Up before sunrise so we could take a long walk out on the salt flat near Badwater (elevation: 282 feet / 85.5 meters below sea level) and wouldn’t you know it, it takes forever for the sun to reach us.

We almost gave up after having walked out approximately a mile and a half (2.4km) and waiting for more than a half-hour for the sun to peek over the mountains.

Luckily, we held our ground because watching the shadow brighten and give way to sunlight was spectacular. The bluish salt quickly turns golden for a moment before blazing white.

Out on the salty Death Valley floor, we found areas where the ground buckles and small stalagmites grow in the cracks; insects that didn’t leave before the last water evaporated are dried into fragile shells, and miniature forests comprised of salt crystals, hair-thin filaments, and ceramic-like chunks that sound of glass as they clink together.

Daybreak here is as amazing as any sunrise at the Grand Canyon.

Heading up Mustard Canyon Drive to visit a place in the park we’ve not visited previously, I think.

The Harmony Borax Works lay in ruins but are well worth the drive up the narrow road.

Trying to maximize daylight hours during the shortened days of winter, we pushed Jutta along so we could make one more stop along the way before heading home. And don’t be mistaken; I’m not implying this giant cow is my mother-in-law.

Looking into the clear waters that are emerging from this spring at the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Amargosa Valley, Nevada.

Our visit will be short as we have quite a few miles left before pulling into Phoenix this evening.