Friday, December 16, 2016

The vacation my family had planned for winter break was the best. We were to go ski on Saturday and Sunday, and be on vacation in Death Valley from Tuesday to Saturday in the first week of winter break. Dad did lots of research, so we would be prepared for the trip. After I got back from school, mom and I packed. My sister Pia and my dad eventually joined us. We left around 7:15 pm. We stayed at Best Western in Pollock Pines, about an hour from sierra at Tahoe. I was tired, because I had just come back from my trip to Yosemite the week before.

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Today we woke up, and had breakfast at the hotel. We put on thermals and ski gear. We started our drive to Tahoe. We reached  the Sierra- at-Tahoe ski resort around 8:40. I met my team. I also saw a friend of mine who is in the ski program I ski in named Camilla. She is in the Rippers program. In my program called Development team, or D team, my family and I ski every weekend from 9 to 3 with a team. We improve immensely, and I can ski double black diamond slopes now. By lunch, my toes were numb, because my socks had gotten wet. I stayed the rest of the afternoon in the cafe instead of skiing. At 3, the program ended, and my family and I went to the Inn by the lake hotel. After, we went to dinner at the Heavenly base lodge, for Mexican. We originally wanted pizza, but the resort was sold out. I talked with my two friends and we had a lot of fun. I then went home, and went to bed.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Today I woke up, ate breakfast, and got ready to ski again. I Started skiing at 8:45 am. Today I joined a new better group, and we skied blacks the entire afternoon. After, we drove home, and ate dinner in Pleasanton at the Corner Cross Cafe Bakery. I reached home at 8:30 pm.

Monday, December 19, 2016

Today my family rested, because it was the first day of winter break. We watched TV the whole day. I spent a lot of time on my computer.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Today we started packing. Packing wasnt done till 3, which sucks. It took forever, because the number of clothes was a lot.  We left the house at 3:40 in the afternoon. We stopped for a bathroom break at a gas station. At 6 pm, we stopped for dinner at Baja Fresh, a Mexican restaurant. It was not a sit down restaurant, but more of an express. I had a veggie burrito, and my parents shared one. My sister Pia ate a cheese quesedilla. She loves cheese. Baja Fresh is one of my favorite restaurants, because I love Mexican food.  After, we used the bathroom again. The drive was halfway completed by the time we stopped. We stayed the night at Best Western Hotel in Mojave.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

We woke up at seven, showered, and ate breakfast at the hotel. I had bagels and scrambled eggs. Then we packed up, got in the car, and started driving. We stopped for gas first. We drove for hours, without using our phones, and eventually got to the desert. It was beautiful, with red rocks and brown dirt everywhere. You could see the sky for miles. We stopped at a pile of rock for a picture. The rock was Crumbly, and 1 step would sink your feet several inches into the ground. Then, we reached Ballarat, an abandoned ghost town where miners used to live. I recommend stopping to take pictures, because this is a new experience. After, we kept on driving, till we reached a rocky road. I was allowed to stick my head out the moon roof. We eventually stopped to hike. The hike was Darwin’s Fall. The beginning was just sand, which was boring. Around the middle came the fun part. We started jumping over tiny creeks coming from the falls. I also got a chance to climb rocks with my sister. The end was a small waterfall with a small pond for the water. The fall is not too majestic, but the hike is stupendous. I think it should be separate from Death Valley, because Death Valley is a desert, and Darwin’s Falls are water!  On the way back, Pia and I hiked rocks back. Dad took a panorama of me with 4 me’s in it. After we were really hungry, so we ate some snacks. Mom and dad stopped to see the Father Crawley vista point. It was a half an hour trek beyond the parking lot. Then, Pia and I played games till we got to the gas station, and bought strawberry milkshakes. We drove to the hotel after, and watched the sunset. We passed sand dunes that were really large. At the hotel, we checked in. We had a room on the ground floor. Our first room was near the vending machine, so we moved to a better room. After, we went to dinner at the Saloon, where we met some people. I was grumpy and didn’t talk much. The only thing i could eat was pizza, because we ate vegetarian. After, we went to the hotel room, and went to bed.

