Where were we?
Ah, yes.... water, water, everywhere.
It seems an oddity given the desert mindset that the words Death Valley bring, doesn't it? But springs literally pour out of the mountains here. The one up at Scotty's Castle does so at a rate of some 300 gallons per minute!
The colors observed painting the mountain sides (like the white above and the orange below) are mineral deposits that are leached to the surface via the groundwater.
It's no wonder that this area was a mining haven back in the day. This is the location of the famous 20 Mule Team Borax era, by the way. They actually used teams of 20 mules to pull the wagon loads, hence the name.
Check out the variations of color in the above photo going from white (most likely borax or salt) to yellows (typically sulfur) to the mix of greens, reds, purples and many other colors of the mountains in the far distance.
We have been captured by the beautiful scenery here at the park
and taken by a vastness that harbors a sense of peaceful calm and hosts deafening silence.
There is so much to this park and it seems that every part of it is different in some way.
We've heard that it is a geologists dream location.
One example is Mars Hill.
NASA has utilized this location to practice with the rover vehicles.
In the interest of our very slow internet connection, there's more on yet another page!
Continue on to DEVA NP – Part 3...