Time to move on and our next destination is Death Valley, about 2 1/2 hours away. Not a long trip so we aren’t in a real hurry. We still have things we’d like to do in Las Vegas, several museums we’d like to visit and several hikes we’d like to take. We’ve never left a place that we didn’t have more we’d like to do there, things we always save for the next trip.
As we were packing up, I was talking with one of our neighbors who was also moving on. We exchanged destinations and when I told him Death Valley, he asked if we had ever been there before. I said yes and enjoyed it so much that we were excited to be going back. He asked why and I told him that the natural beauty was stunning, the hikes were great and that we had several things we’d still like to see. As I gushed about Death Valley, he stopped me and said that he wanted me to tell his wife. Seems he’s been wanting to go to Death Valley but she doesn’t want to go to such a desolate desert place.
She then came out and told us that she really didn’t like the desert, she was from the Northwest and liked that type of terrain and vegetation best. She also told us that at dusk she feels terribly lonely and being in a desert at dusk would be really lonely and desolate. She then told us she really didn’t like to travel much and that they managed 5 months out a year in 2 separate trips. She really like being home. (That their home has views of the Pacific Ocean might be part of the deciding factor.)
We didn’t know where to start but we did tell her how beautiful Death Valley can be. It is a desert but there is a quiet beauty about it. We also told her that we had been there after a particularly rainy winter and the desert floor was blanketed in a haze of yellow from the Panamint Daisy
dotted with the pink of the Desert Five Spot.
I told her that the golden colors in the sand dunes
and the reds in the mountains
were an awesome complement and that the sights were something she couldn’t see anyplace else.
We then told her that there was a golf course, a motel, several restaurants, 2 airports, stores, a Visitor Center, several large campgrounds and lots of tourists. We took a hike and there were at least 30 others on the same trail. She could make it as desolate as she wished or as populated as she wished. And we tried to convince her to try it for at least 3 days.
AND, if you guessed that I’m trying to convince you to come to Death Valley to explore its awesome beauty, you’d be right. Put it on your bucket list.
Here’s sun setting on the Panamint Mountains.
As we walked away from her, both Gary and I were thinking how lucky we were that we wanted the same things out of retirement. We both like to travel, we both like living in an RV, we both like to hike, etc. We seem to be a good match. But, did we ever talk about this before I retired? Did we really have a good vision of what our retirement would be like? Had we planned for what we were going to do? Nope, nope, and nope. Obviously every couple needs to work out what they are going to do in retirement and I’m sure this couple will work it out. Working life is so planned: you know what you’re going to do for the next 40 or so years. Retirement is so unplanned and you’ve got to find ways to fill your time. There are no roadmaps out here - we’re making it up as we go. But we’re having a blast.
Meanwhile on our way to the park today we passed through a small town, Beatty, (pop. 1000) which has a large candy and nut store with candy, nuts, snacks, etc. There are a few signs that will catch my eye and this is one of them.
Spice drops, jelly beans, raw coconut, licorice whips in a rainbow of colors, 10 different kind of nuts from walnuts to sunflower seeds both salted and unsalted, bags upon bags of chocolates, trail mix and other snacks - just about anything in the nut or candy genus that you could desire. AND - home made ice cream. I had the berry breeze with at least 4 kinds of berries, Gary had the chocolate chip. Both were delicious.
We also saw this mural painted on the side of another business in town celebrating the trains arrival in town.
We came into the Valley from the northeast, winding our way down a canyon
for several miles losing about 2000’ until we came to our first view of the valley at what is called ‘Hell’s Gate’.
That must be what the first pioneers thought when they saw this after winding through the canyon. The white in the background is Badwater, a salt pan which is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere.
2000’ more in elevation loss and we were in Stovepipe Wells, where we will be spending out next 7 days. We’re next to the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes and were able to see the sun cast its late afternoon shadows with the Amargorsa Mountains looming overhead. .
And, here we are in or campground. This is the view from our front window. We are spending the first 3 nights in a paid campground with full hook-ups. We then move to the campground in the picture below, across the road. It is really just a flat section of desert with markings for campsites. No tables, no fire rings, no hook-ups. But, what a view!! And amazingly friendly neighbors. The couple in the darker RV in the center has been to Alaska and on the way home, their RV and car both burned. This is their new RV. The couple in the longer 5th wheel with the darker pick-up has been here for 3 weeks. This a picture during the week, on the weekend, there were lots more people here.
We are now officially below sea level and is it ever dry. Where’s my chapstick?
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