Death Valley 2009 #9
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Death Vally 2009 Trip Page #9
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Furnace Creek Inn & Furnace Creek Ranch Area

The famous Furnace Creek Inn built in the 1920s.

Steep, narrow trail above Furnace Creek Inn.

Colorful mud hills above Furnace Creen Inn.

An original 20 mule team wagon train used in 1885 to haul borax from Death Valley to Mojave, a distance of 165 miles. The borax weighed 24 tons and the entire wagon train weighed 36.5 tons (gross weight). The last wagon carried water for the mules during the hot, 10 day journey across the Mojave Desert. Today, a load of this size would be pulled by a 600 horse power Kenworth T-2000 tractor with an air conditioned cab!

Branchlets of the drought resistant athel tree (Tamarix aphylla) native to Africa & the Middle East.

These candy coated seeds are made for Xanterra resorts and are sold at Furnace Creek Ranch. They are labeled "Death Valley Desert Seeds." The seeds are covered with a thin layer of chocolate with an outer candy coating of sugar and carnauba wax. Guess the name of these seeds! Scroll to next image to see clues on their identification.

Left: Sarah holding a large flower head of the above seeds. Each seed is contained within a dry fruit called an achene. Hundreds of the seed-bearing achenes are packed together in the head. Right: Close-up view of a small portion of the flower head showing six rows and five columns of achenes, a total of 30.

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