Through Death Valley

On Friday, we headed to Death Valley.  Along the way we passed Area 51 where people believe there were aliens and the Americans tested atomic bombs.  We saw a sand storm which crossed the road in front of our car.  We also saw the unmanned Predator aircraft used by the American defense force.

We went into Rhyolite, a ghost town in Death Valley.  It used to be a mining town, with up to 10,000 people but in 10 years, it had less than 100 people left.  A lot of the wooden buildings were shifted or sold for their timber and now all that is left is ruined stone buildings, a house built out of over 30,000 bottles and an art gallery.  There is a grave for a lady who was shot by her boyfriend and is buried near the jail as other ladies did not want her to be buried in the town cemetery.

Death Valley is hot because it is the hottest and driest place in the world.  We got our 3rd Junior Ranger badges, went to Badwater Basin, which is the lowest point in America.  I tasted the salt there - it tasted just like the salt we use at home.  We didn't stay at Death Valley long as it was late in the day.

We had dinner at Burger King at 8pm and went to sleep at 11pm in Crestridge.