So, today we left Lone Pine, and made our way down hwy 190, through Death Valley, and on to Las Vegas. Death Valley is one of those places that you could never forget – you start at about 4000ft elevation at the entrance to the park. Then it’s a series of switchbacks and ever-increasing temperatures, all the way down to Stovepipe Wells, which is at around sea-level. When we started out in Lone Pine it was around 26°C, and by the time we got to Stovepipe it was already 38°C, with a nice breeze to keep it sane…we also saw a bunch of camouflaged Hyundai’s that had notices on them to not photograph them, as it would be considered industrial espionage…must have been out for a long test drive 🙂
Anyway, we had a nice time in that little town and had some fruit and relaxed in the sun before heading on to the rest of the valley, and Vegas. Near the eastern entrance of the valley is one of the coolest geological features I’ve seen, which are these sedimentary hills that are this bright yellow colour. Apparently it’s sediment from Furnace Creek, which dried up around 5 million years ago…pictures of it are below.
Just before leaving California, on the highway out of Death Valley, is a place called Death Valley Junction. I’d been there a few years ago with friends, and I can report that it’s just as strange now. Look it up and read the history about it here. It’s such a weird place, and what’s great is that an NPO is kinda running the show there now. The Amargosa Cafe there is really quaint, with a great menu and excellent baked goods (I had a naturally sweetened banana bread that was fantastic!) It’s definitely worth stopping there and checking out all of its’ glorious strangeness.
Then it was on to Vegas. Ah, Vegas, what can I say? The hotel was pretty cheap and overall pretty nice, though much to my chagrin we found out that the swimming pool/spa closed at 7pm…7PM!!! Oh well, we’d had an excellent Mexican dinner at one of the hotel restaurants, and Sandra won a cool hundred at the ‘wheel of fortune’ game! Later I won almost as much at the Bellagio, right after their mesmerizing water jet show.
Anyway, that was the day. I often felt inclined to think about heat. Changes in heat from the change in elevation, and the special environment that heats up Death Valley. Heat from the pipes of our Harley, and heat from the burning hot desert sun. It was something I thought about a lot during that stretch. I am not sure if anything will be distilled from it, but it’s something that I am sure has shaped the way people think, and live in those parts of the world…
Next up is Lake Meade/Hoover Dam, Highway 93 (and my breakin’ the law portion of it), and getting back to the ‘heart of route 66’, Kingman, Arizona…
Peace,
Byon
