From the sublime to the ridiculous!

Another road-trip begins and an opportunity to see some new places and encounter some fascinating people. We launched this trip from Las Vegas, having first weathered Virgin flight V35 (The 'Party Plane'!!)..... actually it was a good flight and once having picked-up our car we could left the party crowd behind and headed towards the Hard Rock Hotel. Despite its reputation, Hard Rock proved comparatively sedate and made for a really pleasant overnight stay!

Early Friday morning we pulled-out of Vegas and drove towards Death Valley.

It was 102 degrees when we arrived, but the scenery (Devil's Cornfield, The Dunes, Zabriskie Point etc.)was spectacular.

Calling into Furnace Creek we enjoyed a beer before driving the last leg to Stovepipe Wells, our stop-over for the evening. Stovepipe Wells is named after a rare water well that was discovered there in the days of the pioneers. Now, its a welcoming motel with friendly staff. (Friday night was 'dinner, popcorn and a movie' in the saloon-style bar!) Unfortunately, but understandably, internet access is just about nil in Death Valley!! Our third day began with an alfresco breakfast in the sun, followed by a fabulously scenic drive alongside the Sierra Nevada mountains towards Mammoth Lakes. Along the way, we stopped at Lone Pine and discovered a museum, set within an old cinema building, dedicated to the Westerns film genre.

We also discovered that a wealth of old Western movies (and some modern sci-fi films)were shot in the mountains surrounding Lone Pine. The exhibits were priceless and the museum, a must see!

We stayed in town awhile and ventured into the Lone Pine Coffee and Deli, whiling away a pleasant hour sitting in its patio garden. Then back on the road to Mammoth Lakes where on arrival we located our hotel (The Austria Hof; a picturesque Austrian Style chalet). The town itself is very pleasant and is firmly set in bear country ..... woods and mountains. (I'm not sure that some of our fellow passengers on flight V35 would approve!) And what have we been listening to on our travels? ..... a sixties classic by Buffalo Springfield (Hey what's that sound)