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Home , Amargosa River, Death Valley, Nopah Range, Titus Canyon

venture to the Death Rendezvous

April 14-19, 2019 ITINERARY 1. Shoshone Village 7. Ash Meadows National 2. Titus Wildlife Refuge 3. China Ranch Date Farm 8. 4. Canyon 9. Artist’s Drive 2 5. Dumont Dunes 10. Devil’s Golfcourse 6. Emigrant Pass 11. Furnace Creek NATIONAL PARK 12. Dante’s View 13. Airport 11 7 9 Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge 8 12 13 1 Shoshone Village 6 4 3 Sunday, April 14: Arrival beds and younger alluvial gravels. 5 South Arrive to Las Vegas’ McCarran Internation- The canyon preserves a rich historical record Wilderness Area of abandoned mines, the Old Spanish Trail, N al Airport by noon; trip vehicles will pick up attendees and stop for lunch on the 1 ½ hour and the Tonopah & Tidewater railroad bed. drive to Shoshone Village, CA. Enjoy the after- We will eat lunch on the lovely grounds of noon wandering the village, its museum, and the farm, and for those who would rather not a geologic walk through time. We will gather walk to various sites, the immediate grounds Join geology-minded friends, old and for our first group dinner that evening. and store offer plenty of spaces for leisure COSTS AND INCLUSIONS: while others explore the trails. new, on this rich experience exploring the • $1,360/person - single room; Our next stop at Dumont Dunes, distinctive area’s geologic wonders, natural habitats Monday, April 15: Geology in $1,080/person - shared room against their bordering volcanic hills and for abundant plants and wildlife, and the Park A drive on our first field day will take us into Amargosa River, will put us at the south- cultural history. • Transportation to/from Las Vegas eastern corner of Death Valley National Park. McCarran International Airport the national park to , a deep, narrow gorge—less than 20 feet wide in Formed by windblown sand from a prehistoric The trip offers something for everyone, • Five (5) nights lodging parts—in the steep face of the Grapevine lake, almost every type of dune can be found from geologists to their guests. Any areas Mountains. The canyon features limestone here, with the highest reaching about 500 we visit for walks/hikes have ample • All meals (beginning with dinner on the formations and petroglyphs alongside rare feet above the river. We can see the geologic space and scenery for those preferring to day of arrival, ending with breakfast on native plants and wildlife (one of the best record of “Snowball Earth,” a hypothesis that relax and enjoy their surrounds. All meals day of departure) places in the park to see ). Earth was completely encased in ice about Colorful rock deposits contain 30-35 million 650 million years ago. are included, other than lunch on the • Water and snacks for field days We will make a stop at Emigrant Pass to arrival/departure days, when vehicles will year old fossil beds. Discussions will include • National Park Entrance Fees the area’s mining history, and we will have look for early Cambrian fossils from the Carrara stop for guests to eat on their own. Our Formation before heading back to Shoshone. home base of Shoshone Village includes • Trip leader Darrel Cowan, Emeritus lunch before our stop at the Furnace Creek Visitor’s Center and museum. a natural setting with plenty of patios and Professor, University of Washington meeting spaces for informal gatherings Earth and Space Sciences, whose life’s Tuesday, April 16: Geology and local and conversations around our planned work and research has centered on the cultural stops activities and meals. Death Valley region Our day begins with a trip to the China Ranch • Naturalist Len Warren, Amargosa River Date Farm, a lush oasis hidden in some of the Project Director, The Nature Conservancy, most spectacular scenery of the Mojave Des- leading a guided bird walk ert. Walk to views of the dramatic Amargosa River Canyon, carved about 200,000 years ago • Handouts including trip itinerary, when ancient drained. We will see short field guide, map badlands sculpted from eight million year old ASH MEADOWS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE RAINBOW MOUNTAIN

Wednesday, April 17: Focus on wildlife before heading to Artist’s Drive, a scenic loop The day begins in Shoshone, where we will of colored claystone from ancient ashfall. Our walk the nature trails through wetlands and next observations will be at the Devil’s Golf wilderness areas to see the Course, a vast expanse of rock salt eroded into that had been declared extinct in 1970. A serrated spires where the pings of bursting naturalist will accompany the group on a bird salt crystals can be heard. We’ll stop at Fur- walk in the area. nace Creek for lunch around its picnic tables In late morning we will head to Ash Meadows before venturing up to Dante’s View, high over National Wildlife Refuge in the Amargosa Badwater and offering views of the , directly east of Death Valley National Mountains and the 11,049’ . Park. Ash Meadows is home to the highest This is often called the most breathtaking concentration of endemic species in the United viewpoint in the park. States. Walk the boardwalk trails to see natural Upon our return to Shoshone, those who Caribbean-blue spring pools in the middle of would like can continue the day with short the , nearly 300 species of birds, and walks into local history, including cave dwellings distinct species and subspecies of pupfish used by miners in the 1920s. Our field days will that existed when end with an optional, post-dinner discussion of mammoths roamed the sites along the trip. the earth. We will have time here for Friday, April 19: Departure lunch, discussions, Breakfast will be available before vehicles and walks to unique depart for the airport. spots like the famous . Thursday, April 18: Diving Deeper into the Park Our first stop of the day will be Badwater For more information or to reserve, Basin (-282’), vast salt flats at the lowest please contact: elevation in covering almost Debbie Marcinkowski 200 square miles. We will take our time and (303) 357-1047 those who wish may walk out to the flats [email protected]