On the Road with Benny & Sparky: Death Valley National Park and More

WHEW!!! It has been a while since I have posted to this blog. This is an even longer post than usual and it won’t even begin to get us caught up. I keep reminding myself that I have extended an invitation for friends and family to view the blog and there is no expectation that it will be seen at all. This blog is primarily a record of our adventures and it will be fun for us to look back on in future years. If others enjoy it, that is a bonus! Thank you for coming along on this little journey of ours.

We left Lake Havasu City on my birthday, Friday, February 4. Crossing over the state line from Arizona back into California and then into Nevada, I experienced my first ever 25 hour long birthday! We ended the day at a favorite RV resort in Las Vegas where my dinner request was for pizza to be delivered to our site. Of course, just because it was my birthday it didn’t mean that we could neglect the laundry that had been piling up! So, that was how I spent my 66th birthday… doing laundry at an RV park and enjoying pizza, salad and wine in the RV. All in all, a good day!

After two days in Vegas we drove back into California to visit Death Valley National Park - the first time for both of us. It was an easy drive with lots to see along the way. We pulled into our campsite at Furnace Creek and then walked over to the Visitor’s Center just before it closed. We spent the following day exploring the park in our little car, “Sparky.” We finished the day back at the campground, had dinner, took an evening nap and set the alarm clock to get us up in time to drive back out to Zabriskie Point to photograph the night sky after the moon set.

We drove from Death Valley to Bishop, California on Tuesday, February 8. The roads were a little crazy and Mark didn’t really enjoy driving the 9% grades but we made it just fine. We spent two nights in a funky campground situation. We “camped” at the Tri-County Fairgrounds. No frills but we did have full hookups. We had a nice day at Laws Railroad Museum, took some pretty pictures of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and then stopped at Schat’s Bakkery for some delicious baked goodies.

Thursday’s drive from Bishop up the eastern side of the Sierras was spectacular! We have been fortunate not to have to deal with any snow on this trip but it certainly was beautiful to look at on the surrounding landscapes. We ended the day at the home of our dear friends, Patti and Jeff Cotter in Gardnersville, Nevada. They relocated there from the Santa Ynez Valley less than two years ago and they love it! They were kind enough to invite us to stay in their beautiful home. What a treat! We had a wonderful time with both of them and their cool German Shepherd, Strider.

We left Jeff and Patti and ventured over the Sierras and back into California. We had made arrangements through Harvest Hosts to stay at a winery in Camino called “Chateau Davell.” After arriving we decided to enjoy wine tasting, small bites and a charcuterie tray and call it lunch. It was all wonderful! We drove to a big apple stand called “Boa Vista” where we bought some produce. We ended the day with dinner in the RV and prepared for our the following day’s drive to Lodi.

I do love seeing this sign!

On the road with all of our clothing hanging right behind us. We do feel a bit like the Beverly Hillbillies sometimes!

My birthday dinner at the Las Vegas Oasis RV Resort.

On Saturday we decided to try to find non-Vegas Strip activities. That lead us to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.

The museum had a pretty cool King Tut exhibit with lots of reproductions. We were told that these were sanctioned by the Egyptian government.

I thought this was so interesting.

We walked around Fremont Street and we both agreed that there is very little in Las Vegas that appeals to either of us.

What trip to Las Vegas would be complete without a visit to the Mob Museum? Well, we kind of wish ours had!

A One-Armed Bandit

When in Vegas…

I tried two slot machines and lost a grand total of $6.45. I am definitely not a gambler!

On our way to Death Valley we stopped in Pahrump, NV for groceries and a very unhealthy but yummy lunch in the RV.

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

Amazing views along the way

Zabriskie Point

Can you see Benny and Sparky in the parking lot?

Amazing views just about everywhere we looked

Driving toward Furnace Creek

Our campsite for the first night

A few photos from our little trip to the Visitors’ Center…

Borax was a very important resource mined in the area

This says a lot!

Back at the campsite in time for the sunset…

… and Happy Hour!

Mark found a heart-shaped rock for me. By the way, this is an old shirt. In July we will be married 45 years!

The next day we explored the park.

Our first stop was at Natural Bridge Canyon where we took a walk up to the bridge.

A cute picture of my boyfriend

The view from the parking lot across the valley

Next stop, Badwater Basin

Salt flats

We ventured out on the salty “walkway.”

