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Las Vegas and Death Valley Three Day Weekend

By Tab Hauser

(published shorter article can be seen at http://www.desertusa.com/mag05/may/lv1.html )

Part 1: A Day in Vegas

Each spring I have to be Las Vegas for a trade show. This year I decided to take a long weekend before the show and see a few sights in Vegas and then explore Death Valley for a couple of days.

We arrived Friday at midnight on Song Air getting a low air fare of $89. Song Air, which is owned by Delta are what I call the Jet Blue wanna-be’s. Song Air copied their routes and ideas of TV’s in the seats as well as cheerful attitudes on board. (Jet Blue does offer more leg room, Song Air shakes up a mean martini with better prices as of this printing).

Upon arrival we rented a Jeep Wrangler and headed to “T I” or what used to be called Treasure Island. Treasure Island became T I when the powers of Vegas finally decided that this town really is not a place for families or “family values”. Even the famous pirate fight on the strip was changed to an entertaining and sexy show where “Sirens”. It is a show of female pirates dressed in lingerie sensuously singing and dancing there way 4 times per night for the crowds while literally sinking the all male ship with good looks and song.

Singing, dancing, explosions and a sinking ship are part of the fun directly on the strip at "TI"

Our long weekend started Saturday with the goal of seeing the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton in the morning and the Monet exhibit in the afternoon at the Bellagio. We figured being culturally diverse in the same day was a good thing. The reason for the Star Trek Experience was because we have not seen it in several years and that they added a new “4D” attraction. The Star Trek Experience is a must see whether you are a full blown Trekkie or someone who enjoyed the various shows and movies over the years.

Aliens, Star Trek history and interactive attractions are part of the fun at the Star Trek Experience

Each attraction has actors playing the roles of Federation officers or aliens along with a simulation ride. Each attraction also gives you the sense you are on the television show. Admission is $35 for the original experience and the 4D Borg adventure. If you tell them you are with a convention they take off $10 per ticket. It took about 2 hours to go through the exhibit which included a science / science fiction time line and props from the shows and movies. If you want to pass on the cost but get a feel of the place simply go to Quark’s Bar and the shops next to it. Quark’s offers lunch and dinner with Star Trek costumed humans and aliens that role play with you. Yes, you can get “Romulan Ale” there also. (Several years ago I was having lunch there when a Ferengi wanted to trade my

“Hu-man” Female and my Nikon for 2 bars of gold pressed latinum.)

After finishing up with Star Trek we headed over to the Bellagio to see the Monet Exhibit. On display were 22 paintings of which 16 were from Monet. The admission cost of $15 included an audio wand that explained a bit about Monet and descriptions of each painting. Basically for about a dollar per Monet painting you get to see some of his works from different periods. After leaving the exhibit we headed to the hotel conservatory area. Here there were hundreds of flowers of various types blooming. There is also a small walkway to see more flowers that has a stream of water shoot perfectly over your head in an arch. Because the arch almost does not look real we saw an occasional visitor touch the stream and get wet.

At Bellagio's

That evening we had a nice Mexican dinner at Isla’s at T I and it was off to see the Elton John Red Piano Concert at the Forum in Caesar’s. Elton’s performance was magnificent and seeing it 7 rows from the stage made it special.

Part 2: Death Valley

We are not “Vegas” people and always look for time to leave the glitz and glitter for the real world. The main reason we came earlier to Vegas was to leave it and make our way to Death Valley for an over night. Our goal was to use our Jeep Wrangler off the main roads and hit the legal 4 wheel drive trails in the park. Anxious to get an early start on Sunday we hopped in our Jeep and headed north on Route 95 north stopping about an hour away at a small casino in Indian Creek. Indian Creek is a village known for its small air force base. It also has a little casino with a reasonable place to eat. While the place was a bit run down their breakfast was excellent and about half the price of TI. Here the biscuits and gravy were not bland, the corn beef hash had some flavor and the pancakes were perfect. Basically everything TI did not offer but for less than half the price. After Breakfast we headed straight to Beatty to get a map and see what was going on with road conditions.

