Where Am I?

I entered Death Valley the hard way, through the backdoor. The road was a tiny, twisty, sometimes one-lane track from the Owens Valley through the Sylvania and Palmetto mountains. Traveling back and forth from California to Nevada and back again, I never knew exactly where I was. At one point I was stopped on the open-range by two cowboys herding cattle across the road. I enjoyed watching them so much I never even thought about taking pictures. The only vehicle I saw on my drive was a delivery truck. I guess when you live in the middle of nowhere, on an isolated ranch, that's the way to shop. Why bother driving all the way to town when UPS will deliver right to your door.

I arrived at Death Valley National Park in the late afternoon. The park was full of Spring Breakers and all the campgrounds were full, so I stayed just outside the park entrance with a few other campers. We were in a nice parking area, but it freaked me out a bit. At one end of the parking lot was a sign that read, "Welcome To California" while the other end had a "Welcome To Nevada." We were in the middle in a no-man's land. I couldn't stop wondering exactly which state I was in. I would have been seriously worried if I had outstanding warrants in either state and didn't know legally where I was.

In the morning, solidly back in California, I took a couple of tours of Scotty's Castle, a historic mansion in the park, then went looking for a campsite. Still no luck, so I stopped at the Furnace Creek Inn for lunch and possibly a room for the night. I'd stayed at the inn before with my daughter. We'd shared a great road trip, back and forth across the country, one summer. What we liked best about our stay, not counting the scenery and overwhelming stars at night, was the oasis and pool. The inn has a huge spring fed pool which is drained and refilled every night. The water from the pool refreshes a cool, green oasis of flowers and palm trees. It seems like a mirage, this strange, wonderful little bit of paradise surrounded by the stark, unforgiving beauty of the desert.