Death Valley Part I

When we were little our parents would take us out to Death Valley over President's Day weekend. It was always the perfect time to go; it wasn't too cold and the summer heat hadn't yet made its way to the valley. We camped, hiked, and explored the beauty around us. With a name like "Death Valley" it may not seem like the most appealing place to visit, but we LOVED the time we spent there. There is so much to see and God's hand is everywhere you look.

A month or so ago my mom and dad suggested we take a trip out there again; we haven't been in years! They packed up the trailer for us all to use, purchased food and planned meals, and did dang near everything so that we could all have a good time.

We met Zach, Rachel, and Lucy on the way and made our way to a campsite. Our first campsite was more of a parking lot and we were bummed that there wasn't even a fire pit! The kids didn't care, though. As soon as they were up the next morning they got to work attempting to crack open every large rock they could find in search of crystals.

While the girls were hard at work, Zach and my mom went on a search for a better camping spot. They saved the day by securing the last and BEST spot at a nearby (actual) campground, fire pit included! We made our way over there before heading out to explore some of the valley...

Cutest Lucy after her very first night of camping.

The wildflowers were beautiful. We mostly saw these yellow ones but there were some really pretty purple and pink flowers scattered here and there. They smelled wonderful but, sadly, Kaylee was terribly allergic to them and exploded into a fit of sneezes any time we were close to them.

(Wildflower photos provided by Rachel. Thanks, Rachel!)

Next we visited the Devil's Golf Course which is a giant field of crystallized salt structures. They were wonderful and amazing and also dangerously sharp and treacherous. Luckily we made it out without so much as a scrape! We tasted bits of these little formations and they were... you guessed it. Salty.

 (photo by: Rachel)

 (Photo by: Zach)

(photo by: Zach)

Poor Mallory was hot, tired, and very snot-nosed by the end of our little excursion.