We started out bright and early this morning.  Our intention was to get to Death Valley before the heat of the day.  It almost worked….

A quick look around Las Vegas this morning showed an entirely different experience in the daylight.  No neon.  No masses of people.  In fact, the only person I really met  up with was an old lady in a fast food restaurant while we were grabbing a quick breakfast for the road.  And she was talking to herself…

With Vegas in the rear view mirror we headed for the border as quickly as we could.  But, in the middle of the desert we saw a sight that virtually demanded “stop here!”   It was the Area 51 Alien Center.  Painted a hot pink and lime green  with “aliens” on the front it was an eye catcher.  It was a three in one stop for tourists about to enter Death Valley – gas, bar and brothel.  Yep.  Full service.  We couldn’t resist snapping pictures.  You don’t see that everyday.

And then we entered Death Valley.  It was desolate.  And hot.  Did I mention it was HOT? But it all seemed pretty innocuous.  Nothing so deadly about it except the stark barrenness. Our first stop was at the old Borax Factory.  Remember the tv show Death Valley Days when you were a kid?  The sponsor was always 20 Mule Team Borax. I never got the connection until today.  Borax was mined in Death Valley by Chinese workers who lived out in the desert in barracks.  It took teams of 20 mules to get the load of borax out of the desert over the Sierra Nevadas. It was 114 degrees at the borax factory.

Further down the road we made a stop at Bad Water Basin.  The lowest point in the Western Hemisphere.  It was flat.  And desolate except for a couple shallow “puddles” of unpotable water.  It was also windy.  A hot, dry wind.  I can see why there are forest fires in California. We got out of the car for a few quick photos and they were QUICK. It was 118 degrees at this stop.  And that wind I mentioned?  It blew our map away.  No amount fo chasing could retrieve it.  Oops.

On the way back up the road we decided to make a side trip up through the hills to a place called Artist’s Paintpots.  It was 9.2 miles on a one-way road.  About 3 miles up the road the car began to overheat.  Not good.  It meant turning off the A/C, turning on the heat (!!) and opening the windows. Which resulted in all ,y important papers for the trip – hotel reservations, return plane ticket reservations, etc. blowing all over the car.  The rest of that side trip was miserable.  And let me say, one more time:  it was HOT. By unanimous decision we voted to end our Death Valley exploration.  While stopped at the only gas station in the park a desert fox came trotting by.  Now it was REALLY time to go.

But, holy cow, it’s a long drive out of Death Valley. Cat naps for the rest of us but John drove us through some pretty remote stretches of land.  We saw mirages in the heat and we saw saw sand dunes that looked like they belonged in the Sahara.  And we saw Joshua Trees by the hundred.  Death Valley was most definitely a life experience.  I’m glad I went there.  But I was glad we got out.  And, now, because I’ve been there and seen it, I’ll never have to do it again.

Crossing over the Sierra Nevadas we passed some fo the largest windmill farms I have ever seen. They was so quiet standing by hundreds on top of starkly barren hills. They were so beautiful and graceful. And a little eerie.

And suddenly we were in Bakersfield, at the western edge of the desert.  Happy to be here.  Dinner at a reasonable hour, our first hotel pool swim on the trip and to bed at a decent hour.  For this trip that’s worth writing about.