Las Vegas to Lee Vinning – 5th September

I was up at 8.00am and started packing up all my clothing and closed up my suitcase and other bags. Then I needed to finish packing the two parcels I had to post home. One of them was a foam carton that can fit beer cans in it. I had picked up some beer and soft drink cans in Vegas and I was able to get them all into the carton and taped it up to send.

The other box was to put in the other items I had picked up in Vegas and also some clothing that I would not use again on this trip. I was able to get a few books also that I had been carrying and some DVD’s I had picked up on the way.

By 10.00am I was ready to leave the hotel and called for the bell hop to come and pick up all the cases and cartons. While I was waiting for him I was able to checkout of the hotel by using the on-screen prompts on the T.V. saving me the hassle of doing it at reception. The bell hop came and took the luggage and I went and bought down the car to the driveway and loaded up the car.
I left the hotel and drove to the US Post Office to post the parcels. It took about thirty minutes waiting in line to get them posted so it was closer to 11am by the time I got out of Vegas.

I put the details I required into the GPS system and headed off west.
First town I came to was Pahrump, which is still in Nevada. From there I turn left and head into Death Valley. Pahrump has a couple of Casinos but due to the time I decided not to go to them on this trip. The town also has the Kingdom Gentlemen’s club, which really stands out as you drive into town. I gather from the photos on the building is a brothel. There is also a billboard for the Brothel Art Museum, which is about 25 minutes away in the next town heading north.
I stopped in the town for lunch but could not find a cafe or deli so ended up at Burger King. The first time I had eaten at a fast food place on the whole trip. I also filled up with petrol before heading off. The service stations do not allow you to fill up and then go and pay. You either have to go and give the attendant the money and nominate which pump you are at or use a credit card and pay at the pump. The petrol cost $4.35 per gallon. One US gallon is approx 3.8 litres so the price was the equivaleant of $1.14 per litre.

From Pahrump I drove west over a series of hills into a town called Shoshone which is the last town before you enter the Death Valley National Park. At the park you start at a height of 3315 feet and travel down into the valley. At this point the temperature outside was 103 degrees F.
The view as you travel downhill of the ridges and different valleys is spectacular. There is not a tree or shrub to be seen.
After a while you reach Ashford Mill Ruins which used to be a gold ore smelter when gold was mined five miles to the east. Further into the valley you reach Badwater which is the lowest point in USA. The salt pan is 282 feet below sea level. (or 85.5 metres) For a comparison Lake Eyre, South Australia at 49 feet below sea level is Australia’s lowest point.

The temperature is by now 112 degrees F. The heat is a very dry heat with zero percent humidity.

I stopped and took some photos on the salt pan and of the rock ledge behind the area which on the wall has a sign showing sea level. Also at this point is a pay station to pay the entry fee for the national park. A flat fee for a car is $20 for seven days access to the park. Why anybody would want to spend seven days in Death Valley I do not know! I paid the fee and got a receipt that I need to take to the Ranger station at Furnace Creek further along the valley to get an official sticker for my vehicle.

I left Badwater and travelled a short time along the valley floor and went to a spot called The Devil’s Golf Course. The salt pan is at this point very rough so you would not be able to play any golf shots if you were to hit a ball there.

Travelling further along I took a side road which is called Artist’s Way. The one way road winds itself around some hills and hollows which is great scenery which is just rock and cliff faces but all the rock is different colours and you can see that artists would come here to paint at times when it is cooler.

Just past here is Furnace Creek where there is a hotel resort with an 18 hole golf course, a camping ground, some houses and the National Park Ranger station. I stopped and picked up my car sticker and bought a DVD of Death Valley to watch later.
Travelling further north along the valley you pass Stovepipe Wells which also has a motel with a swimming pool, another ranger station and a general store. Further along is Panamint Springs, which has the only petrol station within 150 miles. I filled up with petrol at $5.62 per gallon which is $1.27 a gallon more than I paid four hours before. I had used nearly a tank full of petrol in four hours because the air conditioning working so hard. It was 5.15pm whilst I was there and the temperature was 118 degrees F.

At this point I realised I still had about three hours driving to do before I got to my accommodation for the night so I made a decision to just drive and not stop at any more places in Death Valley.

I passed a lot of places that looked real interesting inside the national park before reaching highway 395, at this junction is a town called Lone Pine. I stopped here and used the public phone to ring my hotel for the night to tell them I was still coming but I would be late. The manager told me if I was not there before 9pm she would leave an envelope with my room key in it next to the reception and I could just let myself in.

I travelled north along highway 395 (in the USA highways travelling north south end in an odd number , highways travelling east west end in an even number) travelling through the towns of Independence and Big Pine before reaching the town of Bishop. Here they have a lot of motels which be looking at the huge signs in front of them cater for fresh water fishermen. Everywhere are signs saying fishermen welcome and there is a lot of fishing accessory shops in town. The whole local area which is on the eastern side of the Sierra Mountain range is a outdoor enthusiasts dream.

Also in town is an Indian Casino. The USA federal government allows federally recognised Indian tribes can operate casinos outside state jurisdiction because Indian tribes are considered sovereign entities by the US government and that their gaming operations cannot be prohibited by state governments. I stopped at the casino to get some poker chips and come out with the same amount of money I went in with. The cards used at the casino have the Kings, Queens and Jacks depicted as Indians complete with Indian clothing. I was able to get a pack to take away as I left the casino. By this time it was dark and I drove the last hour to Lee Vinning in the dark. I got to the motel just before 9pm so I was able to get the keys from reception. I was exhausted from the days driving so I quickly went to bed hopefully to get a good nights sleep.