In Beatty we talked to a park ranger who advised us that most of the 4 WD trails we had an interest in taking were closed due to the August flood and wet winter. She did inform us incorrectly that the flowers in the park were a few weeks past peak in the areas we were to visit and we should head south for better viewing. With the news of the road closings we had to change plans. Instead of driving on the Titus Canyon Road we headed back up Route 95 another 40 minutes and made a left at Scotty’s Junction heading west past Scotty’s Castle to see the Race Track.. After reading about the interesting phenomena of the Race Track we took 50 minutes to drive the 27 mile dirt and rocky road. If you go to the Race Track continue 3 miles past the castle and make a right at the intersection that says Ubehebe Crater and Eureke Dunes. After making the right go about 2 ½ miles and bare left to Ubehebe Crater. After following these instructions we drove a 1 1/2 miles where we saw a few cars pulled over on both sides of the road looking down. Being curious we did the same only to find people staring down on the ground looking at few different types rare flowers. All the plants were in full bloom with the smallest being half the size of a dime. The prettiest of the group we saw was called the Desert 5 Spot. This little flower is light purple on the petals with with 5 red spots next to each petal having a width of about 1 ½. (A complete listings of the different flowers can be found at http://www.nps.gov/deva/FrameSet-Wildflower.htm ) A local tour guide who stopped with his group told us these plants may come out once every 5 years. After looking at the different flowers in the area we continued past Ubehebe Crater where the pavement ended and on to the Race Track.

A Desert 5 Spot

Small flowers found near Ubehebe Crater about the size of a dime.

Purple Flowers All The Way to Foothills

The Race Track is a place where large rocks seem to wander about yet no one sees them move because it is done so slowly. What one usually sees here is the trail the rocks leave behind as they slide around the dry lake bed. What we saw were several rocks ranging in size from 10 inches or perhaps a couple of pound to rocks a couple feet long weighing perhaps 10 pounds. What we did not see were any trails in which the rocks had moved. We heard that the rocks move around at a very slow place based on wind hitting them as well as what seems to be the top layer of the lake bed crushing down a little allowing them to move forward. The two forces on each other allow the rocks to actually move. When we were here the lake bed was pretty hard and full of cracks. When you pushed your fingers on the corners of the cracks gently it did give way to break up into soft sand. I suspect there was just too much moisture earlier to let rocks move about because the top layer is was giving way easy. Also, if there was water in the lake bed where we were standing it would not have been possible to see this movement or tracks. (There was water in the southern part of the lake I was told) One thing we did notice was there were not too many rocks on the dry lake bed. We read that the rocks that fall off the near by hills and wander about are occasionally stolen by people who believe them to be mystical objects. Not seeing the tracks was disappointing but walking on this dry lake with island in the center was a little strange. I think this place is worth the scenic drive if you have a couple of nights and the conditions at the Death Valley Race Track are good. If not, drive to the dunes further north as an alternative trip.

Cactus on the way to the Race Track Death Valley Race Track Floor

On the way back from the Race Track knowing the roads a little better as well as what to expect on them we picked up the pace some and were making good time when all of a sudden I heard the hissing sound of air rushing out of my rear tire. Finding a flat place as close as possible we pulled over to change the tire. Changing the tire turned out to be a minor event when we realized we had the tire iron to loosen the lugs and the jack for propping up the Jeep but nothing available to insert in the jack. Fortunately a great group of people in 3 vehicles came to the rescue with the missing piece needed as well as a block of wood to put under the jack to make it easy to bring up. A man in the group took out a small shovel and dug a little under the tire to help out in the change. I have “Jeeped” in several areas around the U.S. and I would like to say just about everyone who enjoys this activity I have met goes out of there way to help people. They are good bunch out door types that keep the place clean and stay on the trails. Unfortunately 4 wheeling has got a bad rap from the stupid commercials of people speeding along on dirt roads. The sport or hobby does not get helped by the rare yahoo that gets off the trail and throws his beer bottle out the window. I have never met anyone on the trail that has been known to drink beer until the Jeep was off the trail and they had their tent pitched or they were at the bar at the lodge. Anyway, the last 10 miles we slowed down a bit in an effort not to get any more flats. At the end of the trail where the road got paved we stopped and took a look at Uhehebe Crater. This is a pretty place and would make a great hike around its rim had it not been late in the day or have 40 mph winds. Here we simply took a few pictures with the promise to hike its rim one day.

A Damsel helping out at me out in distress

Ubehebe Crater with trails on the rim and bottom floor

From Ubehebe we continued south to the two way section of Titus Canyon Road. From sign one is able to drive 3 miles on a gravel road to the entrance to Titus Canyon. At the mouth of the canyon the road was barricaded. Normally you can drive about 25 miles one way from Beatty until you get this point. After parking the car we walked into this narrow canyon for about ¼ of a mile. From here it is easy to see why this would be a one way as the canyon is not really wide enough for 2 cars. There are also blind spots coming around the turns with no place to really pull over. If you take Titus Canyon Road from Beatty when it opens to traffic remember it is for higher clearance and 4WD vehicles. What we did see of Titus Canyon Road was impressive enough to come back perhaps next year. Today we missed out on seeing Scotty’s Castle due to a less than polite guide and driving the canyon road here due to its erosion from the storms. We promised ourselves to come back here again and see both.