The formations in the salt were quite interesting.

A closeup of the salt crystals

After seeing Badwater Basin, we drove took a drive through the area called Artists Palette.

Our first glimpse of the colorful hills with a cairn in the foreground

Thank goodness we have a tiny, fuel efficient car!

We had a different campsite at Furnace Creek Campground each night. Our second site had full hookups - Yay!

Here are a couple of shots taken at Zabriskie Point with my Sony camera. For almost any other photo, the iPhone was incredible.

If you look very carefully, you can see Mark in the foreground.

We left the park on Tuesday, February 8. On our way out of the park we made a couple more stops.

First stop… Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

OH! That blue sky!

One of the views out the window of the RV

We stopped at Father Crowley Vista Point - Rainbow Canyon, which has been nicknamed “Star Wars Canyon” by visitors who came to observe and photograph the military test flights which occurred here.

Unfortunately, a jet crash in 2019 that killed a pilot and injured several visitors put an end to training flights through the canyon.

While taking this photo I nearly lost my phone. The wind is incredible here. When I stepped back just a few feet the wind died down considerably.

Gorgeous views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the way to Bishop

The campground (fair ground parking lot) was funky but the view from our kitchen window was spectacular!

This was a step back in time for me. When I think of Bishop, California, my first thought is of Schat’s Bakkery.

After consulting TripAdvisor for “Things to Do” in and around Bishop, we decided that Laws Railroad Museum & Historical Site was our best option. We were not disappointed.

There were numerous buildings with some of the very best antique collections I have ever seen. I took tons of photos and tried to choose just a few of my favorites.

This is about 1/4 of the cameras on display.

Inside the General Store

This is an actual taxidermy of conjoined lambs. The second face is on the other side. Bizarre but too interesting not to share.

Mark and an old hearse

Inside the print shop

Mark and a Penny Farthing

Do you recognize any of these?

Okay, this one really got me! This is exactly what my dentist’s office looked like when I was a kid! Our dentist’s name was Dr. Marble. My mom would take all 4 of us kids to the dentist on the same day. All five of us would go into the exam room at the same time and the three kids who were not in the chair would line up against the wall waiting for our turn to be examined. At one of those visits, I had already had my turn and I got out of the chair to join my siblings. While I was standing next to the wall, I felt inside my mouth with my tongue and noticed a tooth that had been there earlier was missing. I guess it freaked me out because I fainted! My little sister, Lynda, thought I had died and she passed out, too! Poor Dr. Marble!

These horses were just outside the railroad museum.

I’m so glad we don’t have to do laundry this way anymore.

Next on the agenda at the museum were the train and mine exhibits.

Helllllloooo, Mark!

A working stamp machine was part of the mine exhibit and there was a darling older (even older than Mark and me!) man who taught us all about mining and then ran the stamp mill.

I found the scenery very picturesque.

Playing bartender

Two attempts at selfies using the remote on my watch…

We left the museum and on our way back into town and saw this lovely spot for photos…

On Thursday, February 10 we drove along the eastern side of the Sierras on our way to Garnerville, Nevada.

The Visitor Center was closed but we stopped here and enjoyed a picnic lunch inside the RV while we were parked in the lot.

Our view at lunchtime

Ice on Mono Lake

Driving north

A view along the road

Welcome to Nevada!

We had the most wonderful time with Jeff and Patti Cotter in their warm and welcoming home.

Mark, Robin, Jeff, Patti

Mark learned so much from Jeff who is a master at the piano.

Mark was in heaven!

On Friday we took a nice little hike with Jeff, Patti and their dog, Strider.

We walked all the way from Nevada to California and back!

Views along the path…

Mark and Jeff enjoyed their time together on the hike. It was so wonderful for both me and Mark to have someone else to be with and talk to for a change. I loved my time with Patti.

After our hike we drove into Genoa, “Nevada’s Oldest Town” and enjoyed some delicious sandwiches from the little grocery store.

Nevada’s Oldest Thirst Parlor

We rounded out our day playing games and then watching “Hamilton” together

Jeff mastered “Pass the Pigs!”

“Strider”

Good-bye, big hugs and thank you, Patti and Jeff!

Back in California and our first stop was at Chateau Davell, a winery in Camino. We stayed overnight in their parking lot as guests with the Harvest Host program.