A spur trip of some 30 miles to the north, with desert stretching out on the and the mountains rising to the east, leads to Grapevine Canyonj, where a plush Spanish provincial mansion surprisingly looms like a desert mirage.  The structure was begun in 1922 by Chicago businessman Albert Johnson, whose doctors had advised him to spend time in a warm, dry climate. 

The showy hacienda, known as Scotty's Castle, takes its name from Johnson's friend Walter Scott, also known as Death Valley Scotty.  An ex-cowboy, prospector and teller of tall tales, Scotty helped Johnson concieve the project  and lived there after Johnson's death.  Replete with costly antiques, a giant pipe organ, and indoor waterfall, and a chandelier weighing half a ton, this elegant, unexpected extravaganza is set amid soothing, spring-fed manicured grounds.

A few miles to the west of Scottys Castle, the ground is gouged by a giante hole known as Ubehebe Crater.  Formed by a volcanic explosion half a mile across and 750 feet deep.  Hundreds of layers of multicolored rock are visible along the trail that decends into the crater's depths.