slgwv's photos with the keyword: California USA

California, USA. Looking south from Artist's Drive near where it rejoins the Badwater Highway.

Death Valley National Park, California, USA. Another view, showing the access to the fire box. As mentioned, wood would have been the fuel. It would have been gathered in the Panamint Mountains, visible in the distance. We're looking west.

Death Valley National Park, California, USA. The raw ore (containing ulexite, a calcium-sodium borate; a.k.a. "cottonball," from a common habit) was dissolved in hot water in these pans, and borax (a pure sodium borate) was precipitated. Sometimes soda ash (Na2CO3, sodium carbonate) was added if there wasn't enough Na in the solution already. The water would have been heated in the boiler visible at upper right. It presumably was fired by wood gathered from the forests in the Panamint Mountains on the west side of the valley.

Death Valley National Park, California, USA. This would have heated the water to dissolve the ulexite for processing into borax.

Cole and Jack on the Pacific Crest Trail in the Sierra Nevada.