National Park #16, canceled February 25, 2021
We were super excited for this trip because due to Covid we hadn’t been camping in far too long. We also decided to bring along my niece and nephews for their very first camping trip! To encourage buy-in from our sometimes cantankerous eldest daughter, we let her plan out the activities she wanted to do. Not surprisingly, most of her selections had to do with “Star Wars,” though she did surprise us with a hike to Darwin Falls on the west side of the park to start the adventure.
We arrived around 1:00 and set off down what we thought was the trail to the falls, but after half a mile or so, I got the feeling we were going the wrong way. (It would have helped if I checked out the sign at the parking area instead of relying on seven-year-old memories of this hike!) My niece recommended that we return to the car, eat and drink, then start totally fresh. It was a great idea, and we made it to the falls about 30 minutes after our second departure. The kids were thrilled that the trail included stream crossings (on logs!) and rock scrambling.
Then we set off eastward across the park towards our campsite at Furnace Creek–or so we thought. After about 20 minutes, I again realized we were going the wrong way. We turned around and made good time, arriving at Salt Creek a little over an hour before sunset. We walked the whole boardwalk path, spotting quite a few cute little pupfish. They weren’t terribly active, though.
Then we finished the drive and set up camp. I put the tent together while Jeremy cooked dinner, and the kids floated between us. There was a re-learning curve for the tent, so it took longer than usual, but we eventually got it all together and enjoyed fire-roasted hot dogs with baked beans and s’mores. We turned in about 8:30 and most everyone slept pretty well, though some were a little cold.
Our second day in the park was dedicated to exploring “Star Wars” film locations and re-enacting as many scenes as we could. The NPS app was of great assistance, as it had an auto tour specifically highlighting the movie sites. We started at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center and got park stamps and junior ranger books for the youngest ones, who hadn’t already completed them on a previous trip. Then we drove through Twenty Mule Team Canyon where C-3PO and R2D2 walked towards Jabba the Hut’s palace.
Next up was Dante’s View where Obi-Wan, Luke, and the droids overlooked Mos Eisley’s spaceport. Then we visited Golden Canyon where the Jawas took R2D2, followed by Artist’s Palette where R2D2 explored the canyon and where the Sandcruiser made its way across the desert. A relatively long scene of the Tuskan raider attack was recreated at Desolation Canyon, then we drove back up the road we came in on the day before to visit the Mesquite Sand Dunes. This was where C-3PO and R2D2 parted ways. The kids wanted to stay and play at the dunes for a lot longer, but we didn’t want dinner in the dark again so we headed back.
Before returning to camp, we stopped at Zabriskie Point for a beautiful view above Golden Canyon. I may have been in a bit of a hurry to beat the sunset because on the way there I was stopped by a police officer for not slowing down while passing through Furnace Creek. He let me off with a warning (phew!). We had some daylight left when we started making dinner, but it was dark by the time we ate. Even still, everyone loved their Frito pie, and we had enough stuff for s’mores again. We got everything cleaned up and surprisingly the lights were out by 8:00!
It was a really windy night, but the tent kept us all warm and we still got a decent sleep. Everything was packed up and back in the car shortly before 9:00, and we set off for the gift shop so the kids could buy the souvenirs they picked out yesterday. We stopped at Devil’s Golf Course and Badwater (the lowest place in North America – 282 feet below sea level) on the way out. And we surprised the kids with a stop at Eddie World for ice cream!
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