Death Valley Day 3 Scotty's Castle

Mar.1st Our last day in Death Valley. We went north to Scotty's Castle, a remarkable mansion built for his wife by millionaire Albert Johnson. Although construction started in 1922 it would take many years to complete. The story goes that Mr.Johnson had invested in a mining venture with a man named Walter Scott who claimed to have discovered a very rich gold mine on a mountain in Death valley.

One of two swimming pools that were never finished

The entry

Palm trees along side the worker's quarters

Entrance to the garage and main house

After a couple of years and not earning any returns on his investment Mr. Johnson decided that he and his wife would take a trip to see this mysterious gold mine first hand. It didn't take long for the Johnsons to find out that there was no gold mine and they had been conned by Scotty. Thus, a curious relationship was formed between the millionaire and the con man. It seemed that Mr.and Mrs.Johnson, despite being conned,took an instant liking to Scotty and would later tell reporters "All Scotty showed me was a few dry holes" But, Mr. Johnson explained "Scott has repaid me every dime in laughs.Plus he's a darn good cook."

The door to the main House

The sitting room

The parlor and adjoining library

Mr.Johnson loved the desert and would return to visit Scotty every year. Mrs. Johnson also enjoyed the trips but grew tired of sleeping in tents and told her husband that she would not accompany him unless he built her a house. He agreed and the construction of Scotty's Castle was started.

Balcony looking down on the sitting roomCourtyard separating the main house from the guest quarters and garage

Tile and mosaic fountain in courtyard

The mansion was built in a valley literally in the middle of nowhere by Shoshone and Mexican craftsmen. No expense was spared from the hand carved redwood beams and iron chandeliers to the custom crafted tile floors and handmade Majorcan rugs. Some of the innovations built into the house include passive solar heating for hot water,flush toilets, a generating system for electric power with huge battery banks,rock gas cooking stoves,one of the first refrigerator freezers from Kalvinator and an enormous pipe organ.

The music room. Note the beams and inlaid tile on the ceiling

Death Valley Day 2 Badwater Basin

Feb.28th we traveled with Larry and Lori down to Badwater Basin the lowest part of the valley at 282 ft. below sea level which ironically is located close to Telescope Mountain the highest point in the lower 48. Due to the extraordinary amount of rain that had fallen in The desert this winter a lake had formed over the bottom of Badwater Basin. We found out later,from a park ranger, that this was something that had not happened since 1926 and very few people had seen water there.

The lowest point in the desert

A walk through the salt flats

A Lake on the salt flats for the first time since 1926

Unusual Rock formations

Alvina Mountain climbing
A Natural Bridge

Returning to Furnace Creek we drove through a area called Artist's Drive,a winding one way road that took us through mountains and canyons. The colors of the rock formations were unbelievable with shades of red,yellow,purple,green,pink and blue. A MUST SEE. It was indeed like a Artist's palette.

Salt flats and breathtaking views of the Mountains

The Beauty of the Desert

The camera does not capture the colors that the eyes see

If you ever get a chance you Must visit here

The Mountains look like they were painted

Borax Crystals on the Valley floor

Death Valley Day 1 furnace creek

Feb. 27 Death Valley. Our destination in Death valley was the Furnace Creek campground located in an oasis on the valley floor 196 feet below sea level. We spent the first day exploring the area around Furnace Creek, visiting the Museum and learning about the history of Death Valley. The discovery of gold,silver and borax in the 1850s led to the creation of boom towns and mines throughout the valley. Mining continued in the valley until 2005 when the last active mine closed. The climate in the valley is very harsh with temperatures between 90 and 115 degrees for seven months of the year.

The Furnace Creek Museum

Old Mining Equipment

We finished our day by visiting an Old Borax mine complete with the old mine and milling machinery.