Death Valley Photography Trip / part 1

My son and I went to Death Valley about a week ago to take photos and explore some of the unique sites in that area.

Day 1. We started at the small ghost town of Ballarat. There we photographed the town cemetary, jail house, and a building built of earth and rocks.

 

Next, we headed to the "Wildrose Charcoal Kilns" where we camped out for the night.

Day 2. Got up about 5am and headed to the "Charcoal Kilns" to get some early shots before the crowds showed up. The Charcoal Kilns were build in 1879 to produce charcoal for the Modock Mine smelter and closed down after only 3 years of use. You can still smell the burned timbers.

In route to our next site my son noticed and abandoned mine on our map, so we decided to check it out. This mine is known as "Eureka Mine". The tunnels have all been stabilized allowing you to tour the mine, but you will need a flashlight (2 flashlights are recommended in case one dies). In the winter the mine is closed with a bat gate due to hibernating Townsend's long eared bats. The mine opens again in spring.

The camp for the miners of the Eureka mine is called Aguereberry Camp named after "Pete Aguereberry", a miner who toiled Eureke mine from 1905 until his death in 1945. The camp is located less than 1/4 mile from the Eureke mine.

We then drove to Mesquite Dunes....

Then Scotty's Castle and the Ubehebe Crater.

We will finish the Death Valley Photography trip in Part 2.....