Mesquite Dunes, Death Valley, CA

Driving around the slopes of a mountain range in a 40 foot RV in the dark is no fun. We already came this far, there was no turning back. We had to keep on weaving our way towards Furnace Creek Campground, even if the last stretch seemed like a lifetime. Everything looks different in the dark and trying to find a free space to camp and then backing up into the spot quite challenging. Tony taught me how to guide him in the dark using only arm signals and a flashlight. It worked like a charm. In no time flat, we were set up and had some burgers on the griddle. The sky was covered with stars, probably the most stars I have ever seen.
In the morning I tried to connect to Landon's online school, with 3 G and barely 2 bars, it was impossible to get anything uploaded. I walked around the campground, holding out the cellphone in front of me, in hope of another bar. I found that extra boost right beside the dump station. Desperately to get Landon logged in for school, I stayed beside the sewer until business was taken care of. LOL
With some classes out of the way, it was time to prepare for a great day of exploring.
First place we visited was the Furnace Creek visitor center, to gather info, maps and Landon's Junior Ranger assignment. After that we were off to Mesquite Sand Dunes.
I was soooooo excited to hike this absolutely incredible place. This seemed like a big playground to me with the biggest sandbox ever. We wanted to get to the highest peak which seemed not too far away, yet it took forever to get to. Walking in sand is no joke and climbing some of these dunes will get your heart pumping.
Once we made it to the peak, we were totally surrounded by sand, as far as the eye can see. I packed a light lunch and we devoured our cookies. Landon wanted to swim down the dune, getting a great exfoliating experience along with sand in his pants. My shoes were so full of sand it began to hurt. Several times we had to empty our shoes and we found several lost socks along the way.
People walk barefoot to keep from the hassle of sand laden shoes, not realizing that their socks decided to stay.
We did not see any animals out there, only holes leading to burrows that belong to the kangaroo mouse. Upon returning back to the parking lot, I was already able to feel my legs from walking the hottest place on earth.
But...we weren't done yet.
Next stop was Salt Creek and Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in the western hemisphere.