The drive to Death Valley from Bakersfield was long and meandering. It mad its way through canyons up and down a range of mountains, and finally gave way to more open land, only to again climb up and back down into the park. Along the way. we stopped for a quick lunch in Ridgecrest, the last major city before the park. It was very obvious that the little place we stopped at was geared towards a very different crowd than places we frequent in the bay area. The setting was plain, with no decoration or detail on the walls. The space looks like it was a small factory that was made into a restaurant with minimal renovation. Some parts of the space still had an old and dirty drop ceiling, there were very few windows and the light came from artificial light, cold and white. Why does a place like that even exist? Obviously, people find it useful in some way, otherwise it would go out of business. The food was decent and the owner seemed nice and welcoming. But the thought that the world would be a better place if this place was just a little more aesthetically pleasing, if it was put together with a bit more attention to the look and feel, was inescapable.
At death valley we spent our first night this trip sleeping in our car-tent. The bed is inside the car, but the car is extended with a tent that attaches to the open tail gate, giving us a bit more space. The night was cold, but we felt comfortable and warm inside, and our new 4 inch foam mattress made the bed feel very comfortable.
On Wednesday morning we went for a few short hikes along bad water road - Bad Water, Artist’s Pallet, Devil’s Golf Course and Gold Canyon.As we were walking and admiring the scenery, some fighter jets from the nearby Naval proving grounds streaked across the sky. We couldn’t actually see them, they may have been obstructed from view by the mountains, but we could certainly hear the roar of their jet engines. The sound felt so weirdly familiar and reassuring, bringing me back to my elementary school days. I grew up near an air force base, and the sound of fighter jets taking off with their engines at full throttle was common. It would come at any time, and when it happened during class, the teacher would just stop for a few seconds while the airplanes were taking off, and everything would just be waiting, waiting, waiting. Sometimes it would take a while as two or three or sometimes more planes would take off, extending the noise for long seconds. Eventually, quiet would return and class would continue.
\n
For lunch we stopped at the cafe near the golf coarse here in Death Valley. Why is there a golf coarse here? This place is so hot and dry, it certainly doesn’t have enough water to sustain anything other than the hardiest, most water efficient plant, let alone grass. I suppose it was put here in a previous time, when this kind of excess seemed ok. It wasn’t easy finding the cafe - there aren’t any signs to speak of pointing to it, and we had to wander around a bit until we eventually found it. And when we did, it became clear why there are so few signs - it is not intended for “the plebs”. The masses can eat at the buffet on the other side of furnace creek, or at the ice cream parlor near the buffet. But the cafe near the golf course - it is more exclusive, intended for a more refined crowd. But a national park can’t overtly say that, so instead they quietly make it happen - if you are in the know (or are a bit more stubborn…), you get to the cafe. Most people don’t.
(this is post #2 of our trip. See previous post here)
(Las Vegas and the road to Grand Canyon are in the next post)