In a way, this day was all about evolution. Of course, most people that know me know that I think scientifically, and those that have spoken to me regarding evolution know that I have considered the matter at length, and don't hold to the beliefs of the majority of the scientific community, so I usually don't throw around the term, but this day was never-the-less what I consider evolutionary.
Watch Sunrise from Father Crowley Vista
On day 47, I fully explored much of Death Valley, and was ready to leave, but had stopped short of the exit to the park, on a turnoff about 1/4 mile of the Father Crowley Point on State Rte 190 for the night. This is where I woke, and drove on to Father Crowley Point to watch the sunrise.
Backtrack to Darwin Falls
After the sun was up, I continued on past the park exit, then decided I wanted to see one last feature of the park. I backtracked to the rough gravel 1.5 mile road that leads to Darwin Falls (a rougher 2.5 mile portion of this road continues on from the falls trail head to the town of Darwin, but is only accessible with a 4x4 vehicle). Sure, I'm using the name of these falls as the basis for calling the whole day evolutionary, but they are aptly named, and much of the day followed fits as well. Keep in mind, this is still in Death Valley - one of the driest parts of the world, and yet, it is a year-round, active waterfall and creek oasis around which greenery and animals flourish that you'd never expect to find in a desert. The hike back to the falls devolves from wide swaths of gravel trails that are well trod by horses and men alike, into subtle pathways over boulders and across fallen tree limbs floating across the creek. I made my way through these, and came to the lower falls, which aren't as tall as the 60 foot upper falls, but do themselves fit the name, as the single stream of falls splash down on the top of a triangular rock, and are separated into two distinct streams. I didn't go on to the upper falls, which are even more remote to access than the lower falls, partially because I didn't know they were there, since the trail head information only included the general map of the whole park with a "you are here" circle around the name of the falls - not very helpful. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the lower falls, even though the overgrowth made it difficult to get a clear view of them.
State Hwy 178/ Kern River/ South Sequoia National Forest
My original intent after leaving Death valley was to stop at the KOA near Lake Isabella, which is near the southern edge of the Sequioa National Forest, so I figured it would take me out of the desert, and into the woods, which is much more favorable for camping. My route took me from St Rte 190 to St Hwy 178, a road that itself represents evolution of landscape, from the arid desert, to a bouldery mix of Joshua trees and sparse evergreens around Lake Isabella. Unfortunately, though there is some vegetation around, the climate is still quite desert-like.
I just didn't feel like spending the night in the heat, so I decided to keep on driving to Bakersfield - a much bigger city that has several lodging options to choose from, and regular grocery stores where I could restock food and drinks, since I used up all but 1 bottle of water in the desert. As I continued down Hwy 178, just past Lake Isabella, the terrain continued to evolve into a forest - majestic mountains, trees of all sorts, spaced perfectly to see each one and the grass growing on the ground between them. The Kern river winds through the valleys, and the highway snakes along the mountain chain. The only remnant from the transition is the scale of the mountains and the boulders surrounding the countryside. The only way it could be more beautiful is when juxtaposed against the desert landscape I had just left. There are numerous turnouts where you can picnic, fish, or just take in the scenery - it is, after all, a part of the Sequoia National Forest.
Quality Inn Bakersfield
The winding of the road through the mountains straightens as the mountains give way to rolling hills and the river runs through a dam to generate power for the city of Bakersfield. I continued into the city, and, since it was already about 4:30, I stopped for lunch before checking into the Quality Inn (I checked a few other hotels, but they were all much more expensive). The final evolutions of the day were about to occur. First, I transformed my boots from a dirty, sandy mess, back to being clean, with only a few mars from rocks I've climbed to show for the trip thus far, and I also cleaned the salt scum that was covering my sandals from walking around the salt flats of Badwater.
Next, I addressed my car, which I had finally washed on the way to Death Valley. While it only had a thin film of sand on it and a few bugs, I set to work cleaning the windows and wiping off the film. Mostly, I wanted to work on cleaning the inside of my hatch glass, which had developed a nasty film on it over time. I had scrubbed it mostly clean while in Texas, but it was still a bit hard to see through in some places, so I spent a while laying on the gear in my truck, scrubbing the remaining scum that was on it, as people walked by looking at me like I was strange for having my feet hanging out the back of my car's "trunk."
Finally, I evolved. I hadn't had a shower in 5 days, in which time I had sailed in the Pacific for 4 hours, slept at a Walmart, visited the high school home of Bill and Ted, hiked 9 miles from the Griffith Observatory to the Hollywood sign and back, explored the observatory, walked around Hollywood, drove to Santa Monica Pier, slept at a Walmart, explored Calico Ghost Town, drove to Death Valley and watched the sunset from Dante's Point, slept at the Mesquite Sand Dunes, watched the sunrise from the top of one of the higher sand dunes, walked around the Badwater Salt Flats, hiked the Natural Bridge Trail, explored the Devil's Golf Course, the Artist's Palette, ate lunch at Furnace Creek, toured Scotty's Castle, walked around the Bonnie Claire playa in Nevada, hiked around the Ubehebe Crater, slept in a turnoff in Death Valley, watched the sunrise from Father Crowley Vista, drove back to Darwin's Falls, hiked to the lower falls, and drove to Bakersfield. I was filthy, and stank. My hair was clumped, my blue pants had turned sandy brown with white salt stains where I had sat and knelt on the salt flats while checking out salt crystals, and my shirt...well, it was just nasty. I was a walking zombie-animal type of creature that was nothing like the civilized human I am. After cleaning my car and my gear, it was finally time to clean myself. I hopped in the shower and descunged. I was human again (at least, civilized human, though I forgot to shave, but that and a haircut would follow the next day).
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