We drove straight through Las Vegas. I wasn’t sure Scott was going to be able to resist the urge to stop and put a few bets down, but he overcame it. We ended up stopping at Longstreet Casino since it was only about 20 minutes to the entry of the park.
We stayed just on the Nevada side of the state line. Our view looked into California and Death Valley.
The “casino” was hardly a casino since it consisted of some slot machines, a few poker machines, and not a single dealer table. It also had a hotel “wing” on it, a swimming pool, and some sort of what some might call a petting zoo (one sheep, one donkey, and a water buffalo). I’d argue the place left a lot to be desired, but the used condom on the floor was certainly an overdeliver that none of us expected. Suffice it to say that we didn’t spend much time in the casino.
We expected to only spend a half day at Death Valley. It turned out to be an amazing place. We ended up spending three days there and loved every moment of it.
The scenery was spectacular. Around every corner was a new view.
The salt flats at the lowest point in North America.
Caden was hot.
There were snow topped mountains in one direction and salt flats in another. The slot canyons were our favorites.
There were some trails that we squeezed between boulders, while some we crawled under boulders.
We managed to up our hiking and completed a three mile, as well as a four mile hike in addition to the smaller “scouting” hikes we did.
The sand dunes were huge and incredible to see and climb on.
One thing that made the trip successful was that we left the house very early every morning to arrive the hiking trails early. By lunch time, the temperatures were already starting to creep over 100 degrees.
We used that as an excuse to nap a little in the afternoons. But prior to leaving the park, we spent two lunches at the Death Valley Inn. It was a little oasis in the middle of the desert. My understanding is that they were there prior to the park becoming a national park and so were able to stay there as a swank hotel with a delicious restaurant. The kids loved the fish tacos, and I was in love with the salads. It was a sweet find in an otherwise desolate but beautiful park.
I can’t imagine how much water it took to keep the grounds green in the heat.
There is no question that Death Valley is our favorite national park so far. I’d love to go back in February and explore some more.
Keali and I climbed a couple of badlands as we left the park. The views were amazing.
We managed to find the smallest of streams that was outlined with green grass and flowers.