Day 6, All this Sand and no Beach. Guess we'll head to the pool.

March 27, 2028

We got up early again. It was 54 when we left about 6. We were headed to Dante's Point, a little over 40 minutes away and quite a bit higher in elevation. I packed up breakfast, lunch, warm coats and hats, and sunscreen.

Dante's Point was 30 degrees colder and windy. We weren't the only people there... Luckily, we were prepared. We stayed long enough to watch the sun light the snow-capped mountain and the valley floor

We next followed the Twenty Mule Team Road. It's an unpaved, one-way road that winds its way up and down and around a narrow passage with a few challenges through the badlands.
Given the desolation of much of Death Valley, am area as large as the state of New Hampshire, it's hard to believe there would be many wildflowers. The park's wildflower page reported that the wildflowers are just beginning and says where to see them. This involved a detour along Mud Canyon. We saw a smattering of yellow, purple, and orange flowers and a few areas that look like there will be an explosion of color soon.
There are a number of explosive volcanic craters in the area. The largest is Unehebe. We hiked the two mile trail along its rim with a short detour to see a smaller crater.
We stopped by the Mesquite Springs campground to check it out and to use a picnic bench to eat lunch.

We still hadn't visited the Mesquite Sand Dunes, our last adventure for the day and for Death Valley. It is so hard to understand the variety of landforms in the park.

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