Our Winter Vacation '05 Highlights - Page 2
Although the picture here looks like it is of a high mountain lake, it is actually a lake below sea level in Death Valley; a remnant of ancient Lake Manly, which once filled Death Valley.
We entered Death Valley from the west on highway 190 and setup camp at Stovepipe Wells where we found an RV park. This oasis on the valley floor is the site of an old spring that provided refreshment to some 49ers that were heading to the California gold fields. It still provides refreshment in the form of a saloon, restaurant, hotel and gas station. For us, it was actually a nice place to spend a couple of nights off the road and then take some side trips.
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On one jaunt, we took the jeep and traveled a few short miles west up a rocky road that climbs a huge alluvial fan to the base of the mountains where there is a small parking area and the entrance to Mosaic Canyon. We got out and walked a couple hundred yards to where the canyon narrowed into a twisting pathway with towering walls that enclosed us. We could reach out and touch both walls, which were of polished marble. The banded marble rock was mixed in with colorful mosaic areas of a fragmented conglomerate that was worn smooth and polished by the countless floods that periodically rush down this canyon. We were thinking it was a good thing that there were clear blue skies on this day, as we would surely hate to be in this area on a day with possible rain. At times, we could hear some thundering noises echoing down the canyon and imagine it was some water crashing down our way, but the noise was only a B2 Stealth Bomber that we had seen earlier. As we hiked further in, the route became steeper and it became necessary to clamber up and around narrow areas of the beautifully carved canyon. After three or four hundred yards, we came to a point where the canyon opened up into a wide wash, and then we continued on for about another half a mile to where we decided to turn around.
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On another jaunt, we headed out to the Stovepipe Wells Sand Dunes, which were a few short miles to the east. It was a quiet morning without a breath of wind. We walked a half-mile out into the dunes and climbed up onto a long ridge that we then traversed. It was tempting to take a flying leap off the leeward edge and do somersalts in the soft sand, but we restrained ourselves. Along the route, we could see the tracks left in the sand from various animals or critters and we would ponder weather they were from snakes, mice, birds, or something else. This was an enjoyable excursion and we wished we would have packed a picnic lunch and allotted more time for this adventure, but it was necessary to hurry on toward our next destination of Furnace Creek.
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On the way to Furnace Creek, we stopped at what was once the old ruins of the Harmony Borax Works where in the 1880's some 40 Chinese workmen with shovels mined the white "cotton ball" minerals from the surface of the local playa, producing about 3 tons of the stuff daily. It was then dissolved in boiling water and then borax was precipitated out as the solution cooled. This process only worked perfectly in the wintertime, but the summers were so hot that the solution could not cool down enough for the borax to crystallize; so they were only in business during the winter months. The borax, some 23 tons of it, was then loaded into the famous 20 mule team wagon trains for the long and grueling 165 mile haul to the railroad at Mojave, California. Still standing among the disintegrating adobe walls is the old boiler and some vats. Nearby are displayed some of the old wagons which were used. The mining and production of Borax was Death Valley's most profitable mineral, but it was closed down in 1888 after five years of operation. The "20 mule team", however, remains as a legacy to the old industry, which solved the difficult task of getting the product to market.
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Only a short distance from the Borax Works, we stumbled into a lush green oasis. It was like stepping into another world and we could hardly believe our eyes. We had just parked the motor home at a campsite not far behind the National Park Service building where the surroundings were like the typical Death Valley desert, and then we decided to take a short walk toward a line of palm trees that were nearby. We could not see what was in store for us until the last moment when we beheld a lush green golf course just a few feet in front us. Not only that, but there was a running brook of water that was bridged with a pathway over it. We starred at the expanse of this lush green in front of us, and the fresh running water. And, then we turned 180 degrees to look back in the opposite direction to where our moter home stood. The difference was like night and day and we felt like we were in the "twilight zone". After walking a short distance more, we discovered a sign that indicated that we were at the Furnace Creek Golf Course and that this was the lowest golf course in the world at 214 feet below sea level..
