First significant stop on the trek home was Death Valley National Park, in California and Nevada.
A strange and somewhat eerie place which appears mostly dead, and very very hot.  We actually arrived on one of the coolest days they had seen in months, only reaching into the mid-nineties.
Furnace Creek Inn... Closed for the season.  (The season in Death Valley runs from mid-October thru mid-March.)
Badwater is the lowest place in North America, officially 282 feet below sea level. Since there is no lower place to go, the water simply evaporates leaving desolate looking salt beds in the bottom of the valley.
There are some areas with standing water. But as you can see, clusters of salt crystals are on the verge of forming, whenever left standing.
Volcanic rock formations are also strewn about, such as Mushroom Rock, and  strange Death Valley dry beer chips, apparently  consumed by the natives.
Views of Golden Canyon
Even our campsite was below sea level. But it gave us a chance to check out the function of Oki’s air conditioning by taking the edge off the 90+ degree inside temperature. At least until 7:00 PM (it worked very well by the way)
We finally left Death Valley, crossing into Nevada and stopping by for a visit to the ghost town of Rhyolite.
Death Valley National Park