On the way there, we stopped at Sequoia National Forest. We didn't get to see any big sequoia trees because the roads were still closed due to snow. We made it as far as we could to the Blackrock campground, then turned back.
The forest was a nice change of pace from the Mojave Desert. Here is a picture of our descent back into the high desert.
We made our way up to Lone Pine and snapped some pictures of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states.
We arrived at Death Valley in the evening, in time to wander around the Mesquite Flat sand dunes before the sun went down.
This morning, we made our way north to south through the valley:
Zabriskie Point
Telescope Peak above salt flats
The Devil's Golf Course
Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America
It only got up to the high 80s there today. I can only imagine how hot it gets in the summer!
As we were heading out of the park (driving around 50 mph), I saw a coyote walking towards us along the side of the road. I was able to stop the car before it got to us, but once it did, it appeared to beg for food.
Once I realized what it was doing, I realized how smooth an operation that coyote ran. It stayed along the white stripe so it was visible but not in grave danger of being hit. Then it begged for food once a car stopped. We felt bad for it, but didn't give it anything -- we just drove on once it was out of the way.