Thursday December 22, 2016

I woke up around 7, and went for breakfast at 8:30 in the 49er cafe. We had pancakes, fruit, omelets, hash browns, and French Toast. Then we did some grocery shopping for lunch at the general store. After, we got in the car and started driving. We drove south on Bad Water road. We stopped at Golden Canyon, for a hike. We started the hike at 10:45 am. It was beautiful in the canyon, with lots of paths into the canyon walls. Golden Canyon is one of the most popular hikes in Death Valley. It is long, and if you pass the Red Cathedral, you can hike through the Bad Lads to Zabriskies Point, in a four mile hike. We stopped a little before the end, and went back. We did not reach the Red Cathedral, sadly. My father and I reached the end before my mother and sister, so we waited till 12:15 pm. When they came back, we started driving towards Bad Water road. Next we stopped at the Devil’s Golf Course . It is a large plain of crystallized salt, in large formations. The traction was amazing, and people could walk on edges. After, we got in the car again, and my mother drove us to Natural Bridge. We stopped, took a small hike, and ate some snacks. We did not like this hike or the natural bridge. It was nothing great to see. After, our drive finally reached Bad Water. It had pools of salty water, and the salt was everywhere. We walked on it, and even tasted it. I learned that there are salt water snails that live in the water. Bad Valley is the lowest point in North America, at 282 ft below Sea Level. Our family hiked along the salt for a while, and took some photos. My dad and I then returned to the car before my mom and sister, and waited. After, we started driving back, and my sister and I stuck our heads out the moon roof again. We reached Artist’s Palette, and area of mountain with colored rock. The rock is colored because of Volcanic Eruptions millions of years ago, and when the ash settled, it reacted with chemicals to form color.  Artists Palette was beautiful, and I would totally recommend this area. The colors in the rock are made of volcanic ash and minerals. All the hills are easily climbable, and fun. After an hour, I was done, and we got in the car to drive home. We stopped at the visitors center, and finished our junior rangers packet. My mom visited the museum. We ate at the 49er cafe. My dad had salmon, and the rest of us had pasta. Pia had a sandwich.

Friday December 23, 2016

I woke up at 6, and got dressed. Mom drove us all to Zabriskis point. We watched the Sunrise. It was beautiful, and the short hike was worth it. Zabriskies Point looks over many sand dunes, and a hike will take you through them into the Bad Lands to Golden Canyon. According to the signs, Death Valley was once a large lake. Volcanic Eruptions, evaporation, and chemicals caused the water to evaporate, and leave the dunes. Tectonic plate movement then moved the ground into the rugged landscape you see today. Then, we went down to the car and ate the cereal my mother brought. I had Cheerios and pia had fruity loops. We saw some ravens. Then, we drove to Dante’s view. It was so foggy we couldn’t see a thing, and we drove back down. Dante’s View is 5,400 feet above Sea Level, and on a clear day, looks directly down upon Bad Water.  The peak was really cold. I saw pictures, and the view is amazing. After driving back down, my sister went to the pool, and I took a shower. After, my parents and I packed up, and left the hotel room. We had breakfast at the 49er cafe again. My dad and I ate an omelette. Pia had pancakes, and mom ate fruit. Then, we drove to the visitors center, and got junior ranger passes. Then, we drove to the Mesquite sand dunes. Pia and I had some fun sledding down the sand hills. Pia slid down the biggest sand hill. The largest peak of the sand hill is an easy one mile cross country hike through the sand. I really liked the resting time, where I buried my feet in the snow.I stopped after some time, but Pia continued. At one point, dad and I went to use the restroom, and mom met us at the car with pia. We had sandwiches for lunch, then drove to Mosaic Canyon. We stuck our head out the roof again. The mosaic canyon hike was short, but pretty. We walked back, and started driving to Charcoal Kilns. It started raining, so we drove back. Half way through, we got caught in a sandstorm! We could see nought. When we got out, we started driving to Lone Pines. Once we were there, we got a room at the Best Western Hotel. Then mom found a Mexican place to eat dinner at called Bonanza’s. Their food was excellent. I had a fajita with daddy, mom had a tostada, and pia ate quesedilla. After, we drove to the room. Then, we took baths, and went to bed.

Saturday December 24, 2016

Today, I woke up, and got dressed. I had breakfast. The pancake machine wasn’t working, and I had to wait for it to get fixed. Then, dad and I went to the room and packed up. Pia and mom meet us at the car, which was super dirty from the sandstorm, and we started driving. We went to Alabama Hills, and drove around. We saw a rock with a face painted on, and took pictures with it. Then, we stopped to hike at the Arch Loop trail. After the short hike, we kept on driving. We stopped at the road up Whitney Mountain, and turned around. Dad got stuck on a dirt road, and to get back, he had to maneuver through plants and rocks. We went back, and I was allowed to stick my head out the moon roof with Pia. Then, we drove back. Pia and I learned stuff about death valley on the way back. We stopped for lunch of sandwiches and a bathroom break. We continued driving. When we for on the highway, it was snowing! There was snow everywhere. It was 31 degrees out. Then just in a flash, the snow stopped, and there was no snow around me, just green hills. In the car, I saw rows and rows of orange trees for a couple of miles lining the sides of the road. We stopped for gas around 2:35. Then, we kept on driving. We stopped at Pea Soup Anderson’s for dinner. I hated the food, and I don’t recommend eating there. Before Pea Soup Andersons, we had stopped at Starbucks. After dinner, we drove straight home, and reached by 8:45 pm.

Notes

The best time to go to Death Valley is Spring, in February or March. I suggest a four-day trip. Spots to see are the Canyons, Bad Water, or Bad Lands.