Day Twenty Two

Headed out to a place Ann found in the town to get breakfast at around 10.15am. Got there. There was a queue. They didn't seem to have much stuff that we wanted. Decided to go back and check out and find something on the way to our next destination. Checked out dead on 11am.

After around fifteen minutes we stopped at Nelda's Diner in Lake Isabella.

Had brunch. It was decent. Service was really good. It was really busy. As I said earlier in the trip, follow the locals. I had a milkshake made entirely from ice cream. I don't know if you've ever tried to drink ice cream through a straw but it is bloody hard work.

Left and headed towards Bakersfield. The drive through the Sierra Nevada range continued to be spectacular. Like yesterday we didn't realise it would be such a great drive. Stopped to see the Kern River as we drove alongside it. It is still flowing fairly fast.

Lovely interlocking spurs

Arrived at Bakersfield and stopped at a Walgreens to pick up a couple of things. Seemed a bit of a dodgy area. The restroom in the store is locked and you have to ask for it to be opened. 

Then headed north. We made a quick stop at McFarlane to see the high school. No other reason than we like the film 'McFarland, USA' which is based on a true story at the school. Unfortunately it was filmed elsewhere so we couldn't see any locations. 

Continued north to Visalia. Stopped at Walmart to pick up our last lot of food. We have two nights left in the US, both at a small cabin which is self catering. Its location will make it expensive to eat out, so we got enough for our breakfast and dinners. Receipt was checked on the door as we exited again just like it was in the last Walmart a few days ago. Must be a great job, highlighting receipts all day.

Then headed the small distance north east to Three Rivers and our cabin passing lots of fields of orange and lemon trees. Arrived here: Sierra Vista Casita.

Unloaded everything from the car, and I mean everything. We are in bear country again. The notes from the owner state there is an active bear in the area. I don't know if that means an active shooter bear (from the 2010 blog) or a bear that likes fitness. Bears have a good sense of smell and there is a long list of things not to leave in your car in case the bear tries to get into it, hence we just got everything out. 

Read the quote 'A fed bear is a dead bear'. Once the bear realises it can get food in human areas it starts to actively seek it out and then will become aggressive and will 'have to be shot'. We don't want to be responsible for dead bears.

Watched out the window for a while trying to see if a bear appeared doing star jumps, but nothing to report.

Ate dinner and watched a slightly bizarre film on Netflix. Now think there is a cricket in the cabin as it is chirping really loud. At least it isn't a bear doing squats.

One more early get up tomorrow to make the most of our location.

States visited - 4

Bear watch - low

Day Twenty One

The day started with a disaster, a predictable disaster, but one all the same. Watched Everton's first game of the season. Incidentally thirteen years ago almost to the day the blog from the first trip starts the same way! 

Had startled myself awake mid dream to watch the game. In the dream Dan Thomas had just arrived and done a handbrake turn in a clapped out Renault Espace. Very bizarre. Normally when he turns up on these trips it is his doppelgänger we see somewhere.

Eventually got ready and went for breakfast in the motel. It was the world's smallest breakfast room and quite busy. A family had helpfully put tables together in the middle which meant it was difficult to get to anything. Eventually managed to get something and sat in the extra seating area by ourselves.

Tidied the car and then packed up. Noticed a cricket on the curtains in the room. 

It was the second one I has seen in the last twelve hours. A black one attacked me last night just after I finished the blog.

We checked out and then headed just up the road to the Museum of Western Film History.  Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills have been used as a filming location in a lot of famous films, ranging from How the West was Won to Gladiator. We went in and paid the $5 donation they asked for. The lady on the desk said there was a fifteen minute short introductory film going to start in a couple of minutes in the small theatre. We looked at the first few things and then went and sat in the theatre. We were the only ones. We sat there for at least five minutes and nothing happened so we gave up and went back to carry on looking around. After about ten minutes an announcement said the film was going to start. We didn't bother.

At this point I will announce that Ann and I have different opinions about the museum. Ann said she thought it was great, really fascinating. I, on the other hand, do not concur with that view. Apart from one or two things which were ok, it seemed to be a museum of film posters. Also most of the exhibits were things like 'hat worn by an extra'.

