DEATH VALLEY continued:

On Tuesday, after breakfast, we broke up into two groups. One group went to Scotty's Castle and the others went to Rhyolite and Titus Canyon. This post will only cover Rhyolite and Titus Canyon.

The town of Rhyolite, Nevada was born as a result of a gold strike made in August 1904 by Shorty Harris and E. L. Cross. While several towns sprang up as a result of this strike Rhyolite grew to become the cosmopolitan city that eclipsed them all.
The ruins in town include a bottle house built by a 76 year old miner in 1906. The house has been restored.

Around the house are several small structures made of glass scraps and odds and ends found on the ground.

The skeletal remains of a 3 story bank building, a concrete school, train depot, jail, stores and foundations and partial adobe walls. This town was unique because it was built of more permanent materials than the usual canvas and wood.

There is a poem about Rhyolite, author unknown, that is interesting:

"In the night, hear Rhyolite

she's gently calling you

and if you come, then she will make

all of your dreams come true

Is it love, or gold you seek?

Then whisper it in the wind

for Rhyolite is a land of dreams

and dreams will never end."

When we left Rhyolite we returned to the national park and entered the road to Titus Canyon. Here are some of our members along the road. The terrain is varied, starting on the floor of the desert and climbing into the mountains. The scenery is spectacular and the weather was clear.

If you look closely in the background of the picture you can see parts of the roadway we traveled on through the mountains.

Along the road we came to Leadfield another ghost town. There are very few structures left but our group did some exploring in the hills.

Building in Leadfield.

Greg exploring the entrance to a mine.

After leaving Leadfield the terrain changed again and we entered Titus Canyon. The roadway became very narrow and the rock walls reached for the sky.

Richard took this wonderful picture in the canyon area. The sun on the canyon walls turns them to gold.

The drive through Titus Canyon is something not to be missed if you plan a trip to Death Valley. A high clearance vehicle is recommended but you don't need any off road experience to negotiate the roadway.