Day 13

Last night we had a yummy dinner at a Japanese restaurant just next to the hotel. We stayed at the Best Western in Bishop CA. It was very nice. Beautiful green, flowered grounds with a creek running through it. The walls of the creek had been turned into walls of round rocks cemented together. Tons of large, yellow and orange marigolds, and shrubbery made it a beautiful sight. There was a pool and jacuzzi that we did not try out. Dinner kept us out until after 9:00 or so. We slept great, and woke up around 6:00. There was a nice breakfast in the lobby. Got some laundry done, and enjoyed sitting outside our room that overlooked the creek. A hummingbird was busy making a nest in the tree right outside our door. She was not happy that we sat so close to her "project". I wish we could have seen the nest completed with babies in it. We also had two male and one female ducks right next to our sitting area. Remembering the goose that "goosed" me on the back of my head, I was a bit leary. They to didn't like us sitting in their area, and quickly, but not quietly, left for better digs.

We are so ready to get home! Pretty homesick both of us! We even tried to get a flight a day earlier, but found it to be to costly. We will make the most out of our final days out west, and look forward to the unique terrain that makes up Death Valley! As soon as our laundry is done!

After stopping for a chai latte to go, we left Bishop CA. With stops it took us 5 hours or so to get to our hotel at Death Valley. We stopped to use the bathroom at the first thing that came along. There isn't much commerce in this hot desert. The burgers were surprisingly good. We sat next to four Japanese people who kept eyeing our food. Finally, they turned to us and wanted us to point to what we were eating on the menu because they do not speak English and couldn't tell the waitress. They were excited that we could help them. They really wanted burgers! They were confused when they kept ordering Coke and the waitress kept saying Pepsi. The restaurant had a book for visitors to sign in. Most visitors were from overseas. I was surprised that they would visit Death Valley, though there is a beautiful resort here. (Not the one we are in, unfortunately.)

The desert drive was, of course, very hot. 109 most of the way in. Lots of hill and valleys. We went from about 5,000 ft. to below sea level. We stopped to see Salt Creek. It was a 0.5 mi. hike. We took it! The creek is now mostly a puddle here and there, but we can say we took a hike in 109 degree heat! Pretty brutal. I was glad to get back to the car. We stopped at an old borax mine site. I let Joe take that short hike himself, and he said it was quite interesting how they used to mine and ship the borax. Some Europeans were asking him what borax was.

Our hotel is a 2.5 star I'd say. The pool, which gets it's water from a spring, was too warm to make us get in it. So, after arriving here about 4:00 or so, we did some shopping, and spent the rest of the night in our room to keep cool. Tomorrow, we hope to get an early start. We will have some great, unique sites on our was along the Death Valley on our way to Vegas. There really is no place like this in the world. I'm glad Joe has the opportunity to see it. I have been here twice before, but tomorrow will see things new to me.