A suit worn by Robert Downey Jnr in Iron Man 

Christoph Waltz's wagon from Django Unchained

Creature from Tremors

This 'might' have been used in a film

Only realised that Mount Whitney, the highest point in the lower forty eight states, was right behind us when seeing the magnets for it in the shop and Googling it. Nothing in the shop seemed to be related to films.  We left and drove south for about an hour. Listened to Sound of the Sixties with Tony Blackburn. Stopped and got fuel having used a lot yesterday. Picked up a Subway for lunch. Saw the most stereotypical American trailer park family. She was young and inappropriately dressed for her size, he had tattoos under his eyes and their small son had a blueish mullet. 

Drove about another fifteen minutes south and stopped in a scenic lookout to eat lunch. Had video call with Paul, Helen and Alana. Didn't get out the car as it was 96. 

Carried on west bound. Didn't realise the journey was going to be as spectacular as it turned out to be.

Eventually arrived at Kernville to stay the night. We only chose to stay here as we planned to go tubing on the river. Unfortunately the snow melt this year was massive causing flooding in the town Severe flooding in Kernville. The river is still fuller than it should be and tubing is not running this year.

Checked into the Piazza's Pine Cone Inn. Room is great except for the big glass patio door which means people can see in unless you have the curtains closed.

Went out for dinner at cherylsdiner. I am going to break tradition and tell you Ann had two eggs scrambled, hash browns and toast. There was not much egg. As in barely any.  Told her that she should said to them if I realised I was getting quails eggs I would have ordered more. I had a Sprite which didn't taste of Sprite. Ann tried it and agreed. Asked them to check that the syrup in the machine had not run out as that is what it tasted like. Waitress came back and told me it was fine and the Sprite tasted normal. She asked me if I was getting confused with 7Up. Told her I wasn't. She offered me lemonade instead. I got flat lemon which was overpoweringly lemony like Sheila's lemonade in Detectorists. Ann agreed with me. Ann had wanted to go there for breakfast in the morning too, but by this point she was Googling alternatives whilst we were still in there. Did notice this painting in the diner.

Can you guess who it is?

That's right its a picture of Calamity Jane! Pretty sure I saw that hat in the movie museum earlier, labelled as 'Big hat which someone once wore'.

Walked back to the motel. Ann wanted some decaf coffee so we went to go to reception to get some as they said we could go and take stuff if we wanted it. As we went to cut across past the pool, we were warned there was a skunk by the gate by the family running the place. Apparently it always turns up there. They said make lots of noise to scare it off like banging the gate. I didn't. There was no skunk.

Ann has just watched An Affair to Remember. No plans to get up early.

States visited - 4

Skunk watch - low

Day Twenty

Woke up just after 2am. Tried to go back to sleep for an hour but don't think I managed to. Finally got up at 2.55am. We were in the car and ready to go at 3.45am. Ann had gone to reception and picked up our Grab and Go breakfast bags which you can get if you aren't around for breakfast. Apparently the guy in the office was asleep when Ann went in and was startled by someone walking in at that time of the morning.

Got in the car and headed off into the darkness. We were heading for somewhere that I wasn't sure we would find. Phones and GPS would stop working at some point on our journey and where we were heading for wasn't particularly well marked. But being optimistic, that having studied Google maps, I could find it if we lost our technology I thought what the hell. Set the route on Apple play and hoped for the best.

Drove the first 38 miles pretty quickly as it was 65mph limit and fairly straight. No wildlife jumped out at us especially not the cows as signposted. The next twelve miles were first up a mountain and then down the other side on a winding road. Needless to say they were slower especially in the pitch black. Helpfully this meant we had no idea what was off the side of the road so pretended to myself there were no vertical drops without crash barriers. 

The road levelled out and straightened again for another 8 or so miles back at 65mph. Apple maps still ok at this point. The next 19 miles were up a mountain again and then back down on winding roads. Unfortunately we ended up behind the only car up and about at this time and it wasn't going particular fast. However in the dark on winding roads with drops off the sides decided to just follow at a distance. This did mean Apple maps thought our arrival was going to be a few minutes later. 

Eventually after a painful drive we got back on levelish ground and then we got to turn off the main route away from the slow car. The next 12 miles were fairly good and we just played a game of look for the sign. Apple music had stopped working a long time ago without a signal however the GPS was still going.

Eventually we saw the sign which was where it should be and we turned off the road onto a gravel track. The time was now 5.20am. We had six miles to go up the track still in the dark. Put the car in 4WD and set off. The things I had read online about this track varied from you can't get up it with anything wide, its really bad, steep in places, rocky outcrops, you can only make it in a 4x4 to a person saying I saw someone drive a Prius up it and they were fine. It turned out to be fine apart from Desert Cottontails, a Kit Fox and a Black-tailed Jack Rabbit trying to get run over. There was one short steep lump and then a tight turn right at the top with nothing to stop you falling off the side. Eventually arrived at our destination at 5.40am.