Near the exit of Titus Canyon Road Leaving Titus Canyon With Dust Storm Starting to Blow

The last leg of our first day here was an eerie one. From the top of Titus Canyon Road we were able to see the valley below. In the valley we saw a sand storm kicking up in the distance as the sun was slowing fading away. Seeing this we decided that we should head directly to our cabin in Furnace Creek The drive took about 40 minutes and directly into a head wind of 40 mph with higher gusts. The soft top on the Jeep would rattle away on the gusts with the Jeep shimmying now and then. At the same time we were being blasted with fine sand or dust. As the sun lowered into the mountains behind us we took several blasts of sand that blinded us several seconds at a time. As I said earlier, it was eerie. I felt like I was driving in snow storm back home but with out the slippery road or cold temperature. When we did make to Furnace Creek the first thing we did was get some gas because we were pretty low. Stepping out of the Jeep to fill up gave me a face full of wind dust. (note to self: bring bandana to protect face next time) Having a gas station in Furnace Creek was a mixed blessing. We were happy to put in a gas. We were not happy about the $3.02 price (that was raised to 3.08 the next day). It was here that I got my tire fixed by two very gruff servicemen who charged a high price of $20 to fix it.

Check-in at Furnace Creek was OK. I have absolutely nothing against foreign workers or people of different backgrounds as my office is very diverse. I hate it when Xanterra, the company that operates our national park hotels, saves on labor costs and have people that do not speak good speaking English people checking you in. This is because when you ask for advice on the area they do not understand anything except what they were trained to say. I asked about the difference between two rooms and all this sweet Thai girl can say was “very nice”. In all fairness to Xanterra, the cabin room was clean, had cable TV, a good shower and decent bed. They have done a good job at the national parks we have visited in over the last several years. For dinner we walked across the wind blown parking lot to the Steak House where after a 45 minute wait at the bar we had a good dinner of fire grilled steak and ribs that came with good service. After dinner we walked around the grounds and the borax exhibit complete with rusty locomotive and called it a night. (Dinner with salad bar, soda and tip was $75. The cabin room was $133 per night.)

The next day we pretty much decided to stick with the things to see on Routes 190 and 178 as going off on the Jeep roads was not possible or too much out of the way. It was a beautiful sunny day with no wind and blue skies. First we headed 15 minutes north on route 190 to the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail. This stop is an easy stroll if you want to see the rare and endangered pup fish swimming about the streams here. The parks department did a nice job laying out a ½ mile raised planked trail over the land and creek so there was no erosion or damage from walking in the area. It is also surrounded by some nice rock formations on either side.

Pup Fish Swimming About The Creek Along the Trail

The trail here makes a loop and goes along side the creek for most of the way. Here we saw a few schools of about 20 to 40 pup fish swimming in the current looking for food and in some cases what appeared to be mating. The fish we saw were about 2 inches long and had stripes on them. Nature has allowed this fish to live in some very warm water (112F max) as well as salt water 2 to 3 times as saline as the ocean. The deserts in this part of the country are the only known habitats for them. The National Park Service brochure says there are 13 sub species of these fish and can trace their routes to 15,000 years ago when the inland waters were cut off and started to dry out.

From the Salt Creek Trail here made a right turn and headed south to 178 stopping for road side pictures. What we saw were small yellow flowers no bigger than a dime lining the ground from the road until the base of the mountains or rocky hills a couple of miles away. Here we pulled over several times to enjoy the beauty of the valley and to take pictures from different angles.

Beautiful Yellow Fields On The Way To Badwater (A Sight Seen Every 20 or 25 Years)

After some pretty pictures of the area our next stop was the Devils Golf Course. (No this is not a real golf course, the real one is in Furnace Creek where you can get your guaranteed “lowest score” ever because you golf below sea level on the lowest elevation course in the world.) To get to this point we traveled south past Furnace Creek passing the Artist’s Drive one way loop. We could not take this drive because the road was being repaired after much if it washed out in the August Storm. Artist’s Drive is a 3 mile loop into some beautiful rock formations. When we got to Devil’s Golf Course we realized there was water in it. The drive down is on a flat gravel road which takes you right to the salty surface. At the parking area one lady told us she had been here 8 times and this was the first time there was water in it.

A Good Feet Soaking In The Cool Saline Waters

With only 6 or 7 inches of water above the mushy salt bottom we, and others, took our shoes and socks off and walked in it. This is as soothing to the feet as one can get. It is also the same type of salt one can get in fancy bottles of beauty lotions as well as in spas. Maureen took the liberty to rub the mushy salt on her arms and legs and save on the spa thing.

Our next stop in Death Valley was just down the road was called Natural Bridge. This is an up hill hike on a dry wash through a low canyon to a natural bridge you pass under. The distance to the rock bridge is under a ½ mile. There is an ancient dried up waterfall just further up the canyon and an area we saw some of the pretty 5 spotted flowers just to the left of that. From the mouth of the canyon looking down we were able to see the white salty top of Badwater which was our next stop.

