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Old 7 Mar 19, 09:34 PM  
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smithlane
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The BIG Las Vegas Surprise - 18th Feb 2019 - Golf @ Furnace Creek & Exploring Death Valley

Day 2

Alarm was set for 6am this morning. I dragged myself into the shower at 6.15 then we left at 7. It was a beautiful morning but like yesterday it was freezing. I was looking forward to some warmth in Death Valley! I plugged Furnace Creek into the Sat Nav and it said the journey would take 2hrs 11mins.







As we were running a bit behind we didn’t have time to stop in Pahrump for breakfast so instead stopped off at McDonalds on the way. 2 sausage and egg McMuffins, a coffee and a Diet Coke. $6.50. Bargain!

Road was very straight with a lot of snow at the side of the road, it got a bit hairy at times with ice on the road. The Mustang was totally the wrong car to be driving! Beautiful scenery though















Pahrump










The last place I would have thought an Opera House would be


Nearly there!




I was very disappointed there was no ‘Welcome to California’ State sign. Just a piddly one that wasn’t even photo worthy!
Parked up at an unmanned kiosk to pay the $30 entrance fee.













Got a bit lost finding the Golf Club, so we stopped at the Visitor centre who directed us.









Arrived at 9.45 just in time for a 10am tee off. It was deserted! Only one other cart was out, we really didn’t have to rush after all





I paid up for 18 holes, this came to $73. Also got a bag of nuts and a big bottle of water.
It was a beautiful day but really windy! If the wind died down it would be really warm.











Don’t be fooled by the bright blue sky I was freezing!


The backdrop is just stunning! I got very snap happy.







These are the 150 yard markers for the first 9 holes, we are in Roadrunner country.


The first 8 holes were fairly uneventful but got to hole 9 and I thought I saw a dog in the distance. Well it turned out to be a bloody coyote running straight towards us. Told Jim to freeze. We didn’t know what to do as it was only about 15 feet away from us







After a few minutes he walked off, was clearly in search of food. I named him Wiley. That one’s for you Amanda . Now just needed to spot a road runner, my day would be complete then
Went to hole 10 and there he was again, he was following us! Jim wasn’t happy as he was right where he needed to tee off









Had to wait about 5 minutes before he scarpered. Poor thing has obviously been fed by golfers previously so now associates them with food. All it will mean is eventually it will get too domesticated and be killed off! Morons

Very appropriately these are the 150 yard markers for the back 9 holes



Saw him again on the 15th hole. Jim kept complaining I was taking more photos of the coyote than of him playing









Finished up at 12.30pm so a lot quicker when there’s only 1 player. Normally takes at least 4 hours.
We were now pretty hungry so went for lunch next door at Oasis at Furnace Creek.



It’s a hotel but also has a cafe/restaurant. Had a look in the gift shop first much to Jim’s delight! Got the obligatory magnet and postcard.







There was a buffet in the cafe but it didn’t look too appetising so went to the restaurant instead. Very authentic western style décor complete with taxidermy animals



Ordered 2 Diet Cokes and got given iced water too.
I went with the half rack of ribs and fries and Jim had the burger. We both wished we’d gone with the quesadillas as they looked really good when seeing them being brought out to others. Too late though!
Food soon came. Was very tasty but not enough meat or sauce on the ribs. Normally BBQ ribs come with loads of sauce!



Bill came to $60 including tip which was expensive for what we had.

From here we drove the 17 miles to Badwater Basin.









This is the lowest point in North America at 282ft below sea level. Its described as a surreal landscape of vast salt flats. Parked up and walked the 15-20 minutes to the end. I can’t quite describe the views. It’s quite simply breath taking and looks like you’re on another planet. Photo overload!































We both needed the loo at this point so walked back and went to the ones in the parking lot. A warning to anyone going. They are just a hole in the ground with a toilet seat over the top so no flush and very stinky!
We now drove back the way we came and turned off for Artists Drive.





This is a 9 mile one way scenic drive. We stopped off a couple of times for more spectacular views. We had a bit of a trek up a hill for this one









Artists Palette.





You can see why!





Once we had completed the loop it was about 3.30 so started the drive back to LV. One more stop to make and that was Zabriskies Point. Even more amazing views. Mother Nature truly is a wonder!









Begrudgingly it was time to leave. I do wished we’d stayed for sunset though, another time for sure!

We now started the long drive back to Vegas. Needed to stop for fuel so stopped at the first garage we came to. $30 filled us back to full, crazy cheap!
Jim needed a wee so went into the bar next door. When he came out he said it was like something out of the film From Dusk Till Dawn



Clear journey home, it was lovely seeing the sun set behind the mountains.









Arrived back at the Signature at 6.15pm. We were both absolutely wiped out, must be the fresh air!

Chilled out in room for an hour. I'd been periodically checking the weather conditions in the Grand Canyon and they had a lot of snow on the ground with more storms on the way. I suggested to Jim we change our hire car for one more sensible as I doubted the Mustang can handle even a thin layer of ice let alone snow! He wasn’t happy but finally agreed it was the sensible option. We would go to Avis on the morning we leave for the Grand Canyon.

As we were so shattered we were seriously debating getting a take out delivered to the hotel but I envisioned it would go wrong and end up at a different place (bit like Uber last night!) so we got ourselves ready and headed up the road to the Miracle Mile shops. I knew there was an Earl of Sandwich in the mall so went straight there.
2 Hawaiian BBQ’s, 2 chocolate brownies and 2 soda drinks came to $23.



