In May of 2009 I was part of a group of 4, including my husband, his parents, and your host on this blog visiting Death Valley National Park. I have broken up the photos I took into 9 sets on Flickr. Here they are organized in the order taken. For each set of photos simply click on the sample photo shown to view the album with those shots. Using the slideshow option is highly recommended.

First we arrived at Stovepipe Wells, where we spent 2 nights in a hotel inside the National Park.

On Tuesday we started by driving part way up a mountain to explore Mosaic Canyon.

Next we drove North to Scotty’s Castle.

Not far from Scotty’s Castle we visited Ubehebe Crater, a volcanic crater only 2,000 years old.

To finish our first full day in Death Valley we next drove a considerable distance to the long disused Wildrose Charcoal Kilns. On the way there we saw a rattlesnake by the side of the road.

At the suggestion of my lovely husband who had seen the early morning beauty on his Tuesday AM bike ride, my Father in Law and I got up very early on Wednesday to watch the sunrise in the sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells. It was a fantastic photo opportunity!

As we all began our journey back to Palm Springs we stopped first to see Furnace Creek.

Next we stopped at the Devil’s Golf Course where exotic salt formations can be found.

Our last stop in Death Valley was the low point of our vacation, but only in terms of altitude. Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level, making it the lowest spot in the Western Hemisphere. It was also very hot. My black Canon EOS-5D became almost too hot to touch.

Click any photo to visit the associated album, we suggest you try the slideshow.