To Death Valley

Our stay at the Baymont by Wyndham in Ridgecrest included vouchers for a limited menu breakfast at a nearby Denny’s. We hadn’t been to that chain for years, but they were a favourite on our first budget-conscious California trip so we were happy to go back. And the breakfasts were good! I had a nice cheese omelette with hash browns and Chris had the grilled ham and cheese sandwich, a favourite of his.

Our morning’s drive took us through the Searles Valley. At its southern end is Trona, a mining town that has grown up around borax, potash and other mineral mines. Beyond that the drive became more scenic and we stopped to take a few photos.

Approaching Death Valley we turned off to see the more mountainous landscape to the west and to get a cold drink in the restaurant at Panamint Springs. We enjoyed sitting out on the front deck in the shade, drinking wild cherry sodas and eavesdropping on a conversation between a guy at a nearby table and the bartender in which it emerged that the customer thought he was still in Nevada!

We then drove into the valley, watching the temperature gauge on the car which had climbed quickly through the eighties (Fahrenheit) to touch 94. Despite the heat we decided to visit Mosaic Canyon as we figured (rightly) that the walk would be partly in the shade of the canyon walls. The walk took us on a gravel path between rock walls that gradually closed in on us. Some of the rock was smooth as marble, in other places it lived up to the name of mosaic.

When we reached a point where the path became more challenging, with slick rock to scramble over, we decided enough was enough given the heat in particular.

Returning to the car we drove a little further into Stovepipe Wells, one of the ‘built-up' areas in the valley with some accommodation cabins, a gift shop and general store. We visited both, partly to cool off! In the first we bought a small gift for my sister and photographed the sales assistant who had strikingly dyed hair (and pulled a funny face for me!), and in the second we bought cold drinks and cereal bars for a snack lunch.

We had these sitting in the car with the a/c on, enjoying a view of the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. We then ventured out into the heat once more to explore the fringes of the dunes and take a few photos. Despite signs advising not to in this heat, we noticed several people walking well out into the dunes.

We drove on to Furnace Creek where I’d reserved a room for two nights. It was a bit early to check in so we went to the ice cream parlour to supplement our light lunches! Then we checked in, got our key and drove round to our room which was in a block towards the rear of the property. The room was large and comfortable, although we'd have preferred not to be so far from the restaurants etc., but the bathroom was a little basic considering the cost of staying here.

Later in the afternoon I had a swim in the pool which was large enough not to feel busy even though a number of other guests were there too. The water was pleasantly warm, unsurprising in this heat!

There are a couple of options for dinner at the Ranch. The main restaurant is buffet style which we don’t really like so instead we went for dinner in the Last Kind Words Saloon. The menu is fairly limited but we both enjoyed the buffalo burger and a couple of beers, as well as the over-the-top themed decor – although being stared at by a stuffed mountain lion as I ate was a little disconcerting!