This was a view from the parking area at the entrance to Golden Canyon, our morning destination on our first full day in the park. In the photo above, Mike, Joe and Claudia are heading toward Cathedral Rock at the end of this walk.
This canyon provided the background for several scenes from the first Star Wars trilogy (droids, Jawas and Sand People all spent time in this canyon).
Leaving Golden Canyon, we drove to one of the highest points in the park, Dante's View, elevation almost 5500 feet above sea level. From here we could look down on Badwater Basin, the salt flat that sits at the lowest point in North America, elevation 282 feet below sea level.
Below are two more views.
From Dante's View, we took an off-road drive on our way to Zabriski Point, named for one of the early Vice Presidents of the Pacific Coast Borax Company, an important part of the history of this valley and home of the original 20-mule teams.
Before heading back to the inn, we wanted to see Death Valley's 18-hole golf course, photo below. At 214 feet below sea level, it is the lowest course on earth. We enjoyed the trees lining the parking lot.
We had dinner that night in the Dining Room at the Furnace Creek Inn, but before that, we visited the bar and had a nice conversation with the bartender. That's a desert cactus Margarita, a house speciality.