Death Valley,Viki, Tim, Dante’s View
Death Valley Day Trip from Las Vegas
One of the great aspects of taking a vacation in Las Vegas is the opportunity to explore the the surrounding desert. A Death Valley Day Trip from Las Vegas is well worth it, but it’s a long day. Rent a car in Vegas and head to Death Valley National Park. We went at the end of April, which was perfect weather with highs approaching 90 degrees. I’m not sure how people survive Death Valley in summer, as the heat is trapped on the valley floor by the surrounding mountains. Average highs in summer are 115 F in July with lows near 90 F. In fact, the Furnace Creek Inn closes from early May until early October each year. So, April is a perfect time for a Death Valley Day Trip from Las Vegas.
Donny and Marie, Flamingo, Las Vegas 2009
The Flamingo in Las Vegas
Vegas is becoming an annual trip for us. For our Death Valley Day Trip, this was the first time that we’ve visited in April. Temperatures were perfect in the low 80s during the day and no jacket required in the evenings. We stayed at the Flamingo again. I especially enjoy their floor to ceiling windows covering the entire length of the exterior wall. The rooms are fine, but the Flamingo didn’t provide free internet anywhere. The cost was $14 per day. We headed to the Venetian Food Court for free wireless access.
Treasure Island, Las Vegas 2009
Day 1 – Las Vegas
On our arrival day in Vegas, we walked for miles checking out familiar places. The Jean Philippe Patisserie had prosciutto paninis and palmiers again, so they were back in our good books – delicious. That evening we went to the Beatles Love performance at the Mirage. It was our second time. The Beatles Love show was truly amazing and well worth the second visit. For dinner we visited the Planet Hollywood buffet, which was a great choice.
Jean Philippe Patisserie, Bellagio, Las Vegas 2009
Planet Hollywood Spice Market Buffet
The Planet Hollywood Spice Market buffet was in the moderate price range for the strip and it quickly became our favorite buffet. Foods that I’d recommend (there’s lots more to choose from than this list) include:
Alaska King Crab legs, Tempura shrimp, Prime rib, Tandoori beef kabob, Meat balls, Asparagus, Italian bread, Mushroom ragout, Stuffed tomatoes, Middle eastern rice, Stir fry broccoli & veggies
The desserts are almost endless as well. My favorites included: Bread pudding, Creme Brule and Made to order crepes cooked in brandy (the best is blueberry). For an apres dessert I enjoyed M&Ms and cotton candy.
Viki, Dante’s View, Death Valley
Finding a Rental Car for Death Valley
Our second day turned out to be an adventure. I’d allowed time to visit Death Valley, but finding a rental car turned out to be a challenge. We wandered about with our GPS but couldn’t find a car for under $120 per day, which seemed outrageous in 2009. Finally we stumbled on to an independent rental company and we were off.
Tim, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley
Dante’s View & Zabriskie Point
Death Valley was intriguing. We came in from the east side off of US 95 to US 127 to US 190. After surviving a 20-minute delay on US 127 for construction and 10 miles of gravel chips without a broken windshield, we arrived at the park. Our first experience was a drive to the 5,000 foot level to Dante’s View in the Amargosa Mountain Range. Temperatures were in the low 60s, more than 20 degrees cooler than the valley floor. The altitude at Dante’s View made walking noticeably strained. The view over Death Valley was great, even though it was windy with blowing dusk obscuring views of the valley. Telescope Peak, across the way at 11,000 feet on the Panamint Mountain Range, was still covered in snow. Telescope Peak was named by Samuel George in 1861, when he ascended it and noted that the spectacular view was just like having a telescope.
