Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death - Top 5 Sites of Death Valley

Home to the largest National Park in the continental United States, Death Valley is an area full of extremes – from the lowest point of the continental United States (282 ft below Sea level) at Bad Water Basin to the highest point (11,000 ft) at Mount Whitney – and is one of the most desolate places on Earth.  Sand dunes, unusual rock formations, and miles upon miles of desert make you feel like you are on a whole new planet instead of Southeastern California.

Welcome to Death Valley

Death Valley can become a dangerous – and potentially fatal – trip for the ill prepared traveler. Because of the extreme heat, it is not surprising that very few people live in this desolate area of the Southwestern United States and that it fails to attract the same hype and popularity as other nearby tourist destinations - Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon.  But for the intrepid traveler, Death Valley actually offers a lot more as long as you abide by the proper safety precautions.

Map location of Death Valley National Park

Death Valley is located halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas right along the California - Nevada state line.  It is roughly a 2 hour drive from either city, but the majority of the valley resides within Southeastern California.  While it is possible to book a day tour from either Los Vegas or Los Angeles, I have always preferred renting a car instead.  The flexibility of a car rental gives you the freedom to spend as much or as little time as you want on a self-driving tour to the various sites around the area.

Desert driving in Death Valley

Should you choose to do a self-driving tour of Death Valley, then here are some safety tips for you:

• Bring extra bottles of water with you as the weather is extremely hot 
• Fill up on gas before entering the Valley - gas stations are few and far in between here
• Bring a map with you as GPS technology does not work well at all within the Valley
• Off-roading can get you lost and could potentially be fatal.  Stay on the main roads!
• Have a spare tire handy for flats as there are no auto repair shops around for miles

Scotty's Castle
Scotty's Castle is a popular destination within Death Valley National Park.  There is an interesting tale about an unlikely friendship between a con artist and a millionaire that led to this oddity in the California desert.  Scotty’s Castle is open for tours year round, although only about 100,000 people per year actually visit.  I took this tour the first time I ventured into Death Valley in October 2007, and highly recommend it.

Scotty's Castle

Ubehebe Crater
Ubehebe Crater (pronounced YOO-bee-HEE-bee) is a volcanic crater in the Northern half of Death
Valley.  It is actually located about 20 minutes Southwest of Scotty’s Castle, so definitely take the opportunity to check it out as you finish your tour of Scotty’s Castle.  This crater is one of the most unusual geological formations you will see in North America, and best described as a “Moon-like landscape.”

Ubehebe Crater

There are actually two craters here – Ubehebe Crater and Little Hebe.  There are three hiking trails in this part of Death Valley – one trail will take you to the bottom of Ubehebe, a second trail will allow you to walk around the crater's circumference, and the third will take you to the top of Little Hebe. You may also want to bundle up when you come to this part of Death Valley as it is extremely windy here.  Winds gusts can measure as high as 80 Km/hour or about 50 miles/hour.  To put it into perspective that is the speed limit for most rural highways around North America.

Devil's Golf Course
Despite its name, Devil’s Golf Course is far from being playable!  It is actually a large salt pan at the floor of Death Valley.  It is here that Lake Manly once stood in the mid-1800s, but has since dried out leaving very interesting salt deposits behind.  This site got its name from a 1934 National Park Service guidebook that said “only the Devil could play golf” on this piece of land.

Devil's Golf Course

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
These famous sand dunes are located in the Northern half of Death Valley, and will be the first thing you will see in Death Valley if you are entering from the East along Highway 190.  They are the most well-known and most accessible sand dunes in the area, and are often used in Hollywood movies and music videos.  In fact, you may recognize them from the original Star Wars movies.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

While the sand dunes are not very high (maximum height of 100 meters), they are extremely far from the highway.  Don’t let the scenery fool you, though.  What I thought was probably a 15 – 20 minute walk from the side of the highway is actually close to 45 minutes – 1 hour depending on how fast you walk and the humidity factors involved.  Definitely take a few pictures, but don’t make the same mistake I did and try walking to them.  There are too many other fascinating places to see within Death Valley and not enough daylight hours available.  You do not want to get yourself lost or stuck in Death Valley after dark.  Trust me!

Badwater Basin
If you only had time to see one thing and one thing only in Death Valley, then Badwater Basin would be it.  It is famous for being the lowest point in North America at 86 Meters (or 282 ft) below sea level.  As a comparison, the Dead Sea is almost 7 times lower than this at 427 Meters (1401 ft) below sea level.

Badwater Basin

Badwater Basin is a salt flat that developed when Recent Lake evaporated some 2000 – 3000 years ago.  Due to its low elevation, Badwater is also one of the hottest spots in North America where temperatures can reach as high as 120 °F (49 °C) in July and August.  To make matters even worse – or adventurous depending on how you look at it – it is here where the annual Badwater Ultramarathon takes place every July!

A desolate road deep within Death Valley

These are just a few of the amazing sights to enjoy in Death Valley.  I wish I had more time to see the rest of it, but it does require both time and proper planning.  In fact, some areas are only accessible if you are driving a 4x4 all wheel drive.  So, definitely add this to your Bucket list if you ever find yourself in the Southwestern United States.

Partying on the USS Hornet

Sometimes in life, you just get lucky and get to experience interesting places because you are in the right place at the right time.  While I have been privy to many different experiences because of my career, partying on the USS Hornet stands out to me the most because it was the first time I got to experience the “high life” so to speak.  As part of our annual Sales Kickoff, my employer decided to host the corporate party on the USS Hornet, a retired naval carrier moored in Alameda, a suburb 30 minutes Southeast of San Francisco.  Getting to the Hornet was an adventure in itself as we sailed across the Bay from the Port of San Francisco.

USS Hornet

Officially known as the USS Hornet (CV-12), this naval carrier first launched on August 30, 1943.  During its service in the later years of World War II, the Hornet saw lots of action fighting the Japanese in the South Pacific Islands.  Following the war, the USS Hornet did not see major action again until the 1960s when it was used mainly as a recovery ship during the Apollo missions before being permanently retired in 1970.  Since 1998, the USS Hornet has been opened to the public as a museum.

Fighter jets on the U.S.S. Hornet

Upon entry, we were numbered respectively not only so we could take a 2-hour tour of the ship and check out the fighter jets on display, but so that we could participate in a quirky team building exercise, as well.  Each group was given materials to build their own “missile” so to speak, and were given time slots when we could go to the top deck to launch these missiles into the San Francisco Bay for a mock recovery similar to the Apollo missions.

USS Hornet Runway

The only thing that really disappointed me this night was the amount of co-workers who decided to bail early around 10pm PST to take the boats back to our hotel.  This was a monstrous ship with tons of history to take in.  Why anyone wouldn't want to make the most out of their time on this epic venue is beyond me.  Regardless, the USS Hornet Museum is one of the most unique tourist attractions that you will see in San Francisco.  For more info about the USS Hornet Museum, please check out their official website.

Richmond Olympic Oval

Sitting here watching the Sochi Winter Olympics brings up fond memories of the time I went to skate at the Richmond Olympic Oval – the host venue for the long track speed skating event for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.  It was early February 2009, and I was in Vancouver for a week-long Sales event for work.  I decided to spend a few extra days with one of my childhood friends.  As per his girlfriend's suggestion, we headed off to the tiny village of Richmond to check out the Olympic Oval as it just opened only a couple months earlier – the last of the Vancouver Olympic venues to be completed.

Richmond Olympic Oval

The Oval is located off the Fraser River just south of downtown Vancouver, but minutes away from the Vancouver International Airport at 6111 River Road.  There are three main ways to get to the Richmond Oval from downtown Vancouver:

• Bus – take the C94 bus from the Canada Line Brighouse Station
• Driving
• Taxi

The Oval is in a remote area, so my suggestion would be drive down if you can if you are not staying in downtown nor have easy access to the C94 bus line.  My friends live in Surrey, so we drove west along Highway 91 for about 30 minutes.  There is plenty of parking should you have means to a vehicle.

Public skating at the Richmond Olympic Oval

The Oval is open 7 days a week roughly between 6am – 11pm PST.  We arrived roughly around 9pm to give us just enough time to skate around for a while.  Admission was free to the public if you had your own skates.  However, since I was from out-of-town, I had to rent skates for about $7 Canadian.  It’s a bit pricey, but worth the investment for a special moment like this.

Public skating at the Richmond Olympic Oval

If you have never skate a lap around an Olympic-sized speed skating track before, then let me tell you that it is extremely tiring!  One lap around the track is about 400 meters, so if you are in not in peak physical condition, then you definitely will be winded.  This was my first time skating in over 5 years.  So while the enormity of the rink put me in awe, that feeling quickly dissipated once I began to lose stamina trying to complete the track.

The Richmond Olympic Oval is quite massive!

When I was there, skating was the only activity you really could do at the time.  An hour at the Oval was more than enough time spent there, so we left just before closing.  My experience at the Oval gave me a new-found appreciation for the sport of speed skating.  It is not easy by any means!

Goodnight, Richmond Olympic Oval!

Following the conclusion of the Olympics and Paralympics, the Richmond Oval was refurbished to become a multi-purpose sports and recreational facility.  Now you can participate in various activities, such as ice hockey, soccer or rock climbing just to name a few.  For more information about the Richmond Olympic Oval, please check out their official website.

Remembering the Alamo

If you are child of the 80s like me, then you probably first heard about the Alamo in the cult movie hit “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.”  After going across the country in search of his stolen bike, Pee-Wee was told that his prized possession could be found in the basement of the Alamo.  Unfortunately, he finds out that there is no basement at the Alamo and the movie goes on half hour or so until he finds it.  But, I digress!

The Alamo

Flash forward to March 2007, and I finally make a trip down to San Antonio for work.  Coincidentally, I was in San Antonio some 171 years after the Battle of the Alamo took place.  What clued me in was a brief demonstration that occurred in front of the Alamo commemorating the event.  So why is the Alamo so important and why should you care?

Re-enactment of the Battle of the Alamo

The Alamo Mission in San Antonio – or the Alamo as it is commonly referred to – is an 18th century Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound.  It was one of the first Spanish missions built in Texas to educate Native Americans after their conversion to Christianity before being abandoned in 1793.

Re-enactment of the Battle of the Alamo

By the early 19th Century, the Alamo was converted into a military fort and held significant strategic importance during the Texas Revolution – none more important than the Battle of the Alamo, which I will address in a minute.  After Mexico declared independence from Spain in 1821, it controlled much of what is now known as the modern day Southwestern United States, including Texas.  By late 1835, political tensions arose between the American colonialists and the Mexican government over such issues as immigration policies, tariffs on American products, and overall treatment by the Mexican armies, which lead to the Texas Revolution on October 2.

Women and children were spared during the Battle of the Alamo

On February 23, 1836, Mexican General Santa Ana lead a 13-day siege of the Alamo.  By the early morning hours of March 6 – the final day of the siege – Santa Ana’s army had completely surrounded the Alamo in the early morning hours for one final battle.  In the end, almost all of the Alamo defenders were captured and killed, including several men who actually surrendered.  Two of the most famous Alamo Defenders killed included Jim Bowie (inventor of the Bowie knife) and Davy Crockett.

Re-enactment of the Battle of the Alamo with General Santa Ana

The Battle of the Alamo served as the pinnacle event of the Texas Revolution as the siege bought more time for the General Sam Houston to build up more forces and supplies in order for the Texian Army to fight against the Mexicans.  Santa Ana was eventually captured on April 22, 1836, which not only officially ended the Revolution, but eventually laid the groundwork for the United States to expand into the Southwest – Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah.

Remember the Alamo!

Today, the Alamo represents courage and pride for Texans, and is one of the most visited attractions in the United States.  Here is some additional information about the Alamo to consider before you visit:

• The Alamo was the first Mission established in San Antonio in the early 1700s
• Five countries have occupied the Alamo its 300-year-old history – Spain, Mexico, Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America
• The Daughters of the Republic of Texas – descendants of the founding families and soldiers of the Republic of Texas (1836 – 1846) – can be credited for restoring the Alamo in the early 20th century as both as a significant historical monument.  Without the DRT, the Alamo may have fallen into complete disrepair or have been completely destroyed
• The Alamo is opened everyday from 9am – 5:30pm CST (except for Christmas Eve/Day)
• Admission is free (although nominal donations are accepted)
• Photography is not allowed within the Alamo nor the Long Barracks
• Over 2.5 million people visit the Alamo annually – San Antonio’s population is 1.5 million

For more information about the Alamo, please visit the official website.

