A USA Road Trip: From Las Vegas to Lone Pine via Death Valley

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It’s time to leave the bright lights of Vegas behind us and head off to California. But not before we pick up vital supplies from Walgreens including a fantastic cooler for $15. We become very attached to our cooler and do everything we can to fit this in our suitcase at the end of the trip. And boy oh boy, we’re going to need cold water today as we head across Death Valley on our road trip from Las Vegas to Lone Pine.

8:30am, and we’re on the road. With last night’s Beatles soundtrack still echoing in our ears, it’s only right we start off with the Fab Four to keep us company. It’s not so much a Long and Winding Road as a series of Long and Very Straight Roads.

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It takes us about two hours to drive to Death Valley National Park, taking the 160 and 178 through Pahrump and entering at Shostone. The scenery gradually changes before our eyes, and the temperature is slowly creeping up over 100 degrees. I excitedly record the 103 degree temperature on camera. This will certainly not be the highest we see today.

Our first stop is Ashford Mills Ruins. We venture outside the wonderfully air-conditioned Fletchemobile for the first time. It’s hot. There’s not a lot to see here; Mr Fletche checks out the ruins, while I check out the “restroom”. Which is a hole in the ground.

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Back in the Fletchemobile, the temperature cranks up to 111 degrees. This is officially the hottest I’ve ever been in my life. Our next stop is Badwater Basin, the lowest point below sea level in the Western Hemisphere. It may be hot, but it’s also windy. It’s like having a hairdryer, on full heat and power, blown straight into your face. Mr Fletche and I can barely hear each other speak; it’s too much effort to walk too far down the boardwalk over the salt flats. As I gaze over the desolate landscape, the wind sweeps my beloved pink baseball cap off my head. That hat is possibly even now still nestling on the salt flats at Badwater, causing people to wonder if it’s some kind of unique plant or unidentified animal.

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The temperature gauge in the Fletchemobile is now telling us its 126 degrees outside. It’s starting to protest slightly at all this heat. We treat it to a detour onto Artist’s Drive. It is difficult to describe the beautiful colours displayed in the rocks. The road is challenging; twisty and narrow. It’s good practice for Mr Fletche and the Fletchemobile for what we’ll face at Yosemite.

We make a quick stop at Golden Canyon – the temperature has stabilised at a comfortable 113 degrees – before carrying on to Zabriskie Point. There are spectacular views from Zabriskie Point, and it’s well worth the short steep hike from the car park. Despite filling up our cooler we’re running low on bottled water. The battery on both my camera and my mobile phone have given up the ghost in the heat. We decide to drive on and take a rest stop at Furnace Creek Ranch.

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We originally planned to stay at Furnace Creek, but we decided instead to overnight a little further along the route in Lone Pine to give us more time to travel to Yosemite the next day. The heat at Furnace Creek is almost overpowering, so I’m glad we made that decision. We probably would have done little more than wilt in our room. However, we’re glad of the stop for refreshments.

The exit from Death Valley onto the 395 is one of the most scenic on our trip. The dramatic change from flat barren landscape to the Alabama Hills in the distance, with it’s mountainous backdrop. Shame I have no camera at this point to record the stunning scenery. We arrive in Lone Pine at around 5:45pm. It’s like a scene from a Wild West movie. Mr Fletche wants to buy a horse, a stetson and move to this lovely little town.

After two luxurious hotels in Vegas, and a rustic lodge at the Grand Canyon, the Dow Villa is a more traditional motel, with an even more traditional hotel attached. You can immediately sense the movie history attached to this area. The backdrop isn’t bad either.

A change of clothes and a tantrum because my camera won’t charge later, and we’re off to discover the delights of Lone Pine. It doesn’t take long. Not because it’s not delightful – it is – but because you can walk from one end to the other in less than 10 minutes. And back.

We’re hungry, and the bright lights of the Mount Whitney restaurant are beckoning us in. Despite barely seeing a soul during our stroll every table is occupied but we’re soon seated. Two huge burgers, fries, onion rings, and 4 Bud Lights later and we’re completely satisfied. We even began to understand the rules of baseball. Almost.

After a couple of late party nights in Vegas, we welcome the chance to grab an early night and dream of the huge sprawling landscapes of the Californian desert. Tomorrow, we head for the lush forests, snow-capped mountains and roaring waterfalls of Yosemite.