California Death Valley area

Panamint Valley Road which runs from Trona, CA to CA-190 and the west entrance to Death Valley. The geology is colorful and interesting, but hard to capture in the direct sunlight. It's also an area where fighter jets from nearby China Lake (Ridgecrest) practice. Just about every time I've taken it (including this time), there's been a fighter jet roaring down at me at low altitude, looking almost like they're going to land on it. First time that happened to me it was at night and quite frightening. I've not yet, though, been able to get a picture of it since they move too fast.

On the Panamint Valley Road near the intersection with CA-190 which leads to the west entrance to Death Valey. What seemed odd here was the white splotch across the mountains. As you got nearer to it, it became evident that it was sand blown from the dry lake bed at its base. Due to the agnle of the sun, the photo comes out less dramatic than the view while driving.

CA-190 climbing the mountains that are the west side of Death Valley. In the largest version of the picture you can see that there are two cars parked on the left side of the road. For some reason (I couldn't tell why), both were young people who had stopped to walk and take photos on the dry lake.

I've been told that this interesting very black seam along CA-178 is likely to be volcanic in origin. Following is an edited (with his permission) of an email from SLGWV about this seam: It looks like a cooling unit (vitrophyre is the $64 word) enclosed within an ash-flow tuff, the pink rock above and also below. An ash-flow tuff is a volcanic rock that was erupted as hot particles entrained in extremely hot gas, such that the whole business flows like a fluid (i.e., a density flow). This appears to be a welded tuff (aka ignimbrite), where the particles are still hot enough to weld together when they settle out. There are lots of enormous ignimbrite units in the area, of late Tertiary age (say within the last 20 million years), so it fits with the regional geology. Thus, that black unit is basically an obsidian, a dark volcanic glass. This would be easy to distinguish from coal with a rock hammer! ;) The gray rocks in the foreground, this side of the highway, are Paleozoic limestones--much older rocks.

Former route of the road between Shoshone and Pahrump, crossing the Resting Spring Range.

Shoshone, the green patch on the left with two water towers. The DV in the lava slope is for Death Valley High academy, the name of the public high school in Shoshone. Per Wikipedia, in 2012-13 the school had 16 students in grades 7-12 with one full-time teacher-principal. The DVUSD district serves an area the size of the state of Connecticut with students from Death Valley National Park traveling 120 miles to this school. Below is a picture of the school, there was a time when it had more students than it currently does.

Approaching Shoshone from the east on CA-178. Barely visible in the center of the picture is the parking area on the small airstrip in Shoshone, the white cliff on the right contains the remnants of a miner's home (see adjacent picture).

When the mine's around Shoshone were active (from 1900's to 1960), some miners dug cave homes out of the mud hills. When I first started visiting Shoshone area in the 1990's these homes were accessible, but they have since been blocked off.

I've never understood how the upper cave was used or accessible, but have been in the home that is at ground level when the homes were accessible. It is fairly elaborate with multiple rooms and window spaces. Here are some photos from an earlier visit to the cave homes:

I've never understood how the upper cave was used or accessible, but have been in the home that is at ground level when the homes were accessible. It is fairly elaborate with multiple rooms and window spaces.

Sheephead Mountain, in the Ibex Hills, from Furnace Creek Wash Road. Best viewed in full screen.

From Furnace Creek Wash road, looking southwest into the Ibex hills. On the left side of the picture there are multiple gravel roads going up into former mining areas (I've never explored up there). The Furnace Creek Wash area is a BLM open range camping area, thus there are almost always a few travel trailers or RV's in there.

Looking north into the Dublin Range, from Furnace Creek Wash road. Best viewed in full screen.

From Furnace Creek Wash road, looking almost due east across the mud flats to the southern end of the Resting Spring Range.

Looking east towards the Nopah Range, from the east side of Tecopa Hot Springs; the road is the Old Spanish Trail.

Looking northeast towards the Nopah Range, from the east side of Tecopa Hot Springs.

Sunset, from the hill behind Tecopa Hot Springs park.

Community of Tecopa Hot Springs. The old laundromat seen in various pictures (link below) is on the right side of the picture.