Death Valley

One of the walls painted by the owner at the Opera House.

Painted ceiling at Opera House



Park at Scotty's Castle

Michael . . . Scotty's Castle in the background

The colors and formations are incredible

This was a lookout site we drove up to that was called "Dante's Peak". Have to see it to appreciate it.

This past weekend we went for a drive over to Death Valley. Michael wanted to do the trip on the motorcycle; but unfortunately (I think) I had hurt my hip and was unable to ride that far in the sidecar. We ended up going the traditional way in a car.

It was a gorgeous weekend and a wonderful time to visit the 'real' desert. It certainly wasn't what I expected and had some really cool things to see.

Saturday we drove over to the outskirts of Death Valley and stayed in an extremely old and out-dated hotel with an Opera House. There is a woman there that is an artist and an entertainer that puts on a one-woman show. She painted her own audience on all of the walls and ceiling of the theatre, along with many painting in the hotel itself. I'm sure at one time she was a very good entertainer. However, she must now be in her 80's, with failing vision and voice and is still trying to keep this little showcase in the middle of nowhere afloat. It was very 'unique' and worth visiting. The hotel itself was a little rough, but also 'unique'. There are no televisions, radios or phones there. Actually, there was no cell phone service at all in Death Valley.

We toured a place call "Scotty's Castle" that was really cool. The history and stories of this place were very interesting and unusual.

There were many little sidestops in this park that were breathtaking. Because of the sun and our lack of talent, our pictures don't do it justice. Highly recommend this to all of you. Oh yeah, I now qualify for a lifetime pass to all of the National Parks that was just $10. Sometimes it pays to get old :-)