We left the house at 5:30am, and then this was the view at around 6:00am. Matt drove in his ex-Park Ranger Jeep.
We tried to stop by Calico ghost town along the way, but it was a major tourist trap, and it wasn’t even open yet! But it was so touristy you had to pay a $10 entrance fee! WTF!
We drove and then came across this old mine shaft thing or something, and the cool part about this area of the state is that they don’t care where you drive. At all. There are no fencings anywhere. So we decided to try driving up that hill where that mine thing was… but that didn’t work out too well. Ha.
The next stop was at Death Valley Junction, which wasn’t a ghost town, but it might as well have been one, haha.
(Jeanette’s picture.)
Finally, we got to the park. We paid for the daily fee, and then went to pee in an extremely stinky outhouse.
Then… first stop: THE BADLANDS! This is Jeanette and Matt demonstrating that these lands are indeed bad, and need to be punished.
The Badlands are BEAUTIFUL. It’s hard to choose what is the best part of the park, because it’s all so damn cool. This is one of my favorite parts of the park, but they pretty much all are equally awesome.
(Jeanette’s picture.)
(Jeanette’s picture. I LORV IT.)
(Jeanette’s picture.) There was this idea to do symmetrical poses for a while…
Matt doing some crazy jumping, grabbing shit.
(Jeanette’s picture.) Oh yes, symmetrical pose. The best one of all, I’d say.
OH WHAT’S THIS?! WHAT’S THIS?! SUZYOTA IS LIKE TOYOTA AND SUZUKI ALL IN ONE!
They got hungry, so they decided to buy some lunch at the local lunch place. Me? I decided to bring my leftovers from the previous night’s Valentine’s Day dinner, because that was an expensive meal, and bringing it would be my only chance to eat my dill rice and tomato-y dish.
Matt signed Jeanette’s “lame” name.
(Jeanette’s picture.) First, we drove to the campsite. It wasn’t originally the campsite we’d wanted, but it wasn’t the MOST touristy one, either. We set up our tent, which was really freaking amazing and was set-uppable in like ten minutes. RIDONKULOUS!!! I want one of those super tents!
The owner posing with his tent!
When we first got there, we started stacking rocks.
And then!! A ROADRUNNER!!
He’s running!
So we get our tent set up, and then we drive and drive and drive. We pull over so Jeanette can switch with Matt driving, and then Matt does this awesomeness. His last name is Meeks, so it makes sense! Hah!
Then Jeanette starts driving like a grandma.
The first stop was Salt Creek, so we decided to get out, but then it was a really long walk to nowhere, really. So, we didn’t walk all the way before overhearing someone who had just gone there that it wasn’t anything much. So we headed back. But man, there were SO MANY ROCKS! And I picked up two rocks to keep for home, and Jeanette got about a zillion of them haha. I don’t think she ever got them out of Matt’s trunk, where they were put after she picked them up……………….. the walk took FOREVER though because seriously, Jeanette was picking up like every other rock, and there were SO MANY ROCKS! It was so weird that they were all out there, and all different… not sure what geologically caused so many different kinds of rocks to appear in one place…
Next stop: Sand Dunes!
Now, I’d never been to sand dunes before, but damn, they were fun!! We walked and walked and walked and walked up and down hills, up and down… being slightly careful of not getting bitten by scorpions, but not too worried…
There were these interesting clay-like areas that could be lifted up and stacked. Pretty neato.
Stacked!
STACKED!
While climbing up the sand dunes, the sand makes interesting little footstep marks! A lot of the hills hadn’t been treaded on at all, actually.
Pretty layer of black sand, which was notably harder and coarser than the fine sand!
(Jeanette’s picture.) Close-up!
(Jeanette’s picture.) Look at this!
Sand dunes are weird. But awesome.
(Jeanette’s picture.) Mmm, my disgusting feet.
(Jeanette’s picture.) Matt jumping down hills!
(Jeanette’s picture.) This was our end goal: the tallest sand dune. It was so godamn far away, though…
(Jeanette’s picture.) This doesn’t look that tall, but it really is.
(Jeanette’s picture.) We are waking towards the apex!
(Jeanette’s picture.) There was quiiiiite a linnnnne.
So, we got to the highest point, and then ran down. It was pretty fun actually. A lot less scary than I thought it would be, and it was a pretty steep hill. Jeanette was scared at first but got over that too, I thinks.
On our way back, Jeanette is walking like an old woman with a walking stick. The conversation back was quite funny, although I don’t remember details, unfortunately.
Next stop: Mosaic Canyon.
All these stones were marble. SoOo smooth… sOoO amazing. These pictures don’t do it justice WHATSOEVER. It was really nice, and really quiet, and there were barely any other people around. We climbed up, and then I would throw rocks down and hear how they clanked and echoed in the silence. It was awesome, because marble clanks and clacks so very well.
These need some color correction. Godamn.
(Jeanette’s picture.) My superhero picture!!!! BOO-YAH!
(Jeanette’s picture.) The rock’s detail!!!
(Jeanette’s picture.) GROUP PIC!
(Jeanette’s picture.) Matt posing!
(Jeanette’s picture.) Me posing!
When we were done with Mosaic Canyon, it was dark enough, and it was time to head back.
That night, we sat around and made ramen for dinner. Bloorg!
Then it was fun with lights time with Jeanette! We decided she’d write something.
She decided on “love.” “Write it backwards, though,” I said, and she said, “I did,” and then I showed her the picture, and she’s like… ha… (at herself).
Oh, there we go!!!
Then sleep. And blindness and being led around by Jeanette when my contacts were out. 
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