PART 2 of 3: DEATH VALLEY VIEWS
So, in the previous page we saw the Sierras and the Owens Valley. The next valley to the east from there is either the Saline Valley or the Panamint Valley, depending on how far north you are, and after that comes Death Valley. This next photo shows the Sierra on the right and the Inyos directly below. The Panamint Range with snowy Telescope Peak is under the clouds to the left in the photo, just barely visible.
This next photo is taken much later and now we are over the Grapevine Mountains (just north of the Funeral Range) looking at Titus Canyon (click to go there) from above. Titus Canyon is the squiggly line --road-- pointing into the valley where the cloud breaks, toward the left.
A few seconds later the Death Valley's Sand Dunes came into view, at the bottom of the valley (Sierras in the distance with part of Owens Lake and southern reach of Inyo Range also visible):
Next comes the central part of Death Valley. The Panamint Range lies under the clouds, the Panamint Valley lies just beyond that range, and beyond yet another range you can once more make out the Owens Valley and the Sierras on the horizon:
To the left in the above photo the salt flats and small lake of Badwater are visible. Here is a better look at both:
A hot week later, that lake seems to have shrunk even further (sky is now dusty, hot winds are blowing):
The small dark area just above the third and last '5' in the date in the above photo is where the Furnace Creek resort is located. It is fed by a series of springs called the Travertine Springs. Texas Spring is also a contributor to the valley's water supply. To the left of that darker area lies a lighter area with a semi-circular shape with some darker, radial lines like spokes at its edges. That is an erosional outflow feature, debris flowing from the canyon visible in the photo, and underneath that debris outflow there is water flowing into the valley at discreet locations. The dark stripes are vegetation along those outflow lines.
As we now move further south, the plane turns east and before Death Valley is no longer visible I snap this shot:
Only a few minutes later we are looking down at Death Valley Junction on the east side of the Funeral Range:
Death Valley Junction, with its Opera House and Hotel, has already been featured on this web site (click here to go there). Since we are now obviously out of Death Valley, we'll have a look around at places we have visited recently, on the next page.
Go back to the Sierra Nevada and some interesting clouds
you are here now: Death Valley from the air.
Go home to ThoughtsandPlaces.Org page
The next and last page looks at some of the environment around Death Valley that we have explored by car earlier this year.