We were on our way to Darwin Falls which lies on the western border of the park. In this picture where the road disappears and veers to the left you can see the Mesquite Sand Dunes. Route 190 climbs these mountains called the Panamint Range and descends into another valley. Awesome long distance views of the valley, the road we were on, and the surrounding mountains were the highlight of the trip.
Route 190 is where jet fighter aficionados hang out as they fly through what National Geographic calls Panamint Valley and others call it the Star Wars Valley. While crossing back a fighter jet flew over us. Before you could say did you see that it was almost out of sight. The jet tipped its wings as it flew by! Was it acknowledging us or just practicing a maneuver?
On the other side of the valley is a stopping point called Panamint Springs where one can find a sad looking motel, gas, RV lot, a restaurant and a mile down the road the entrance to Darwin Falls.
The falls were not that visually interesting other than the anomaly of water flowing in the desert. Usually this is a result of a land fault where the water table is pushed up to the surface. I found the haphazard 2 mile long plumbing job from the falls to Panamint Springs, where every leak created an instant green oasis, more memorable.
That night we returned to the Mesquite Sand Dunes.
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