The next day we got up pretty early (and by pretty early I mean just not quite as late as usual. We’ve been perfecting the art of the leisurely morning with coffee and tea and just enjoying the spot we are in before heading off to the next one) and drove to Darwin Falls for a short hike. The waterfall at the end of the hike is not very impressive compared to waterfalls in general, but very neat to discover that Death Valley is full of surprises and not just desert. You head back far enough and things start changing dramatically and defying your expectations of this ‘desert’ park. The hike seemed fairly popular and there wasn’t much of a spot to hang out at the end so we heading back pretty quickly. We spent some time trying to befriend the local frogs and lizards and convince them to be models for us, but they were not really interested in being featured on Instagram. Malachi the Wonder Beast made some friends in the parking lot and then we heading off down Saline Valley Road towards some hot springs.
The drive back to Warm Springs was an adventure in itself and we got to see a salt lake and the remnants of a contraption that the miners used to transport the salt over the mountains. We climbed up into a higher altitude with fir trees where it was quite a bit cooler only to descend again into the valley on the other side. The microclimates of Death Valley definitely keep you on your toes.
The road back to the springs was unmarked, but we managed to turn on the right one without too much issue. Once you get a little way off the main road there is a metal totem like structure with dangling bats and other fun bits. There are 3 springs, but the first two are where people camp. We set up camp just down from the 2nd springs. This place is a throwback to the 60’s complete with the hippies, most of whom seem to have lived through the 60’s, but also a younger, bohemian crowd. The springs are clothing optional and many people were partaking of the clothing only option. The first set of springs is where most of the action is happening. We went down to check them out in the evening and rinsed ourselves off first in an outdoor shower created using an old bathtub that was recessed into the ground. People that had come before had left a wide variety or soaps and shampoos to sample. The tubs were lovely in the twilight and the local bats came by to say hello and sip water from the tubs while we sat in them. It was magical. A veritable naked panel of older gentlemen were in the upper tub we were soaking in and I tried to quiz them as to where the bats lived. I got a different answer from each of them. At the same time a little boy with his heart set on catching a bat set out with his pops to do so. The endeavor was ultimately a failure so there was some sadness about that, but I was rooting for him the whole time. There are also local burros here – descendants left over from the original miners’ burros. They are friendly and it is a no no to feed them, but I couldn’t resist giving one of them a carrot (don’t tell anyone.) We saw two of the burros rolling around in the sandy soil like happy puppies at the beach and I kind of fell in love with them. Apparently, Death Valley had rid itself of most of its non-indigenous burros back when it was still only a national monument, but upon becoming a National Park in 1994 its overall size was increased and it acquired new areas that the burros were still in. They are a fun throw back. The whole area of Warm Springs is really.
Apparently there has been talk for years about the National Park taking more control of this area which is now mostly left to the local volunteers to deal with. The park would want to start charging for camping and perhaps try to remove palm trees that the hippies planted around the pools 50-some years ago. I think it would be a shame to change it though as the place is like going back in time to the 60’s. And I think, at this point, the general feeling about the springs pretty closely coincides with how people feel about the burros still there – it has been there so long it has it’s own history even though some original features of the wilderness there might have been tweaked just a touch.
Malachi was not so impressed with the burros by the way. He didn’t seem to notice them til late at night when they approached the camper a few times. His barking alerted us to their presence. Zack Attack told him he was a good doggo for protecting us from danger. I was a little more paranoid of the ruckus. Malachi’s barking can be loud and he sounds like a mean old beastie sometimes when really his is the friendliest, doofiest doggo one could ask for.
Tomorrow we will go through Steele Canyon – a rarely traveled chunk of 4×4 road that Zack Attack has his heart set on. We weren’t going to be able to do it at all as were short on gas, but some fellow travelers let us have a few gallons of their extra gas. Thanks, guys!
