A Surprise Visit to Death Valley!

Well, Granpa decided that he wanted to see Yosemite National Park again.  It was okay the first time around, but just wasn't that impressive to me.  He's asking me how long it would take to get hither, tither and yon.  I finally pull out the road atlas and, as a result, I suggest we get to Yosemite through the eastern entrance.  It's shorter - due north of Las Vegas and hang a left.  He's not real excited about the idea - but I prevail.  (Yes!)  I've also recently read about the Methuselah tree being in the area of Bishop where we booked a room.  So, when his next set of days off comes around we load up the car and head out through 'Vegas.

It's amazing how itineraries tend to produce themselves. We're loping along (Granpa never goes above the speed limit - especially in a vehicle that has been as faithful as our Sienna which now has something like 267,000 miles on it!)  We're moseyin' up the highway, having made it through Las Vegas without sinnin', and what to my wondering eyes appears on our right but an enormous billboard that says:  B-R-O-T-H-E-L !!  Yes, my children, brothels are legal in Nevada.  Granpa slams on the brakes and, since the brothel is on the right, I push the steering wheel to the left! 

Granpa manages to stop in a parking lot as I'm pulling out the road atlas.  We are gettin' outta Nevada asap!  Lookin', lookin', lookin'...  This road that we made a left on (State Highway 373), if we stay on it headed west, we're (gulp!) going into Death Valley National Park!!  But in just eleven miles we will be out of Nevada.  We're doin' this!  Death Valley, here we come!

And that is how itineraries produce themselves...

It is winter, so temperatures in the Valley shouldn't be a problem.  Not that Death Valley was ever on our bucket list, but once we get through to the other side we never have to worry about it getting on our bucket list!

God is so very good to us when we turn away from sin!  It turns out that Death Valley is absolutely unequivocally gorgeous!

The variety is unending!

And it has stories to tell, too!