Date: 1/3/2013
Time: 4pm~
Sunset: 4:45pm
Trip Day #: 2
Stops #: 5
Location: Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
Travel Buddies: Ebie and Mimi
After the Artist Drive, we headed straight to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. It is at the northern end of the valley floor and surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is also the most easy access sand dunes of all in Death Valley as it is just a short walk away from the parking lot. The largest dune there is called Star Dune which is around 130-140 ft in depth(relatively small compare to others upt o 700ft in the Mojave Desert areas). It is a popular spot for sunset and photography as the sunset lighting turn the dunes into golden colors. If you look closely at the sand waves, you will see the sand sparkle in the orange sunlight.
We got to the parking lot around 4:15am and hiked out to sand toward the tallest dune, hope that we could catch the sunset up on the tallest dune. However, by the time I got the the foothill of the dune just before the tallest one, the sun was already low in the sky and almost touches the tip of the summit that surround the area. Knowing that the sun was about to set, I hurried and run up the dune. Just as i got to the half way to the dune, suddenly everything turned into gray! “Ah, the sun had set!!” I said. It was just before 4:30pm when the sun was set before the summit.
Photo by Mimi
Since I was half way up to the ridge of the dune that should had give me the best view of the tallest dune, I continued the hike to the top of it. I walked a long the ridge a bit and that was when Mimi took a photo of me.
After the sunset at the sand dunes, we drove back to the campsite for dinner and attended the ranger program, Curious About the Starry Night?, at the vistor center that night. It was a great history and astronomy program hosted by the park ranger. You get to learn how people passes down the knowledge of the stars and constellation thought stories. We also got to spent 15-20mins outdoor with the ranger where she used a green laser pointer to point out planets, star clusters, and galaxies.
Next, the RaceTrack(the moving stones).