Jan. 10 - Amargosa

Today we got up and took really long, hot showers and charged everything that needed power in preparation for our three night stay in Furnace Creek. We hit the road around 10:00 am and made a lunch stop at Death Valley Crossing, formerly known as Amargosa. This is a very remote and unlikely place for a town. About all that's here is an old, but still operational hotel, a service station (not sure if it was working) and an opera house. Yes, go figure, an opera house! We wanted to explore but the opera house was closed L The hotel however, was open and it looked just as it had over 100 years ago, as evidenced by the photos that were hanging all around the lobby.

We made up a picnic lunch and ate at a table outside, near the Opera House. It was about 68 degrees, and very pleasant. We found a little cafe nearby, so for dessert, we had some very creamy soft serve ice cream! After lunch, we headed back to the RV’s for the short trip to Furnace Creek.

Wow!! This is REALLY in the middle of nowhere! The landscape is very baron and almost moon-like. I was surprised to see so many rocky hills and mountains; I thought it would be much flatter, sandy and full of cacti. As we came into Furnace Creek, the Valley floor spread out and the ancient lake bed was revealed. The floor of the valley is now an expansive salt pan that stretches over several miles. The lowest point out in the pan is Badwater Basin at 282 feet below sea level! This salt pan is where they mined for Borax in the late 1800’s.

Once we got everything set up at camp, we cooked chicken and sat around the campfire. As the sun went down, it really began to cool off. We saw our first wildlife about an hour or so before dinner – a road runner that continued to hang around and amuse us. Almost as soon as we finished dinner, we started hearing the howling of coyotes! From the sounds of them, there must have been a dozen or so. We even saw one come right up to one of our trucks! Perhaps the smells of so many campfires and barbecues was peaking their interest. I think this desert is going to prove to be quite an adventure!!