We were excited to finally see & 'experience' Death Valley.
Not yet lethal, end of March - temps. around 27C (and not 50+, as in summer) but with very strong winds and not yet too much visitors either.
Well.
Yes.
It started allright, and the Badlands were truly impressive.
But then there were still hours and hours of Death Valley to cross, with the only hotel in the valley asking prices of $345 (no view!) and up.
Within Death Valley there are 6 different flora/fauna zones. But there's only one way to go through the valley so you see only one zone. And that one looks pretty dead, to be honest.
Probably teeming with life, especially at night, but we didn't see anything but barren rock and sands.
Everything living there would be blown off their socks anyway.
What we did find though was the Amargosa Opera House, yes, bang in the middle of the desert, yes, still in use, bought (together with a hotel + cafe and a couple of outbuildings) by a former and very famous ballerina. We chatted about that with the couple that runs the cafe, but unfortunately the Opera was closed (and the motel run down). The theatre, btw., is still in use as a music venue.
Perhaps we had had enough desert. And the deserts we had seen were probably more interesting with all the shrubs and the cacti and the flowers. We'll never know..
It was dark when we finally came out of the park. The nice kid at the gas station told us the first decent motel was an hour's drive away.
It was a very good motel.
And right across the road into the Sierras and to Sequoia National Park.
Not yet lethal, end of March - temps. around 27C (and not 50+, as in summer) but with very strong winds and not yet too much visitors either.
Well.
Yes.
It started allright, and the Badlands were truly impressive.
But then there were still hours and hours of Death Valley to cross, with the only hotel in the valley asking prices of $345 (no view!) and up.
Within Death Valley there are 6 different flora/fauna zones. But there's only one way to go through the valley so you see only one zone. And that one looks pretty dead, to be honest.
Probably teeming with life, especially at night, but we didn't see anything but barren rock and sands.
Everything living there would be blown off their socks anyway.
What we did find though was the Amargosa Opera House, yes, bang in the middle of the desert, yes, still in use, bought (together with a hotel + cafe and a couple of outbuildings) by a former and very famous ballerina. We chatted about that with the couple that runs the cafe, but unfortunately the Opera was closed (and the motel run down). The theatre, btw., is still in use as a music venue.
Perhaps we had had enough desert. And the deserts we had seen were probably more interesting with all the shrubs and the cacti and the flowers. We'll never know..
It was dark when we finally came out of the park. The nice kid at the gas station told us the first decent motel was an hour's drive away.
It was a very good motel.
And right across the road into the Sierras and to Sequoia National Park.
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