Today was an extra that we squeezed into the trip - I really wanted to see Death Valley. So we travelled north from Las Vegas, hit Beatty on the eastern border of Death Valley National Park, then swung west to travel through the park itself.
Travelling up through Indian Springs (from Las Vegas to Beatty) we struck very strong cross winds for about 50 miles. They were strong enough to be throwing the RV across the road - I was actually wondering at times if the RV would stay on 4 (actually 6) wheels! However we made it to Beatty, stopped to have a look at a quaint little 'Trading Post', then fill up with petrol before crossing Death Valley (I didn't want to run out of gas in the middle of that place!)
It turns out Death Valley is aptly named, and the gale force winds stayed with us through into the valley. We descended from around 5000' to 5' at the valley floor, where those winds resulted in a sand storm.
It seems not a lot grows down in the valley, and I could see why with a lot of the sand being covered with what looked like a salty crust.
After having lunch in the middle of the valley I decided to go for a walk into the sand dunes - I couldn't go into Death Valley without experiencing some of it first hand! It turns out I walked by myself, and the distance to the dunes was deceptive - around 40 minutes round trip. When I got back I received a lecture on how stupid I was walking out there by myself. I thought I was fine as it wasn't that hot and I could see the RV in the distance at all times, but apparently when the winds picked up and the sand storm got thicker Janine couldn't see me.
Moving along we stopped at the village sitting in the middle of the valley, Stovepipe Wells. The winds were still doing their thing, with sand going everywhere. The park itself is closed to all traffic during June and July due to the excessive temperatures.
After our short break we started the climb out of the valley, back up to around 5000' again. the winds were still kicking up and in places small rocks were flying around. Got scary again in places with strong gusts really pushing the RV around. Luckily Jordan fell asleep and missed a lot of it.
The mountainous landscape was harsh yet gorgeous, with craggy peaks and lovely browns. When we reached the alpine plains we stopped as the lighting was impressive as the sun started to drop. We jumped out of the RV and were greeted with freezing winds coming off the mountains - what a shock after the relative heat of Death Valley! However the light show with the clouds and water vapour rising off the lake was worth it!
We continued on into the night and eventually reached the KOA at Lake Isabella. I'm thankful our GPS was so good as there were no signs for the KOA at all until we reached the camp itself. Just winding roads, strong winds and pitch black. However we arrived safely and then enjoyed a nice hot meal - very welcome as the freezing winds were around for the night.
Tomorrow - back to LA...
Travelling up through Indian Springs (from Las Vegas to Beatty) we struck very strong cross winds for about 50 miles. They were strong enough to be throwing the RV across the road - I was actually wondering at times if the RV would stay on 4 (actually 6) wheels! However we made it to Beatty, stopped to have a look at a quaint little 'Trading Post', then fill up with petrol before crossing Death Valley (I didn't want to run out of gas in the middle of that place!)
It turns out Death Valley is aptly named, and the gale force winds stayed with us through into the valley. We descended from around 5000' to 5' at the valley floor, where those winds resulted in a sand storm.
It seems not a lot grows down in the valley, and I could see why with a lot of the sand being covered with what looked like a salty crust.
After having lunch in the middle of the valley I decided to go for a walk into the sand dunes - I couldn't go into Death Valley without experiencing some of it first hand! It turns out I walked by myself, and the distance to the dunes was deceptive - around 40 minutes round trip. When I got back I received a lecture on how stupid I was walking out there by myself. I thought I was fine as it wasn't that hot and I could see the RV in the distance at all times, but apparently when the winds picked up and the sand storm got thicker Janine couldn't see me.
Moving along we stopped at the village sitting in the middle of the valley, Stovepipe Wells. The winds were still doing their thing, with sand going everywhere. The park itself is closed to all traffic during June and July due to the excessive temperatures.
After our short break we started the climb out of the valley, back up to around 5000' again. the winds were still kicking up and in places small rocks were flying around. Got scary again in places with strong gusts really pushing the RV around. Luckily Jordan fell asleep and missed a lot of it.
The mountainous landscape was harsh yet gorgeous, with craggy peaks and lovely browns. When we reached the alpine plains we stopped as the lighting was impressive as the sun started to drop. We jumped out of the RV and were greeted with freezing winds coming off the mountains - what a shock after the relative heat of Death Valley! However the light show with the clouds and water vapour rising off the lake was worth it!
We continued on into the night and eventually reached the KOA at Lake Isabella. I'm thankful our GPS was so good as there were no signs for the KOA at all until we reached the camp itself. Just winding roads, strong winds and pitch black. However we arrived safely and then enjoyed a nice hot meal - very welcome as the freezing winds were around for the night.
Tomorrow - back to LA...
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