Day 4 - Death Valley and Owens Valley

We were on the road at 8am this morning toward Lone Pine California - via Death Valley. I think we must have climbed about 30,000 feet of mountain ranges - as there are many between those two points. There are many things to do and see at all of our destinations - but we just can't do and see them all in the amount of time we have allotted for the trip, so we have to hit the highlights.

While we stopped to look at a lot of things in Death Valley, the highlight would have to be Badwater Basin - which his the lowest point in the western hemisphere - at 282 ft below sea level. It was stifling hot there (yesterday's high was 120) so we didn't spend a lot of time out in the sun on the 'salt flat' which makes up this low point.

From there, we drove over more mountain ranges - some quite steep and high to the Owens Valley -a place Jan and I have spent some time in our earlier days together. The Owens Valley used to be the premier hang gliding spot in the world and it's an EXTREME place to hang glide with some of the worst turbulence on the planet. I first flew the Owens in 1988 when Jan and I took our first trip out west. I few it other times when we would run trips there when I worked in San Diego for the 'Hang Gliding Center'. After checking into our hotel in Lone Pine, we drove up to Walt's Point - a famous hang gliding launch site. It was cool to show mom and dad some of the places I've flown before - especially this one - because of it's obvious extreme nature.

From Walt's Point, we drove back down into the valley to the Alabama Hills - the main reason I brought them to Lone Pine. This is where hundreds of old black and white western movies were filmed and we drove around the rugged landscape and (using a guide from the chamber of commerce) we found the exact locations where the cameras were placed during the filming of some of these old films. The 'guide' had some photos of the scenes with rough directions of how to get to the filming position. We went to each of 10 and took photos from the same angle. It was a fun time and Dad really loved it.

Monday, we'll be headed up the Owens Valley and turning west into the upper meadows of Yosemite. Should be a blast.

Hoover Dam

Walt's Point Hang Gliding Launch

Mom and Dad at Badwater Basin

Badwater

Alabama Hills