Zabriskie Point
From Dante’s View we drove back down to the valley floor. We stopped at Zabriskie Point along the way. Zabriskie Point is where borax was mined and carried out 165 miles to Mojave by 20 mule teams from the years 1883 – 1889. I still remember the 20 mule team borax soap ads from my childhood in the 1950’s. That was a very successful advertising campaign, which was unrelated to the original mining.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
Death Valley Day Trip – Furnace Creek
Furnace Creek is on the valley floor and the temperature was noticeably higher. We wandered through the Furnace Creek Inn, which is now called (the Oasis at Death Valley). The hotel is unusual because of its thick concrete walls, which keep it cool. A tunnel from the basement leads to the visitor parking lot. The thick concrete in the hotel kept it very comfortable despite the 90 degree April weather. Unfortunately there was no place to have an appetizer and look out over the lovely pool to the valley. Also, there was a legal notice about a health hazard in the building that visitors could ask for further information about. The other accommodation at Furnace Creek was at the Ranch nearby. Several campgrounds are available too, but I fail to understand why anyone would camp here at any time of year.
Devil’s Cornfield
Mesquite Flat & Devil’s Cornfield
Next we headed north to the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes and the Devil’s Cornfield near Stovepipe Wells. These formations are close together and are well worth the extra time to reach them. Then we turned around back to Furnace Creek. While we were in Furnace Creek, I noticed that the front left tire on the rental car was low, so I filled it up. Luckily, it held the rest of the day, because after Furnace Creek we traveled 75 miles with no services, no side roads, no houses, no people and only 3 other cars seen on this section. I thought I might end up reliving a childhood experience of sleeping by the roadside in Death Valley, because our car over heated back then.
Badwater from Dante’s View
Death Valley Day Trip – Badwater
Badwater was my favorite part of the Death Valley experience. It’s a few miles south of Furnace Creek. Badwater is an area where evaporation creates a giant salt flat. Badwater touches right up against the Amargosa Mountain chain on Death Valley’s eastern edge. You can see the salt crystals forming in small pools and you can walk out on the salt flat. When you look back at the mountains, there is a sea level marker looming far above you on the hillside. You get a sensation of being 240 feet underneath the sea. The most striking feature of Badwater is the silence, though. There is nothing around to make a sound except your own steps and your breathing. It’s the quietest experience I’ve ever had and it made me want to stay even longer.
We returned to Vegas by driving the entire length of the valley southward to Shoshone. Taking the valley route south was scenic and much better than US95, though it did take a little longer. By the time we were done, we had traveled for 8 hours and put 400 miles on the rental car. Luckily the Planet Hollywood buffet was ready for us on our return.
Las Vegas – Day 3
Our 3rd day in Vegas was very relaxed. We made it to the Bellagio Fountains for the 3:00 pm start, which included our favorite -Time to Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. That evening we went to the Donny and Marie show at the Flamingo. This show was excellent. Highlights included Marie calling a fellow in a T-shirt and ball cap up on stage, where she thanked him for dressing up and made him sing Patsy Cline’s song Crazy with her. He sang “feeling you” instead of “feeling blue” and couldn’t keep a melody. It was hilarious. I also enjoyed the joking and teasing that Donny & Marie did with each other. A big surprise was how well Marie sounded in her opera song, which Donny gagged at.
I’d seen Donny and Marie in the 1980’s at a hockey arena in Nanaimo and the Vegas show was so much better. I do recall that in Nanaimo, Donny climbed up and down over seats through the crowd and he hadn’t changed his enthusiasm for the crowd in all those years. He made several trips into the crowd, climbing over table tops and booths to move about. It reminded me that though people’s bodies change and fade, our personalities and spirit can hold true.
WestJet
The next morning, we headed back on WestJet. I can’t say enough about this company. Courteous service, flights that are on time and direct flights from Victoria to Vegas now. The flight attendant reminded passengers that if the oxygen masks dropped, women should put theirs on first before helping small children, boyfriends and husbands. She also warned us that on arrival, luggage in the overhead bins might be excited to see us.
Mount Rainier near Seattle
I’m continually amazed at how much I enjoy Las Vegas. It’s been a special part of our lives.
Death Valley Day Trip Map
Death Valley More Pics
I see now that I missed the Artists Drive and the Artists Palette on my Death Valley Day Trip. The Artists Drive is a one way 9 mile drive that starts just north of Badwater. At the mid point, there’s a parking lot and viewpoint over the Artists Palette. The variety of colors are caused by different chemicals being exposed. Definitely a spot that shouldn’t be missed.