To say that Teakettle Junction in Death Valley is
in the middle of nowhere is an understatement.
It requires 21 miles of rugged 4 wheel drive dirt road
to get here.  The name is ironic, as there is no
hope of water within miles.  What would you boil?
For a sense of scale, look at the teeny tiny figure
at the bottom of this photo.  That’s me!  Death
Valley has massive shelfs and tilting layers of
rock sculpted by both glaciers and intense heat.
Not to mention fossil beds dated at 35 million years.
Hiking near the “Artist’s Palette” with rock colors
so intense you could dip a brush right in.

Moving rocks!  These rocks have moved themselves
across parched mudflats.  Scientists have never
actually recorded movement, but theorize that ice
forms around the rocks in winter.  When it rains,
the mudflat becomes slick and the strong winds
propel the rocks on an ice “raft”.  Right now,
the ground is like concrete.  This area is known
as the “Racetrack”, and it looks like these two
rocks are vying for first place – which may take
them years!
Wow – we didn’t have to worry about this with very mild
temperatures, but Death Valley is clearly not
the place to be in the summertime.
One of Death Valley’s seemingly endless roads.
This one leads to the Mesquite Dunes, which
were in the midst of a sandstorm.