![\"170723_4702_AshfordMill\"](\"http:\/\/stormbruiser.com\/chase\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/170723_4702_AshfordMill.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOn this Sunday morning I had a few things in mind, a few things planned, as I headed for Death Valley:<\/p>\n
— It was going to be a hot afternoon in the desert, at least five degrees hotter than average for a July afternoon, so I wanted to make a lot of temperature readings and comparisons. \u00a0I do this for fun and for my temperature research for the Death Valley region.<\/p>\n
— I wanted to chat with the Park Service at Death Valley — yes — for my research on Death Valley temperature records.<\/p>\n
— A good slug of monsoon moisture was headed towards the region from the south and southeast, so the chances thunderstorms would be increasing, especially on Monday. \u00a0 I was interested in chasing and desert storm photography.<\/p>\n
— And, it was near new moon, so the night skies would be plenty dark in and around Death Valley. \u00a0My tripods and I were ready for some astrophotography.<\/p>\n
This entry covers the “dark skies” part of my adventure. \u00a0I had endured an afternoon of rather hostile conditions in Death Valley, from Stovepipe Wells near noon to the Furnace Creek area for the remainder of the afternoon to sunset. \u00a0It was 120F to 123F for the entirety of this 8-hour period, and I survived parts of it in the air conditioned vehicle, in an air-conditioned eatery at the Furnace Creek Ranch, at the Furnace Creek pool, and at the Visitors Center. \u00a0A good chunk of the afternoon was spent walking and driving around these parts and taking temperature measurements. \u00a0I bore the full brunt of the heat for much of the afternoon, and I was a bit weary and beaten down by it. \u00a0Nevertheless, I headed to Zabriskie Point towards sunset to get some pics, and then down to Badwater. \u00a0Some fool was doing some photography way out on the salt flat at Badwater. \u00a0It was 120F there at sunset.<\/p>\n
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