Dec 19

Dec 19 Boondocks to Bellagio

So today is a climb out of Death Valley to the crazy of Las Vegas via the scenic route. Driving the desert in the daylight is a lot less fearsome that the white knuckle imagination kicker of the night drive. Our first stop is Zabriskie Point chosen solely on the basis of a Point of Interest sign and after a small hike up a step track, we had a great viewpoint of a lunar landscape. My favourite part (and possibly Antz' least favourite part) of these little stops are the information signs. This one had some excellent information about a 20 horse hitch that was used to haul Borax out of Death Valley in the 1800s. That's 20 horses pulling an iron wagon in 45 degree heat....

The signs also told us that once upon a time this was a temperate, lake filled valley with plenty of geological activity. Silt and sand washed down and settle on the lakebed (the white landscape in the picture) and periodic rainstorms washing down eroded the soft rock into the formations seen today.
What strikes you at Zabriskie Point is just how arid, desolate and silent the environment is. We didn't even see insects and it was rather eerie.

From Zabriskie's Point, we turned off to go to Dante's View and climbed to 11,000 ft above sea level. We weren't the only people doing this - we saw a cyclist happily peddling away on an incline of 15%!!! From Dante's View, which was utterly freezing, we got a very good view of Badwater - the lowest point of Death Valley, and indeed of anywhere in North America, at 280ft below sea level and the scene of the craziest ultramarathon on the planet where crazy people run 135 miles IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER....

We then embarked on a very sedate drive towards "civilisation" (do we call Las Vegas civilised?) with a stop on the Nevada state line at a Roadhouse for lunch. This was literally out of every movie you've ever seen of Classic America - a tumbleweed rolling down the highway that disappears into the barren distance, no human movement, some abandoned, rusted out vehicles, two saloons and no houses. Inside was more of the same - grungy, bad carpet, strange mannequins on a drunken lean and a world weary waitress talking out the side of her mouth. They had oddly done a recent renovation outside and built a pond and a chapel.

We ordered what we thought was going to be relatively safe - steak and eggs with the obligatory bottomless cawfee only to discover upon arrival that the steak had been "breaded" and deep fried. And covered to a depth of at least 1cm with a white sauce of unknown provenance. I can safely say I've never eaten anything quite like it and I don't think I'm in a hurry to repeat it.

Up the road from the roadhouse was Area 51.....and of course we needed to stop. Ant hasn't been watching Star Trek for 35 years in preparation for the Alien Coming not to drive past the nearest he is likely to come to an actual alien. Unfortunately the closest we got to any alien was a stuff toy and all that was there was a whorehouse, a fireworks depot and a lime green tourist trap. No signs of what exactly Area 51 is or any signs....

Today is Day 3 of our holiday and usually at this time, the enforced intensity of Time Together begins to move from Relaxing Adventure to Killing Rage. Add driving on the wrong side of the road with rush hour traffic and navigational challenges and the rest of the journey was wisely completed in tense silence. We reached our hotel alive and still married so SUCCESS!