Natural Bridge Ancient Dried Up Water Falls Just Past Bridge

Flowers Blooming Just Down the Hill From Natural Bridge In Dry Dirt

Badwater in Death Valley is the lowest place in North America being minus 282 feet below sea level. The National Parks Service did a good job here creating amble parking and easy access to the white salt floor while sectioning off fragile areas where there was some water. The parks service even put a sign on the cliff opposite the parking lot 282 feet up saying “sea level” so one can put things in perspective The viewing effect I found great. Here you are -282 feet below sea level on a pure white ground looking across the salt floor to an 11,000 foot snow capped mountain on the other side.

Here at -285 Feet One Can Have The Illusion of Winter Instead of A Salt Floor at Nearly 90 Degrees

Taking a picture here makes it seem you are not in 85 degree weather but 35 degree temps. If people wore winter coats one would could tell the difference in climate. One good piece of advise I can give here is that if you are little sensitive to being in bright places, take your sunglasses. I left mine in the Jeep because I can not shoot with sunglasses on and regretted the walk back to the car. Leaving the Badwater parking lot at -282 feet I turned to Maureen and said to her, “well dear, it is all up hill from here” She groaned and then ignored my dumb joke.

With this being our last stop in Death Valley we continued on 178 towards Las Vegas going through Shoshone and getting gas and lunch in Pahrump, Nevada. Pahrump has a beautiful view of snow capped Mt Charleston behind it as you drive in. The reason for gas in Pahrump instead of on the California side in Shoshone was because of a $.45 lower cost. Lunch here was at a cute casino called Terrible’s. For $10 we had a decent and more important fast lunch. The reason for having cheap prices at places like these is obviously to get you to gamble. On the way out we saw they had $2 black jack tables that one can not find on the Las Vegas strip where we were staying so we played. Black Jack is something we are not too familiar with but for a $10 stake for each of us it was fun trying. Anyway, Terrible’s did not make out too good on us. I won $7 while Maureen lost $8. Net loss: $1, fun in playing with low odds, “priceless”. From Pahrump it was about an hour back to the Las Vegas Airport where we traded our Jeep for a more appropriate vehicle suitable to take our clients and reps around. In this case we took a very large Durango with the new Hemi Engine.

Overall I highly recommend giving Death Valley 2 nights simply because of its size and things to do. If you are a serious hiker and really like these places you can stay for a week. I recommend getting a 4WD vehicle so you can see places like the Race Track, The Dunes and any other place you care to leave the pavement for. I recommend carrying a tow strap like we do as well as small compressor and a plug for the tires if you really want to be careful. Keep speeds down on the dirt roads to avoid flats. While our Jeep had a better grade of tire, most rental SUV’s have all weather tires that can give you more problems if not careful. There is a decent book called “Southern Guide To California Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails”. They rate all roads and trails listed so you know what you are getting yourself into. I do not recommend driving any road rated “moderate” if you are traveling by yourself and you have never driven off road before. Do make reservations with hotels as soon as you even think you know when you are going. Reservations can be cancelled by 5PM with no penalty. For information on the National Parks go to www.nps.gov. For Death Valley go to http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm From here you can follow the link to the reservations center. The cost of seeing Death Valley is cheap. In fact it is too cheap. You can get into the park on $10 for an entire car load of people or pay $50 for an Eagle Pass that is good for unlimited entries into all the National Parks.

Red Rocks Park Bonus :

The following day after coming back from Death Valley we set up our trade show booth for www.tanealarm.com and found our afternoon free. With one of our associates in tow who has never been hiked the desert we drove 25 minutes to Red Rock Canyon Park. This is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas for the day or even half a day. We paid our $5 to get into the park and stopped at the visitor center to talk to the well informed people there on the type of hike we wished to do. We decided on a hike called Calico Tanks. The reason for this was because it was 2 ½ miles round trip. It was not very strenuous and you literally were hiking around and in between the rock formations to a pond and ledge at the end that has a view of the entire strip 20 miles away. If you take this hike, bring some water and a camera. When you reach the end you will see to the right a long smooth surface that is above the pond. Hike up to this place and look out over the pond. You can clearly make out the Stratosphere to the left and Luxor with Mandalay Bay to the right. I had my Sales Director literally put the entire Stratosphere between his fingers in one picture and then put the entire strip on his shoulders on another picture. There are lots of hikes in the area that range from easy to difficult. Calico Tanks hikes is one of the few with a view towards the strip. Most hikes are deeper in the park. Red Rocks has a 13 mile one way road through it stopping at many different and well marked sights where hiking trails begin. To get to Red Rock Canyons go to the Stratosphere which is Charleston and head west.

Below are Pictures Taken At Red Rock Park