Well, the clouds are only over the mountains as we journey up the valley between the Black Mountains to our west and the Funeral Mountains on the east. The Funeral Mountains mark the eastern boundary of the National Park and are known for their rugged and colorful bands of limestone.
Clouds are over the mountains all around us, but we have sun. Hooray!
Keep an eye out for the dirt road, it is a bit hard to see.
Wow, the very beginning of the canyon road and amazing colors of the Black Mountains!
As we continue these formations tell us, according to people who know, that this area was covered with a warm, shallow sea between 542 – 251 million years ago (Paleozoic Era). The lower, more yellow formations are ancient sand dunes.
Now this is a big switch . . .
This canyon has no official trails, but you can walk where you please.
Let’s take a walk up a wide wash and talk of the name, 20 Mule Team Canyon. These big teams of mainly mules pulled huge wagons loaded with tons of borax down from the Harmony Borax Works (near the Visitor Center in Furnace Creek) on a 10-day journey to the railroad 165 miles south.
The teams only lasted six years, from 1883 to 1889, but they have a lasting impact on our idea of the Old West mainly due to a successful advertising campaign. First promoting 20-Mule Team Borax soap and then the long-running Death Valley Days, first on radio from 1930 to 1945, and then on television from 1952 to 1975. Twenty Mule Team Borax is still sold today!
https://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/history/
Didn’t expect this as we turned the corner up the wash! Such amazing, beautiful rocks/hills/mountains. Remember what the colors indicate and surprise everyone you know!
- RED / ORANGE = Hematite
- YELLOW = Limonite
- GREEN / BLUE = Chlorite, Nontronite
- PURPLE = Hematite
Heading back down to the SUV we see the Black Mountains in the background.
The Park Service tells us this road is a roller coaster and it is beginning to narrow which made we wonder. Did the 100-foot long mule team with their wagons navigate this area?! The answer is no. This area was prospected for borax and the remains of loading platforms, mine tailings, and tunnels can be found today.
You can see informal trails here and there, but caution is advised around any mining remains you happen to encounter.
Our roadside landscape is changing a bit, showing how erosion uncovers harder rock formations unlike most we have seen. The road is also changing. It is narrower with tight turns and steep drops.
Here we are at the top of an incline and the drop is so steep I can’t see the road over the SUV’s hood! Well, it is a one-way road with no place to turn around so here we go!!
Phew, at least it was straight down. I admit, I’m traveling under 5mph. Better wimpy than sorry 😉 .
A last goodbye to this colorful mountain.
Back on CO-190 we are heading to Furnace Creek Visitor Center to get the scoop on special advisories in the park. Oops, have to stop here. Oh the landscapes! Looking west . . .
Looking east . . .
Just can’t get over the stunningly beautiful and different landscapes. We still have much to see in Death Valley, so see you soon . . .
