#612CrossCountryRoadTrip / Death Valley National Park

On my recent trip across the country, I passed through Death Valley National Park in central California on the drive east toward home. Death Valley is the hottest, driest and lowest national park in the country, as well as the largest national park in the continental United States.

Highway 190 crosses the Panamint Mountain Range and descends to the floor of Death Valley, paralleling the historic route that gold seekers forged when crossing the valley in 1849.
Warnings upon entering Death Valley National Park included (1) Do not rely on cell phone service, as coverage is extremely limited, (2) GPS is not always dependable and may lead you where you do not want to go, (3) heat kills! don't become a victim of Death Valley, drink plenty of water and carry extra water with you, (4) maintain at least half a tank of gasoline, and (5) the warnings against bees, scorpions and rattlesnakes.