Marble Bath restoration project 2008

I have been exploring Death Valley since 1996. Most topo maps show a small spring above the Saline Valley hot springs - Marble Bath. I have never been able to find it. And believe me, I have been looking behind every rock. A visitor's book in a coffee can under a bush at Steele Pass had, among the "what a great trip" entries, also comments like: "where the heck is Marble Bath?". So I was not alone in my frustrating search. I kept looking every time I was in the area, but its location remained a mystery.

During a photo trip for one of my books, I finally found Marble Bath. Some time in 1999. Not a spring out of marble rock, but a turn of the century claw footed bath tub filled with blue glass marbles. How could I have overlooked it? It was so close to the road. All my searches had been more away from the road. I was happy anyway.

Told the story about my discovery to some guys soaking in the steaming water at the hot springs that same night. They thought it was a cool find. A woman in the group disagreed. According to her, one of her friends had as well been searching for years and had come to the conclusion that someone must have taken it. So he took it upon himself to replace it. A bath tub filled with blue glass marbles.

Over the years I have visited that goofy place many times. Always contemplated to put a sign there, indicating that you would have 7 years of bad luck, if you would take one of the marbles away. I really should have. By now the bath tub is empty.
In its original glory the bath tub contained about 100,000 glass marbles. They are all gone as of September 2008. Aliens must have sucked them up into the universe!
See the change over time here...

Time to refill the tub! I ordered a good volume of bulk glass marbles and will re-fill a significant portion of the tub during our trip. Please help covering the cost - any donation is truly welcome.

To get the project rolling, I ordered 45.000 bulk glass marbles for about $1,050.00 and paid for them out of my own pocket.
The 45,000 marbles will fill a good portion of the bath tub. A good start. Please donate generously. Any amount is appreciated. See how much money is in...

Please use this paypal link to donate to the Marble Bath project -

Thank you all!
Harald Pietschmann