We pulled over to the side of the road a good ways before the main parking lot for Badwater Basin because we noticed a couple of black specks out on the playa. Gathering water and sun protection, we decided to venture out across the hellish landscape and check it out.




Just underneath the crust of salt we found a layer of briny mud. There was discussion of whether we could possibly fall through the crust into a deadly desert sea of super salty muck. Fortunately this didn't happen, but the resemblance of the salt to ice covering a lake was not lost on us.


Salt chucking.





Father and son at the lowest point in the western hemisphere. So low, the ground just falls out from under you.