We'd made the decision to go there last night. We had a choice of Zabriskie Point or Aguereberry Point to see the sunrise over Death Valley. Zabriskie is where everybody, including the National Park Service, suggest going to watch. It is on the eastern side, is accessible by tarmac road and has a big carpark, however it is apparently very busy and unless you get there early you cannot get a parking space. It also faces away from the sun, so you don't actually watch it rise but you can see it light up the western side of the valley. 

Aguereberry Point is on the western side so you can see the sun rise over the eastern mountains, it is much quieter, however, it is up the 6 mile gravel track and you won't necessarily see the same colours in the rock as you are looking towards the sun. We found a couple of people online saying it is actually the best place to go. We were unsure and debated for a while but eventually decided to do what we normally do which is to not follow the crowd.

Having arrived at Aguereberry Point which is 1.2miles above sea level we put on our walking boots and jumpers and headed around the rocky outcrop to overlook Death Valley. Bizarrely at this point my phone buzzed and I'd received a Whatsapp message from Sarah Morley (I'll name drop you seeing as your message said you had been reading these long and winding blogs!) Replied and then for I think only the second time in my life I went live on Facebook for at least fifteen seconds as we waited for 6.03am.

I had walked all the way to the point but Ann had stopped short and said she was happy there. I messaged her and told her the view was great from where I was and then I went and dragged her down to the end. By now we were a couple of minutes away. Then this happened

Eventually having enjoyed the view long after the sun appeared we walked back to the car. 

Empty car park

We were the only people here. We reckoned there probably weren't any other humans in a ten mile radius from where we were.

Wondered if what we were feeling mirrored that of what those who first set foot here thought. Changed our footwear and got back in the car. The rising sun had already brought the temperature up a few notches.

Started the drive back down the track.

As we were nearing the bottom there was a turn off up another track towards this.

Drove the few hundred yards up it. Ann refused to get out the car so I went exploring.

When I got back in the car I was accused of having gone into the mine. I would have liked to but I was wearing flip flops. The sign stated this was Eureka Mine and it was eventually owned by Mr Aguereberry, he whom the point is named after. It says you can go into the mine but as a precaution to take two torches in case one fails. That is the only precaution you need if you decide to explore an abandoned gold mine.

We then carried on back to the tarmac and then drove the hour around to the National Park Visitor Centre at Furnace Creek. Arrived there just after 8am. It felt like about midday.

8.10am

Paid our entrance fee (there are no booths on the roads in) and then was asked by the ranger if we were going to any other parks. Said we would be going to Sequoia. She asked about Yosemite and we said we had already been. She asked me if I had the receipt for it, I searched my wallet but didn't have it. She said if you find it, when you get to Sequoia give it and the Death Valley one to them and then make them give us an Annual Pass to the National Parks. This costs $80 but the entry fees to both Yosemite and Death Valley would be deducted. It would save us $20.

Went off to stick the parking pass in the car. Whilst doing it I found the Yosemite receipt. Went back in and became US National Park members. Now we get into Sequoia for free!

Whilst I was becoming member, a couple were asking a ranger about which hikes are there to do in the valley. The ranger said none, don't hike. They said just a small one. The ranger said no, don't hike. There is a big sign at the front of the centre saying do not hike after 10am. Thought are people just idiots. All the information says do not stray away from your car. and do not drive off road as you main source of safety in the park will be passers by seeing you stranded.  Another ranger put up the forecast for the day on the noticeboard and complained as it wasn't even going to get to 110 degrees today.

Looked around the centre and bought a magnet. Ate some food in the car and had a drink as there is no café in the centre. Then drove 18 miles south to Badwater, the lowest place in the western hemisphere. Walked on the salt flats. It was very hot. Did not stay very long, was now over 100.

The little white sign at the top is sea level

282 feet/85.5m below sea level

The water

Salt flats

It is called Badwater as one of the early westerners tried to get his mule to drink from it and it refused, hence he said it was bad water. In truth it was very salty!

Drove back north and then turned on the road to Zabriskie Point. Thought we would go and see what all the fuss was about. Got out and walked to the top.

Not near the edge of the valley

Decided instantly we had made the right decision this morning. The view was not a patch on where we went. You could barely see the valley floor. We both could not see why this place is so busy and Aguereberry is empty.

