The picture is taken right at the base of Manly Beacon, at a height of around
400m/1300ft. Far away is the Panamint Range which rises to more than
3300m/11000ft and which I would climb the next day. Then is the Death Valley
proper which is below the sea level; the white stripes are mineral deposits.
The darker mountains in the foreground are from solid rock; the ones to
the right are at an angle because of the valley expansion. The nearest
formations are made of dry clay, shaped by the very infrequent rains. To
the right of the photo, between the rocky mountains and the mud 'dunes' is
visible a small yellowish ridge covered with some dark material; this dark
stuff is lava from vulcanic eruptions from millions of years ago.
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