This hit the nail on the head, was so good as always!
Once finished we slowly walked back. Quick stop in the ABC store to buy a Nevada license plate and Las Vegas magnet.



Quick walk back we got straight into our night stuff and into bed. Had some of my amazing key lime pie from last night.
Truly a brilliant day!
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Edited at 04:39 PM.
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Old 7 Mar 19, 10:13 PM  
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Sounds as though you had a lovely day. Your photies are lovely...way better than mine. We did death valley this time as well...just beautiful. We stayed overnight at Amargosa just a few miles up the road from the opera house you saw.
How great that you made a friend of Wiley lol. That would have been great to see. Did Jim enjoy his golf? Thanks for sharing.

Edited at 10:18 PM.
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Old 9 Mar 19, 09:18 AM  
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I love the photos of the journey out there. What a beautiful place, it must have felt a bit weird exploring it when it was so cold as it's normally a place that we think of as being hotter than the surface of the sun.

Your furry friend sure did follow you around the golf course. A shame he's become so domesticated, you're probably right that people have fed him so he was looking for food from you.
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Old 9 Mar 19, 04:41 PM  
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Originally Posted by JoS View Post
Sounds as though you had a lovely day. Your photies are lovely...way better than mine. We did death valley this time as well...just beautiful. We stayed overnight at Amargosa just a few miles up the road from the opera house you saw.
How great that you made a friend of Wiley lol. That would have been great to see. Did Jim enjoy his golf? Thanks for sharing.
Death Valley truly exceeded my expectations, it is just stunning!
We really wished we’d stayed overnight, next time for sure. I’ll have to look into that area as it’s not far outside of the park at all.
Haha Wiley was very domesticated it was quite cute him following us but I had to keep reminding myself they are wild animals and he could just as easily be aggressive 😳
Jim loved the golf he thought it was a good course. Could be a great course if they put a bit more money into it but not sure they get the business to make it worthwhile?
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Old 9 Mar 19, 04:44 PM  
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Originally Posted by Goldia View Post
I love the photos of the journey out there. What a beautiful place, it must have felt a bit weird exploring it when it was so cold as it's normally a place that we think of as being hotter than the surface of the sun.

Your furry friend sure did follow you around the golf course. A shame he's become so domesticated, you're probably right that people have fed him so he was looking for food from you.
The scenery all around you is stunning, I really miss that.
Yes I can’t actually imagine what it’s like when the temperature tops 40 degrees. I definitely want to go back when it’s warmer to experience how it should be.
It is such a shame how domesticated he is as it will probably mean he loses his life for it, he was very cute though.
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Old 10 Mar 19, 06:01 PM  
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Great that you got there ok with the icy roads. Looks beautiful but cold.

Oh my Wiley ! He looks a love . Poor thing, I do hope he doesn’t come to a sad end like the critters in the restaurant. I’m touched you thought of me x The ribs did look a tad dry there ...

The landscape at badwater and Artists Palette looks unreal.. like a different planet. Omg to the loo though

Lovely drive back , apart from creepy bar place. Good choice on dinner front and swopping out the car tomoz but uh oh to more snow

What a great day
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Old 10 Mar 19, 10:23 PM  
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Originally Posted by WileyCoyote View Post
Great that you got there ok with the icy roads. Looks beautiful but cold.

Oh my Wiley ! He looks a love . Poor thing, I do hope he doesn’t come to a sad end like the critters in the restaurant. I’m touched you thought of me x The ribs did look a tad dry there ...

The landscape at badwater and Artists Palette looks unreal.. like a different planet. Omg to the loo though

Lovely drive back , apart from creepy bar place. Good choice on dinner front and swopping out the car tomoz but uh oh to more snow

What a great day
Haha as soon as I saw him I knew I had to name him Wiley for you! I was gutted we didn't see a roadrunner though
Oh the scenery was just breath taking, the photos don't even do it justice!
You can't beat Earl of Sandwich, sometimes you just need to keep it simple. Yes more flipping snow
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Old 20 Mar 19, 06:41 PM  
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What an amazing day you had. That drive over to Death Valley was so beautiful. We'll be heading that way after we leave Las Vegas, made me so excited after seeing your fantastic pics.
I've made a note about the toilet lol. It will be a lot hotter when we visit I doubt we'll be able to walk outside for long! You manged to see it's beauty on so many different levels.
Great idea to swap the car, hope the weather isn't too bad for you tomorrow.
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Old 24 Mar 19, 09:01 PM  
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Originally Posted by juliab View Post
What an amazing day you had. That drive over to Death Valley was so beautiful. We'll be heading that way after we leave Las Vegas, made me so excited after seeing your fantastic pics.
I've made a note about the toilet lol. It will be a lot hotter when we visit I doubt we'll be able to walk outside for long! You manged to see it's beauty on so many different levels.
Great idea to swap the car, hope the weather isn't too bad for you tomorrow.
Oh my goodness the scenery is just out of this world! Everywhere you look around you is spectacular. Yes I should imagine it will be a lot hotter than when we were there .
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Old 12 Apr 19, 09:40 PM  
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Fantastic day! Lots of your photos look the same as ones we have! We saw a coyote too, we out the front of Furnace creek ranch stargazing and one walked past us about 4ft away!
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