of tarantuas and lessons learned

Many moons ago in Spokane, Washington, I placed my bare hand on the metal handle of a west facing door to Macy's in the baking summer sun.

That was a mistake.

In Death Valley, California, at the Visitor Centre, there is a digital read out displaying the temperature. I was not smart enough to take a picture of it but it was about 80F. The read out is not far from this door:

Do you think I opened that with my bare hand? Or do you think I wrapped the sleeve of my unworn hoodie around my hand and opened the metal handle that way? I can learn things!

Among the things I learned at the visitor centre: common fauna here include scorpions, snakes, and tarantulas. 

We stopped at Zabriskie Point. it reminded me a lot of Drumheller.

I also felt a bit like U2.

As we were walking back from the look out, Jason jumped about a foot back. he did it again, which made us all jump back because we didn't know what was going on. Jason had jumped at a butterfly. He swears it was a flying tarantula. I imagine after nearly being killed by a rock, flying tarantulas are not outside the realm of possibility.

Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level.

last of the annual rainfall in the basin.

In the upper middle of this picture is  a sign that shows where sea level is.

The basin itself is a dry lake bed covered in salt and other not so great for you minerals.

The salt is really soft in the parts that haven't been trodden down.

We carried on to Mesquite Flats. There are sand dunes here with the softest sand I have ever stepped foot in.

We ended the day in Bakersfield, CA. This is far closer to Charles Manson that I'd ever like to be. Our excellent guide gut me a cake!

Next: part one of my second UNESCO of the trip.