Pleased with our decision we set out on our two hour drive back to the motel. Stopped off at Stovepipe Wells as it had a store and bought some drinks and food. At this point it was about 108. Then carried on out. This time we could see everything including the lack of sides when we drove up and down the two mountains.

Whilst driving I asked Ann a question. Having been to all fifty states and done lots of different things over our five trips, if someone said to us they were heading over to the US and money and time were no object and they asked us to recommend five absolute must do things, what would she say they are. Over the next hour and a half we narrowed it down to about sixty possibilities. We kept remembering things we have done. What about Gettysburg? What about San Diego Zoo Safari Park? What about the Grand Canyon? What about the Empire State Building? What about Kennedy Space Centre? What about Glacier National Park? What about Alcatraz? What about Old Faithful? And so it went on.

Made it back to the motel by 1.30pm. Sat for an hour or so and then nipped to Subway to get lunch. Took it back to the room and sat and ate. I have pretty much not moved since which has been about seven hours. Ann did go out for a swim in the pool at about 6.30pm. She forgot we are 3000 feet above sea level and found it challenging.  I didn't have the energy to move having driven for about six hours. Looking forward to some sleep.

Ann was awake when I looked a minute ago but now she is asleep.

States visited - 4

Desert Cottontail watch - high

Kit Fox watch - high

Black-tailed Jack Rabbit watch - high

Day Nineteen

Up at 7.15am.  Ate the breakfast we bought in the garage last night and were packed and out by 8.30am. Forgot to mention in yesterday's blog that when we bought the breakfast stuff last night, the cashier in the garage was talking to another guy who was in there and managed to scan all our items and take payment without breaking eye contact with the guy he was talking to. It was like we weren't even there.

Drove the short distance to Bodie SHP . The last six miles was on a gravel track. Arrived just as the park was opening. There was one car ahead of us and no one behind. Parked up and took the self guided tour pamphlet and set about seeing this true wild west ghost town. 

A guy called WS Bodey discovered gold here in 1859. At that point people flocked there. The town was named after him, although with the spelling of Bodie. He died in a blizzard the same year so never got to see the town grow. By the 1870s the mining industry was in decline and people had started leaving but then a mine collapse revealed a big seam of gold ore. Word spread and the boom time began. At its peak it is thought it housed about eight thousand people. It became famous for bad men and wild times. When the boom was over people started leaving and in the early 1900s the population had dwindled. Mining finished in 1942. The last people to live there did so in the mid fifties. Since then it has just been left. At one and a half miles above sea level it has harsh winters so when the gold was gone the people didn't stay. The State Park Service bought it in 1962 and have preserved it in a state of arrested decay. This means nothing is restored, things are just stabilised if needed.

Visitors have free reign to wander around the town. Some buildings are open for you to go in, but the majority you can just view from the outside, looking through windows. Only 5% of buildings remain which gives some indication of just how big it would have been in its heyday. 

Here are some pictures. I don't really need to describe how amazing it is.

Door to a jail cell

Jail

Strong room of the bank - the bank has gone

Bodie from above

School room

School room and globe

Small bedroom

Store front

Bar with billiard table

The Standard Mill

Fire engine

Bar with roulette tables and gambling chips

Store front

Shelves of goods

Store

Freight wagons

Hotel/Post Office and fraternal hall

Morgue with coffins

Large house

Parlour

Fireplace

Another small bedroom

A tiny double bed

Church

Inside Church

We spent three hours there in total. It was fascinating, very unlike going to a National Trust place which may well be a lot older but where things are repaired and staged. This is just as it was the day people left. The dust sitting on things, the decaying ceilings, etc, add to the eeriness. You could spend a lot longer going to see all the other bits and bobs, for instance we didn't get to the cemetery. We did however get a choice between lot of nice magnets and Ann got a Bodie 2024 calendar. There were lots of Belding Ground Squirrels all over the place running about too.

It made me think of the halcyon days of the Ermington Players building the set for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Sisters.

We left and drove a couple of hours south to Bishop where we stopped for lunch in Subway. Then we headed another hour south to our destination for the next two nights, Best Western Frontier Motel in Lone Pine. Checked in. Sat down for a while cooling off.

Went out for dinner at The Grill. It was a nice little place. We then went and filled the car up with fuel and got a few supplies in for tomorrow's day out. We don't want to be unprepared for it. Drove back to the motel and topped up the windscreen washer fluid as well. Now getting an early night as we are setting the alarm for 3am!

States visited - 4

Belding Ground Squirrel watch - high