That night we camped at a campsite in Furnace Creek town – a small oasis of civilization, with a few food places and a mild WiFi connection. We woke up very early – at 5AM we were already ready, our tents packed, enjoying cool and soft desert morning air. We stopped by the Furnace Creek cafe to buy some coffee, and rushed towards the Zabriskie point – a scenic lookout just a few miles away.
Zabriskie point is a part of the Amargosa mountain range separating California’s Death Valley from the Amargosa Desert in the East, belonging to Nevada.
The point is named after the vice-president of the Pacific Coast Borax company in the early 20th century. The establishment of all the villages of the Death Valley are to owed for the Borax and other mining companies. After the mining resources declined, the infrastructure was still there, and was turned into a tourist attraction.
Zabriskie point is noted for its amazing sunrise colors. As the sun rises above the horizon, the rock ridges color with spectacular gold colors. The effect is made even more special by the color of the rock itself, the contour of the ridges and the valley views behind.
When we arrived to the point, the valley was still hiding in a shade. We could then observe how in a less than half an hour the dune-like rock formations were colored with bright gold and copper colors, and the entire valley filled with warmth and life.
The pictures do not give justice to the views we saw. Even though there were a few other keen travelers around us armed with tripods, all we could see were the majestic desert colors.
Mountain Hat 