Death Valley: 105 degrees! With no A/C!

We turned some corners, and the road started to get narrow and curvy, which usually means mountains. We passed into Death Valley, and got really confused: Isn't this place supposed to be, like, vast expanses of nothing? Why is it so beautiful? Then the sun started to set as we began the descent into the first valley. It was by far the most beautful sunset we had ever seen, and we pulled over in awe of it. It was literally a rainbow on the horizon. The pictures will never, ever do justice to the Death Valley sunset, but here's our best:

The colors, Duke! The colors!

After that, we started watching the temperature gauge. It was about 78 or so. 78, 79, 80, 81, 828384919397ohgod. We started making bets what it would get to. It hit 95 before we came out of the first valley, went back up for 4,000 feet, and began the descent into death valley proper. We rolled down the windows, because we wanted to be able to say we could do death valley without AC. Also, there were signs telling us to not run the AC because the car will overheat and we've already beaten it up enough. After the first blast of dry, hot 100 degree wind we were screaming "OH GOD IT'S HOT," and whimpering as it crept to 105. Mind you, this was at 9:30 or 10 at night and it was a 35 degree difference from where we were only hours prior. But we did it - 130 feet below sea level and back up to freezing upper 60's with no AC in between. I think it's an accomplishment. Maybe.

We knew the road would have a steep grade down, but we weren't expecting dips on the valley floor. At one point, all I could see was the road as it rose up, then nothing. Did it turn left? Did it turn right? Was it about to plummet downwards into oblivion? We were going too fast to survive anything but a straightaway, so we screamed a bit and hoped for the best. After that they started putting warning signs for the dips, none of which were as terrifying as the first one. A little late, asshole. At one point during the second descent, we saw a sign for an 8% grade. 8%? Not okay. You gonna do more of the "dip" shit at an 8% grade, I'm gonna shit pickles.

We stopped in at a gas station/gift shop and I suddenly developed an obsession with the classic cow skull thing. A clay miniature, postcard, magnet, earrings....I'm going to get home and see all the random crap I bought and wonder what the hell happened. I think it was the heat.

Part of the reason we wanted to go to Death Valley was to collect some sand in a Crystal Skull nip bottle for Jim. So we pulled over to the side, aimed the headlights into the distance and ran out to some dunes with creepy tree skeletons poking up from them. We dug furiously, all too aware of the potential for scorpions or rattlesnakes or, worse, the headlights going out once the car decided it had been turned off long enough.

Death Valley is next to the Nevada border. Ang was working on a blog post when I saw a something that looked suspiciously like a state sign in the distance. I slowed down and pulled in front of it. Ang still wasn't paying attention, and when we came to a full stop, she was all, "what's going on?"

Then she looked up.

She screamed "NEVADA!!!!!", grabbed her camera, and flung herself from the car. She took a picture of the sign, and then wrapped her arms around the pole. I got out to take a picture on my cell, and sat down on the ground next to her. I pointed out that the car is still in California, so we have to go back to get it. She refused.

I actually had to go get the car, cross the state line, and pull over for her to hop back in because she refused to ever set foot in California again.