DEATH VALLEY - APRIL 2001

This trip we made it to Badwater - the lowest point in the US. Having bought a postcard depicting the place in the 1930s, I can say on some authority that it looks the same. Maybe less sepia, ha ha.

There was quite a puddle of water and even some greenery - it was, after all, spring. We managed for almost half an hour outside before escaping back into the cool air conditioned car. The water looked refreshing but was full of swimming things and surrounded by salt encrusted rocks - certainly "bad water"!

(Left) We walked out onto the salt flats past Badwater; we didn't realise how far we'd gone until we realised the cars in the carpark were just little specks! (Right) Artist's Palette was pretty spectacular - some really lovely colours, created by different minerals: iron salts, manganese and decomposing mica, amongst others.