A Long Hard Drive

Today was a long day with a couple short breaks. Mostly I wanted to get in the Death Valley area to continue the exploring we started a year ago. However, along the way I had to see some sights.

First, Lava Beds National Monument. This parks primary claim to fame is its large number of lava tubes. So if that is what floats your boat, you can crawl around with a flashlight and a hard hat in the mud. Being a bit claustrophobic, I can't say that sounded like a barrel of laughs. So I went down the one that was lit, had a sidewalk and a ladder. Much more civilized.

The second stop was at Mono Lake. This is an odd place with Tufa spires. What is a Tufa spire? That is today's lesson.

I finally ended the day at Panamint Springs. It looked good on the internet. Don't believe everything you see on the internet! I think this just may be the decendants of Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters waiting for Jerry Garcia to arrive and begin a sing-along. Kinda earthy. Get this, no public phones but this place does have WIFI. Paper thin walls. I think the guy next door had too much party this evening and has been worshiping the porcelin God. I originally planned to stay two nights but after a bit (a very short bit) of reflection, I'll be moving along.

I did get a couple pics however. Have a look.