Death Valley Fall 2025: Day 2

 

Having wrapped up Friday night with the night sky viewing from Mesquite everyone slept cozily in the hotel at Stovepipe Wells. The next morning we rose early again, this time to catch the sight of another of nature’s great shows. Sunrise in Death Valley. We returned to the same parking lot where we were at night. Again many cars were there before our arrival. The sand dunes were visible sprawling for miles across from the parking area. They sat encircled by mountains on all sides like a chakravyuha. Walking through the clean sands of the dunes was a natural mode of resistance training. We hurried despite the difficulty to reach one of the farther hillocks in the dunes for a better view of the sunrise. Other visitors were seen positioning on other hillocks. And slowly the show began to unravel. Rays of light began to penetrate from between the peaks of the mountains on the east side towards the mountain tops on the west side. The tops began to pick a pink and purple hue. Just as we were being mesmerized by the play of colors it was prime time. The glorious guest of honor, literally our star, emerged from behind the eastern mountains. That was the grand finale for our Death Valley adventure. Soon after this fabulous show we checked out of our hotel and headed out of the valley.

Taking the west bound highway 190 we passed through the small town of Panamint Springs. Several small planes were seen in the air as we were approaching the town and the mystery sorted out itself. There was a flying school right there next to the highway. Moving on we traced the uphill scenic route until the Father Crowley viewpoint. Took some pictures at the vista there and then resumed our journey. Yucca trees began to make an appearance at the top of the mountain and in the distance stood the formidable Mt Whitney with its snow cap. The road descended soon thereafter into another salt basin and with a brief segment of highway 136 we reached Highway 395. A quick stop at the visitor center at the corner was helpful for a bathroom break and get some tips for our plans in Lone Pine. 

About a mile from the visitor center is the town of Lone Pine. Everyone in the car was hungry because we had left the hotel with hopes of catching good breakfast in Lone Pine. And that’s what we did. Alabama Hills Cafe was open and despite a sizable crowd we immediately got seated at a table. The omelettes and scrambled eggs with country potatoes and toast followed by a shared slice of triple chocolate cake, and our tea and coffee alongside, did the magic to perk each of us for what was to come. It wasn’t just the humans who needed their fuel. The car needed it too. So got her taken care of before getting back on our road. 

This time it was the Whitney Portal Road. A few years back when we were here we couldn’t drive up the road due to fallen trees. This second time was better luck. The road was open right up to the top. Shrubs of yellow flowers lined the road on both sides. Grand views of the valley were seen from every corner at higher elevations. There was snow by the roadside starting at 4000 feet. The globs of white got larger and thicker as we kept climbing. At the end of the road there was a lot of snow, ice and ice melt everywhere. We got out briefly to see a waterfall and get a view of Mount Whitney but didn’t venture out much because the slippery icy road was dangerous. Our footwear wasn’t made for those conditions. 

In less than 24 hours we had visited almost near to the lowest point in the continental United States ( Death Valley 282 feet below sea level) and highest point in the continental United States ( Mt. Whitney 14505 feet above sea level). Both were spectacular.

Awaiting us after the descent on the Whitney Portal Road was yet another natural wonder: The Alabama Hills National Scenic Area. Locals were seen at the entrance preparing for a marathon race to be taking place here the next day. We drove through the hills on the dirt road that had an unmistakable vibe of western movies. Minal and I both couldn’t resist the temptation of climbing on the rocks and enjoying the adventure. Had it not been sunny and hot we probably would have done more rock climbing. Having completed the entire loop within the majestic hills we exited the area and headed north on highway 395. My plan was to show them the historic Japanese internment camp in Manzanar which is just 11 miles north of Lone Pine. Sadly the center was closed due to the federal government shutdown. 

That was pretty much our last stop before I got behind the wheel for a non stop drive of 175 miles to home. We were home before 5 pm. While Atul figured out how to focus with the telescope Minal enjoyed picking fresh guavas and pomegranates from the garden. After dinner we drove to a nearby public park for open space for night sky viewing. Saturn was perfectly poised high up on the eastern sky. But again we didn’t succeed in our struggle to see it clearly through the telescope. Everyone was tired from the two day adventure. We called it a day by 9:30 pm.

Again up by 3:30 am I took them to the airport in the morning. Aai went with them. It was still dark when I returned home from the airport. Tried again to watch Jupiter through the telescope. No luck. Went back to bed and got a good 2-3 hours of sleep. 

It had been a beautiful weekend. So many lovely memories behind us. 

More photos from this day to follow soon. Waiting to receive them from Minal and Atul as most of them were taken on their cameras.

My saree remained the same Kala cotton Bhujodi except I switched to a lighter color blouse.