6 November ‘06
After another night of being entertained at the stage and getting an early start, we headed out to see some more of the sights of Death Valley. About 25 miles north of Furnace Creek is the other Visitor Center for Death Valley, Stovepipe Wells. About ½ mile past the complex we turned left onto a dirt road. Just over 2 miles later we arrived at Mosaic Canyon. Mosaic Canyon is a very narrow canyon, were the walls are covered with polished rock, very much like marble of varying colors. The best part of this valley is but ½ mile long and very narrow. So narrow in fact you could touch both sides of the walls at the same time in some areas. We also had to climb over some of the rock barriers in places, but then on the way back out of the canyon, we sat on our butts and slid down the polished rocks to the return path below. Throughout our time here in Death Valley we have met individuals, couples, or families from all over Europe and here at Mosaic Canyon it was no different. This family was from Budapest, Hungary and would travel through some of the national parks over the next 3 weeks. Next it was off to see the “kilns”… My thoughts of Death Valley prior to arriving, would have the Valley running for miles from one mountain range to the other, totally flat, filled with sagebrush, sand, snakes, lizards, and absolutely no water and…HOT. I would have been totally wrong. In driving through Death Valley you are either gaining altitude or losing altitude. We were as high as 5400 feet to as low as 200 feet below sea level. Well back to the Charcoal Kilns…They only date back to 1877 but look like remnants of an ancient civilization. The kilns (10) are about 30 feet high and 30 feet in diameter and shaped like a beehive with a small door at the bottom and a vent at the top. They were built to produce charcoal from the surrounding pinon pine forest for the Modoc Mine smelter 25 miles away. Unfortunately this whole project didn’t last more than a very few years…it turned out to be too expensive. Now they are used as a perfect sounding chamber for those who want to set themselves in the center of one of them and sing with the most beautiful echo chamber you ever heard.
After another night of being entertained at the stage and getting an early start, we headed out to see some more of the sights of Death Valley. About 25 miles north of Furnace Creek is the other Visitor Center for Death Valley, Stovepipe Wells. About ½ mile past the complex we turned left onto a dirt road. Just over 2 miles later we arrived at Mosaic Canyon. Mosaic Canyon is a very narrow canyon, were the walls are covered with polished rock, very much like marble of varying colors. The best part of this valley is but ½ mile long and very narrow. So narrow in fact you could touch both sides of the walls at the same time in some areas. We also had to climb over some of the rock barriers in places, but then on the way back out of the canyon, we sat on our butts and slid down the polished rocks to the return path below. Throughout our time here in Death Valley we have met individuals, couples, or families from all over Europe and here at Mosaic Canyon it was no different. This family was from Budapest, Hungary and would travel through some of the national parks over the next 3 weeks. Next it was off to see the “kilns”… My thoughts of Death Valley prior to arriving, would have the Valley running for miles from one mountain range to the other, totally flat, filled with sagebrush, sand, snakes, lizards, and absolutely no water and…HOT. I would have been totally wrong. In driving through Death Valley you are either gaining altitude or losing altitude. We were as high as 5400 feet to as low as 200 feet below sea level. Well back to the Charcoal Kilns…They only date back to 1877 but look like remnants of an ancient civilization. The kilns (10) are about 30 feet high and 30 feet in diameter and shaped like a beehive with a small door at the bottom and a vent at the top. They were built to produce charcoal from the surrounding pinon pine forest for the Modoc Mine smelter 25 miles away. Unfortunately this whole project didn’t last more than a very few years…it turned out to be too expensive. Now they are used as a perfect sounding chamber for those who want to set themselves in the center of one of them and sing with the most beautiful echo chamber you ever heard.