Day two: Death Valley - Las Vegas
It was a crisp morning at June Lake when I woke up and indeed when I left the temperature was around 40°F.
June Lake is an adorable location. I won't try to describe it, just see for yourself:
On the left, the Tiger Bar, excellent edibles
Down the street towards the lake I got a better view of the mountains
Then I stayed a few minutes at the marina
It does look like I love taking pictures of birds, eh?
I want that
the sweetest dog in California
Ain't she cute? :)
Well, after a nice warm cup o' joe at the aforementioned Tiger Bar, I took off and proceeded to drive southwards as planned. Incidentally the coffee here in the US is not real coffee. It's more like kiddie coffee. Seriously, it's coffee-flavoured water. From now on I'm asking for espresso whenever available.
Anyway, on the road again. Landscapes are still quite impressive on US 395
At the entrance of a small town called Independence:
bikers
Death Valley and surroundings are pretty much what people would describe as hell. If you ever wondered what Spirit and Opportunity must feel like, here's your answer: go to Death Valley. That place is like Mars, with some molecules of air here and there so you can breathe enough not to faint, it's absolutely unbearable.
One of the checkpoints
an old, dead fire truck.
I guess that makes it fire truck paradise here. That would make sense since there's nothing in sight that could possibly burn.
oh look, more desert
Badwater Point. Feel the heat
2:22PM, 90°F, and he still looks cool. not.
I was really eager to leave that place after taking the pic as this desolation is almost depressing. There's great vista alright, but damn, the nothingness of it all is amazing.
After leaving Death Valley I spent a while on Highway 160, which was partially flooded. Nothing big, a few inches here and there, quite cool.
Water
And I got a first glimpse of what turned out to be indeed Vegas. Cibola! My Life for you! er, I digress.
I arrived at the Palace Station around 5pm. After taking a nice long shower, I reserved a table at the Tillerman and then took a cab to the Bellagio.
The Bellagio lobby, simply stunning
I had a beer at the Bellagio's Baccarat Bar, and left to the Strip to see the fountains.
Nighttime in Vegas
the enchanting Bellagio fountains
Those are pure Vegas magic, it's beautiful.
The Strip
King of Vegas. ok, Prince. Pff, ok, just a tourist, sheeesh...
Dinner at the Tillerman was fantastic. My only complaint was that the portions were too big, I couldn't finish everything and it killed me to let it go. I had the Spicy Thai Calamari, followed by the Filet-Mignon with Shrimp Scampi and shoestring potatoes (with a glass of Bordeaux Chateau Coutet Grand-Cru on that) and Vanilla ice cream for dessert. The steak was incredible.
I ended the day in a cab back to the hotel, and found out that Jimmy had lost the car and my plane tickets at poker. I successfully argued with the manager that since he was a lion, and obviously below 21 of age, all their gains were illegal, and I managed to get everything back.
Phew, close call. :p
June Lake is an adorable location. I won't try to describe it, just see for yourself:
On the left, the Tiger Bar, excellent edibles
Down the street towards the lake I got a better view of the mountains
Then I stayed a few minutes at the marina
It does look like I love taking pictures of birds, eh?
I want that
the sweetest dog in California
Ain't she cute? :)
Well, after a nice warm cup o' joe at the aforementioned Tiger Bar, I took off and proceeded to drive southwards as planned. Incidentally the coffee here in the US is not real coffee. It's more like kiddie coffee. Seriously, it's coffee-flavoured water. From now on I'm asking for espresso whenever available.
Anyway, on the road again. Landscapes are still quite impressive on US 395
At the entrance of a small town called Independence:
bikers
Death Valley and surroundings are pretty much what people would describe as hell. If you ever wondered what Spirit and Opportunity must feel like, here's your answer: go to Death Valley. That place is like Mars, with some molecules of air here and there so you can breathe enough not to faint, it's absolutely unbearable.
One of the checkpoints
an old, dead fire truck.
I guess that makes it fire truck paradise here. That would make sense since there's nothing in sight that could possibly burn.
oh look, more desert
Badwater Point. Feel the heat
2:22PM, 90°F, and he still looks cool. not.
I was really eager to leave that place after taking the pic as this desolation is almost depressing. There's great vista alright, but damn, the nothingness of it all is amazing.
After leaving Death Valley I spent a while on Highway 160, which was partially flooded. Nothing big, a few inches here and there, quite cool.
Water
And I got a first glimpse of what turned out to be indeed Vegas. Cibola! My Life for you! er, I digress.
I arrived at the Palace Station around 5pm. After taking a nice long shower, I reserved a table at the Tillerman and then took a cab to the Bellagio.
The Bellagio lobby, simply stunning
I had a beer at the Bellagio's Baccarat Bar, and left to the Strip to see the fountains.
Nighttime in Vegas
the enchanting Bellagio fountains
Those are pure Vegas magic, it's beautiful.
The Strip
King of Vegas. ok, Prince. Pff, ok, just a tourist, sheeesh...
Dinner at the Tillerman was fantastic. My only complaint was that the portions were too big, I couldn't finish everything and it killed me to let it go. I had the Spicy Thai Calamari, followed by the Filet-Mignon with Shrimp Scampi and shoestring potatoes (with a glass of Bordeaux Chateau Coutet Grand-Cru on that) and Vanilla ice cream for dessert. The steak was incredible.
I ended the day in a cab back to the hotel, and found out that Jimmy had lost the car and my plane tickets at poker. I successfully argued with the manager that since he was a lion, and obviously below 21 of age, all their gains were illegal, and I managed to get everything back.
Phew, close call. :p
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