Day 7 – Death Valley California Part One

The day started early at 7:30am and it was a little nippy in the RV to say the least.  It was about 66f when we went to bed, and prayed we’d have enough propane to last the night – NOT! It was a balmy 46f in the morning and Dar was only saved from freezing to death due to the unselfish act of Boo sleeping on her pillow pressed up against her cheek all night to help keep her warm.  That, and the electric blanket.

A quick pack up and we were able to hit the road and actually be driving down the highway by 9am, after finding out the deal with getting more propane on Tuesday morning.

As we had gassed up the car the night before, we headed straight towards Death Valley Junction.  A “town” if you can call it that, with a population of a grand total of 3!   We drove right past the famous Amargosa Opera House Rob wanted to see, so we had to stop.  Dar took a few photos and a bathroom break was in order, as well as a stop in the café to see what they offered.  The lady told us we could get a tour inside the Opera House for $5 each, check with the hotel staff – so we did!

Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction

Well worth the $10 it cost to see Marta Beckett’s 40+ year labor of love.  Marta was a dancer who had fate drop her into this location by way of a flat tire.  She bought the old Corkhill Hall and made it her own, performing there herself.  When audiences dwindled to none, she painted her own audience onto the walls of the hall, all of them wearing formal Victorian attire.  A quick search for her name will tell you more of this amazing woman who still lives there, now well into her 80’s.  There is a book about her story, and apparently soon to be a movie as well.  We didn’t get to meet her but she still lives on the property and is recovery, we’re told from hip surgery.

book about Marta Becket

Amargosa opera house

Amargosa hotel, Death Valley Junction

inside Amargosa opera house

from the stage of Amargosa opera house

inside Amargosa opera house

After our stop in Death Valley Junction to see the Opera House, we traveled into Death Valley to see more. Our first stop was Zabriskie Point.

Page 2 – Zabriskie Point

12 thoughts on “Day 7 – Death Valley California Part One”

  1. Dar will put them in eventually Jan. With our travel schedule and stuff, the biggest challenge right now is time for her to do the photo editing. To be honest, she’s not even done editing our own wedding photos!

    as soon as she’s got them done, they’ll be put up.

    I’m assigning her a “photo of the day” and we’ll soon have a gallery up as well. Even if we dont post a trip log for the day, we’ll have a photo of the day

  2. Hey. love those photos…thanks! I really like the angle on the opera house, inside and out, and the wagon wheel and the dunes, and…you get the idea! Places like that are really awe-inspiring. Thanks again. And I do know how hard it is to get the photo stuff done. Since we got home from Malawi I have made only one post to our blog. However, it’s a philosophical one that needed some time to process before posting. Check it out at http://nesscafe.wordpress.com

  3. Hi Jan, there’s still more coming for this day yet, including ghost town and sand dunes. Check back again tomorrow, I hope to have them finished. Just downloading 300+ from my memory cards now.

  4. Thanks for sharing your stories! They are great! I am a young snowbird too so I have had some of the same challenges. I would like to know how you were getting internet service in these remote places?

  5. When we book our sites, we ask about wifi. All our wifi is provided by the parks. Most are free, but we’ve had to pay for some Tengo at times. Next year we’re going to get our own wireless modem and hook up with “Clear” who provide a signal in both Arizona and Texas

  6. On another trip to Death Valley, it is most worthwhile to visit Scottys Castle. The story of Scotty and the castle and how it came to be built is fascinating. It is a US National Parks historic site. Good luck with your continued snowbirding (we are young ones too).

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