Into the Desert We Go

Needing some quiet time, we found just what we needed in the California desert.

Notice, we said quiet time, not isolation. In Death Valley National Park, we were surrounded by folks, but we had no agenda. We soaked up the wonderful sunshine, soaked in the spring fed pool, read and took long walks (at least ABN did; although Captain is nearly back to normal he decided not to add additional stress just yet.)

One of ABN’s long walks took her to Mustard Canyon, the site of borax mining in the late 1800s.

Think 20-Mule Team Borax; 

the 20-Mule Team refers to the way borax was hauled from the mines. Apparently most of the labor was done by the Chinese immigrants making $1.30 per day minus food and lodging.





Our drive through the park took us to

So named when a surveyor led his mule to the water; the water was so bad the mule wouldn't drink it. The surveyor wrote "badwater" on his map. What is pictured above is salt. 

to Artist's Palette,

and Zabriskie Point.

Snow on the mountain; Salt in the basin

Finding an oasis in the desert, we stopped in for a drink at sunset.

Most of the activity in Death Valley National Park seems to be hiking, golfing, bicycling and sight-seeing. We do hope to return to hike and maybe bring the tandem.

After a few days in the park, we moved on to a resort.

Now, resorts are not typically a part of our travel adventures, but Captain said we should splurge and call it a late Valentine’s treat, so off we went to Delight’s Hot Springs Resort in Tecopa and this is what greeted us:

Okay, this is not an accurate representation of the resort although it is what we saw as we arrived. 

The “resort” is one of several located in the Tecopa Hot Springs area and is probably as nice as it could be in the harsh desert environment.

No cell service but we were able to check
in with mom on the land line. 

The hot mineral spring baths were nice.

We did have full hook-ups but were advised at check-in the water didn’t taste very good. Fortunately we had our own water.

The Brewery

seems to be the gathering spot for travelers. Without WiFi or cell service at the “resort”, this is where we went to check email and download our local newspaper (and of course it required we have a beer.)

One evening we sat at an outdoor communal table where we talked with a young man from Connecticut who had been riding his bike and camping in the desert for two weeks; he was riding back to Las Vegas to fly home. Also at our table was an immigrant from Mexico and his young son who were camping nearby. Reuben shared that he worked in a casino in Las Vegas. He gets 3 weeks’ vacation a year in which he travels throughout the country and Canada camping with his wife and son. Eleven year old Diego has visited all but 13 of the US states.

We found Tecopa Hot Springs very interesting as we saw a bit of a very rugged part of our country. The wind blew relentlessly for two days and two nights which created waves of dust. The constant ultraviolet rays cause deterioration of homes and vehicles. One can understand why the towns are few and sparsely populated. Downtown 

Tecopa, CA

has one brewery, one church and a post office. What brings folks to live in the desert, we wonder? It must be the challenges.

We think "resorts" might be a bit over rated and have had enough of the desert for now and The Wanderer is pointed toward the coast.

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