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With this, our first short experience in Death Valley, we knew we had to come back again to this place another day (which we later did on this trip). But, it was time to continue on to our planned stay in Las Vegas where we were scheduled to stay in two different "time shares" for two weeks. We stayed the first week in the Tahiti, which was not far from the Orleans Casino. Here, our accommodations were similar to a good hotel room. We stayed the second week at the Cancun, which was south of town on "the strip". At this place we had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, dining room, and kitchen. For the two of us, this was a whole lot more than we needed and we wondered whom we might be able to call upon to invite and join us for a free week stay. Alas, we could think of no one who would be able to come at the "spur of the moment". The Cancun was a very nice place with large outdoor pools, waterfalls, waterslides, a poolside bar, and palm trees. With our busy schedule of gallivanting around town and taking some side trips, we did manage to relax one warm afternoon by the pool and Diana took her first trip ever down a water slide.
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While we were in Vegas, we got to know the town quite well. Of course we did the Strip, and also Freemont Street, and visited nearly every casino. We also took in several shows, courtesy of the time-share presentations we attended. Most people who visit Vegas are aware of those people on the street or at the entrance to casinos who offer you free tickets to shows or for dinners.The catch is that you have to attend a time-share presentation to get the free goodies. For us, we are willing to put in an hour or two of "work" to earn the "free" tickets, as long as we promise ourselves that we will say "no" to buying another time-share. That usually works for us, except at one presentation where we received an offer that was much too good to pass up. This deal enhanced the existing time-share we had, made it more flexible, and significantly increased the opportunities for us. Diana and I then consulted together and decided to say "yes", but not before asking the salesman to take us to dinner, his manager to give us additional show tickets, and his manager to lend us his BMW for a week. We signed the necessary papers, provided a down payment, shook hands and felt comfortable with the deal. The deal, however, soon turned out to be too good for management after they found out that they were actually unable to make the offer work. Some very sullen faces then appeared, but not on us (even though we had spent 8 hours with these people). We took this as a sign that we were really not supposed expend additional funds at this time. What actually made this incident quite special, however, was the fact that three days later in late afternoon, we received a call on our cell phone from the salesman and he invited us to a seafood buffet at the Palms Casino. We met this older Italian gentleman about an hour later at the Casino, had a great 4-hour dinner with good conversation, and then said a fond farewell with hugs. We found this man to be a wonderful highlight to our trip.
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One of our side trips during our stay in Vegas was to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. This is a beautiful area just west of Las Vegas. Here, there are outcrops of sandstone made from ancient sand dunes that are bright rust red in color. This is a favorite area for rock climbers and hikers. We went on one short hike up to where we could better watch the rock climbers, and then we took another longer 4 mile uphill hike up to where we had long vistas of the valley and surrounding mountains. A 13-mile loop road winds through this area with numerous places where you can stop and then hike to points of interest. If you are lucky, you may see some wild burrows (donkeys) like we did.
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Another side trip took us to the Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada's oldest and largest state park, which is about an hour ride Northeast of Las Vegas. Again, this is an area of bright rust red color sand stone that is weathered and eroded into interesting shapes. We were very impressed with this area and we would like to come back here again and spend a few days camping with the motor home. We noted some very nice camping sites here in a very picturesque setting. There are also many interesting areas to visit here and trails to take. In several areas you can see 3,000-year-old Indian petroglyphs such as the ones we saw on the trail to Mouse's Tank. This was named for a renegade Indian who used the area as a hideout in the 1880's. Here, there is a natural basin in the rock where water collects after rainfalls, and where it often remains for months. We were particularly delighted to spy some colorful lizards climbing upon the rocks. Diana seemed to have a good eye in spotting them.
Our two weeks in Vegas went by quickly and we found that there is more to do in this place than spending all your time in the casinos. Although we did spend a few dollars in the casinos, we were quick to learn that the payback is definitely in the casinos advantage. We would watch some of the patrons pour money into the slot machines and see them go through several hundred dollars in just a few minutes time. Sure, there are winners now and then who get that rare Royal Flush in video poker, but at the same time, there are hundreds of patrons who are pouring their money into other machines to provide for that rare payback and to also provide the casinos with a handsome profit. If you know how to find them, you can find some machines that payback over 100 percent (such as at the Palms Casino). But, to make your effort worth it, you need to plan on having a bankroll of at least $800 to $900 for a 25 cent machine, play a few hundred hours, play perfectly by making the right hold choices, take the maximum bet each time, and then get lucky by hitting the Royal Flush. This effort, however, is actually work, and it is not necessarily fun. If you want to have fun without the pain, you might as well find those penny slots, spend your time loosing $20, and then quit!
