This morning we drove into Death Valley.  Our first stop was Scotty’s Castle.  We took a tour with a Park Service interpreter.  Much of the tour revolved around Death Valley Scotty, who swindled Albert Johnson but was befriended by Johnson despite his deception.  The two of them built this mansion in the desert:

The generator room kept all this opulence afloat:

We then drove to Ubehebe Crater:

The jumping cousins photo:

Since we were so close to it, we left the RV at Ubehebe Crater and drove the 27 miles over dirt road to The Racetrack, a formation I had always wanted to visit.  On the way we passed Teakettle Junction:

In the distance, The Racetrack, a vast, dry lakebed:

We walked out to The Grandstand:

View from The Grandstand:

The playa goes on forever:

So much for our brand new clean truck:

We drove to the South end of The Racetrack.  Looking North, we could see the mirage reflection of The Grandstand in the distance:

The South end of The Racetrack is home to the mysterious “Sailing Stones”.  The stones leave tracks that indicate they move, and researchers are still trying to understand what allows these rocks to roam the playa:

Behold our dusty trail as we return to the RV:

On our way to the campground, we pulled off the road for a sunset photograph:

Once we settled into our campsite, we prepared a cake for Bubbe’s birthday: