Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
4.
Devils Cornfield
As Rte. 190 continues eastward across Death Valley, a sandy plain appears to the south,
dotted with odd-looking clumps that bear a distant resemblance to corn shucks. They are
actually arrowwoodplants,perchedatoppedestals ofsoilthatwereformedbythescouring
forces of wind and water.
5.
Scottys Castle
A spur trip of some 30 miles to the north, with desert stretching out on the west and moun-
tains rising to the east, leads to Grapevine Canyon, where a plush Spanish provincial man-
sion surpisingly looms like a desert mirage. The structure was begun in 1922 by Chica-
go businessman Albert Johnson, whose doctors had advised him to spend time in a warm,
dry climate. The showy hacienda, known as Scottys Castle, takes its name from Johnson's
friend Walter Scott, also known as Death Valley Scotty. An ex-cowboy, prospector, and
teller of tall tales, Scotty helped Johnson conceive the project and lived there after John-
son's death. Replete with costly antiques, a giant pipe organ, an indoor waterfall, and a
chandelier weighing half a ton, this elegant, unexpected extravaganza is set amid soothing,
spring-fed, manicured grounds.
A few miles to the west of Scottys Castle, the ground is gouged by a giant hole known
as Ubehebe Crater. Formed by volcanic explosions, the crater measures half a mile across
and 750 feet deep. Hundreds of layers of multicolored rock are visible along the trail that
descends into the crater's depths.
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