were two hours of night driving to get back to my hotel in Pahrump. It was time to leave.
After a burger and a tall glass of beer at the hotel bar, I turned in for the night. I’d been up since 3 am, departing Seattle for Las Vegas, driving to Pahrump, completing my work project, then out to Death Valley, and back to Pahrump. Long day, but worth it.