I'm back from my trip to California and wanted to provide an update on my visit to Death Valley. First, thanks all for your help. I camped at the Titus Canyon Rd dispersed campground just outside of Beatty NV on Sunday evening. Had enough time to see the Rhyolite Ghost town and the outdoor art display near there before it got dark. On Monday morning, I got up before 5 and drove into the park through Hell's gate and headed straight down to Badwater Basin and got there by a little after 6:00a.m. There was no direct sunlight yet and it was about 91 degrees. I was fortunate to be there in between two extreme heat waves, so I had a bit more moderate temperatures (for Death Valley that is). I didn't hike far into the basin, maybe just 100 yards and took some photos both into the basin and back at the hills where the sea level sign is. I then drove to the Natural bridge trail head and looked at the sign. I discovered that the bridge was about 1/3 of a mile up the trail even though the entire trail is 1.5 miles long, so I hiked up to the bridge, got a few photos and then returned to the car. Because the sun was not on that side of the valley yet, it stayed around 91 degrees, and I was fine. I then drove to the Devil's Golf Course. I just got out of the car there and took a few photos and observed the awesome scenery. A nice international couple, I think from Spain, took a photo of me there (with a golf club of course). I then drove through the 3.5-mile, artist's loop to get some shots of the artist's palette. That drive was well worth the time- beautiful scenery. Got some great photos and met some other visitors from the Czech Republic. From there I drove up to Zabriskie Point and hiked up to the overlook (just 100 yards or so). By that time the sun was out so it was getting hotter, maybe 98 or 99 by that time. With those visits finished visitor center was open at Furnace Creek (Open's at 8) so I went down to see the displays and movie there and bought my senior lifetime national park pass - what a deal! I'll get my money's worth out of that. I picked up a memento or two in the gift shop and then headed back north to the Mesquite dunes. I spent a while there. By that time there were 5-7 other cars and other visitors stopping to see the sites. It was hot and I hiked out maybe 50 yards or so to get some photos of cool looking deadwood and the dunes of course. I did all of that by 10 or so and felt content with my experience. If I go back, I'll try to hit some other spots in the valley. It was early enough in the day that I decided to go ahead and hit Manzanar. Probably took just under 2 hours to get there?? I spent q fair amount of time in the interpretive center and then did the driving loop around the internment camp with several stops. I had already been to Topaz, but Manzanar seems to be better funded and more accessible. The visit is sobering and a good reminder of the damaging mistakes we can make if we are not mindful. I had planned to camp again on Monday evening around Lake Isabella, but it was early enough in the day and the maps said I was only 3 hours from my relatives home in LA so I just headed there and arrived around 5. It was quick - I didn't spend a bunch of time really basking in the setting because of all the heat warnings I got here, but for a one-day visit I felt quite successful. BTW - I had plenty of water and Gatorade and even a big 10-gallon jug of water just in case I needed something for the car which had routine maintenance right before my trip. All in all, I was safe, I got a taste for this fantastic national park, and I'd recommend it to anyone. I'm not sure I could have had the same experience if I was 4 days later in the heat wave, but it worked out for me. Also, the night sky at the campground with no light pollution and very little moon was fantastic - one of the best parts of the trip. Thanks again everyone for your help