Living On the Edge - The CN Tower EdgeWalk

The CN Tower has been a distinctive landmark of the Toronto skyline since 1977.  Standing at just under 554M/1,185ft, it once stood as the tallest building in the World until the Burj Khalifa passed it in 2007.  One would assume that losing such a record would significantly impact the overall value and appeal to tourists.  But with the introduction of the EdgeWalk in 2011, the CN Tower has been more popular than ever with tourists and locals alike.

CN Tower EdgeWalk

When I first heard about the opening of the EdgeWalk, I was bouncing off the walls waiting to try it out for myself.  The EdgeWalk has put the CN Tower back into the Guinness Book of World Records as being the "Highest External Walk on a Building."

EdgeWalkers realizing they are 1,168 ft. above the ground!

Here are some basic facts about the EdgeWalk:

• Recognized as the Highest External Walk on a Building --  356 M/1,168 ft.
• Platform width of 1.5M/5ft -- about the width of a sidewalk
• Entire length of the walk encompasses 150 M/492 ft
• Seasonally operated between April – October
• Open 7 days per week usually between 8am EST – Dusk.
• Reservations are required, but you can book them the day of depending on time of year
• Once ran as late as early December during its first year of operation
• Admission is $175 CDN -- covers admission to the SkyPod, Glass Floor, Look Out, the two simulator rides and movie, a video of your walk, a keep sake photo, and re-entry to the CN Tower.  All in all, it is reasonably priced for a tourist attraction and offers great value given some of the other tourists attractions located within Toronto.
• Weddings can take place atop the EdgeWalk.

Kooks "looking forward" to doing the EdgeWalk

When you arrive to the EdgeWalk, make sure you are at least 15 minutes early.  That is because you must go through a safety orientation and a breathalyzer test at Base Camp.  You read that correctly – a breathalyzer test!  Never in my entire life have I ever been subjected to such a test before participating in a tourist attraction.  However, given the height of the walk, it is in the best interests for the safety of the CN Tower and EdgeWalk participants to make sure no one under the influence of alcohol or drugs is participating in the walk.

Our EdgeWalk team ready to go!

Following the breathalyzer test, all participants are required to lock any loose items, such as cameras, hair clips, and watches, in a safe deposit box.  You may wear either prescription glasses or sunglasses, but they will tie them up with a safety band and clip to prevent them from falling.

EdgeWalkers starting their trip around the CN Tower platform

Once you arrive to the top, participants walk outside to the ledge one by one.  Over the course of the next 30 – 35 minutes, the tour guide will lead you on a walk around the circumference of the CN Tower.  Of course, there will be moments where you can stop to check out the scenery, as well as do a few tricks to show off your bravery.

CN Tower EdgeWalk - Bird's eye view of the street

For example, I was asked to walk backwards to the edge in a semi-squat position and then stand up at a 45 degree angle with my back to the ground.  And if that weren't scary enough, a few minutes later, we were each asked to do our own recreation of that famous scene in Titanic where Rose believe she is flying on the bow of the ship.  Try leaning over the edge of the CN Tower and tell me if you feeling like you are flying!

CN Tower EdgeWalk - EdgeWalkers testing their luck!

While I am not typically afraid of heights, I did have a few moments of doubt there when a Cessna plane kept circling in the vicinity of the CN Tower.  When your guide says aloud “I’m pretty certain he’s not supposed to be flying that close to the tower,” you can’t help but wonder what you are doing up there in the first place.

Living on the Edge - The CN Tower EdgeWalk

One final benefit of the EdgeWalk is that if you time it right, then you can catch a glimpse of the Toronto Blue Jays game down below if the dome to the Rogers Center is open on game day.  Kooks and I had decided to do the EdgeWalk walk on my birthday, and go to the Blue Jays game later that afternoon, so I didn't get that opportunity this time.

Our "scared" group on the CN Tower EdgeWalk

Overall, the EdgeWalk certainly lives up to the hype.  While it might be awhile before I get a chance to do it again, it certainly offers the best value of any tourist attraction in Toronto.  At that height, you not only get an amazing perspective of the city, but you also appreciate the hard work and effort that went into building this engineering masterpiece back in the 1970s.  For reservations to the EdgeWalk, please go here.  You won’t regret it!