I think that I went to Death Valley National Park more to say that I had done it than because I really expected to like it much. I was in for a bit of a surprise, because the variety that I found there was incredible, unlike any desert I’ve been in before. The valley is also very accessible, with good roads running though the center, but plenty of off-roading opportunities too. Interestingly, I at first missed the point that Death…
Let me say up front, that I’m just not a Las Vegas kind of person. I don’t think that will come as a surprise to anyone! I’ve always trashed it as being very artificial, and the fact that it’s the first place that most Australians want to visit in the US has always annoyed me, because it’s the least typical place in the US. But here’s my confession… I had never actually been there, just knew it by reputation. So…
I have a plan. I’ve spent a few days in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, and now I want to see Death Valley, the lowest, hottest, and driest place in North America. But I won’t go directly there, I’ll travel like a smart desert wanderer, via the oases of Hoover Dam and Las Vegas, Nevada. The road from the Mojave to Hoover Dam is wide and easy, and one of the most boring routes I’ve ever driven. Yawn. Maybe it…
After my enjoyable couple of days in Joshua Tree National Park, I wanted to experience more of the Mojave Desert, but in a slightly more wild and uninterpreted way, so I drove to the Mojave Desert Preserve, to the visitor center at Kelso Depot. Kelso is an old train depot that served the miners and ranch owners in the area, and the station house has been fixed up beautifully as a visitor center and gallery. I’m not sure how much…
Joshua Tree National Park is located in the middle of Southern California, about equidistant from Los Angeles and San Diego, and was my next destination on my grand circuit. [In case you’re wondering why I seem to be looping around California instead of heading east, it’s because my brother and sister-in-law are coming to California on vacation at the end of this week, and I’m planning to meet up with them to visit some of the larger National Parks!] On…