While I slept horribly (my watch nearly reprimands me) yet again, we did not have to wake early. We eventually did rise, and had the breakfast our hotel (Red Roof in Bridgeport — a pretty nice place for the price). Both of us caught up with various things online while we ate, and even after that.
Then it was time to pack the car and make our way home.
We drove briefly into Red Rock Canyon. I was hoping to find the mallow we saw growing all along the highway, but nope, not there. The mountains had a lot of bright yellow flowers, though.
Gas stop was in Tehachapi, where the temperature was twenty degrees lower than Ridgecrest. Yours truly does window washing duty while Dan fills the car. (Too bad I never have the inclination to do that on our house windows!)
I always enjoy the hills by Tehachapi. Today there was a lot of fog and I thought it was lovely. We didn’t stop, though, so no pictures. But the hills were green and the fog made it look a bit magical.
Eventually we stopped in the Central Valley for a bird visit. We didn’t stay long since we still had a bit of a drive, but I snapped a few photos.
And then we were home. Now it’s back to work for me, but my music career is quickly drawing to a close!
Well gee, let’s wake up even 15 minutes earlier, shall we? Yep … 4:15. Painful for this girl, but so it goes.
We got ready, packed up, and Dan loaded the car. Then off we went. Bye bye Beatty.
First stop: Mesquite Dunes. I was surprised to see tons of brown eyed primrose, and another flower I think is another sort of primrose. It’s always amazing to see what can grow in the dunes. I took some shots of the big picture but even more of flowers with my macro lens.
I tend to run out of steam before Dan, and today was no exception: I headed back to the car long before he did. I got a good amount of reading done.
Once Dan returned we went up a gravel road and set up breakfast. Fighter jets roared above us … so much for a quiet breakfast! I shot a few more photos because why not?!
We went to Stovepipe Wells to see if they had a DEVA wildflower book but found nothing. Books must not be popular for tourists.
Then it was goodbye Death Valley.
We decided to go out a different way. The brittlebush was plentiful.
We made our way to Father Crowley Point, where fighter jets practice above what is called Star Wars Canyon.
I walked around to see if I could find flowers. A higher elevation meant fewer flowers, but I did find some. When I went back to Dan he was chatting with a guy. As we stood the younger man pointed … a jet. It flew right past us! The noise was deafening. Dan may have gotten some good shots. Sadly I was just frozen due to the surprise … really shock! … of it all.
We stuck around a good long time but didn’t get another low flying jet.
Driving on Dan opted to take a dirt road detour on the way to Saline Valley.
There were a lot of Joshua trees, and this one was the first we saw.
More dirt road, another tree, among many …
Back to the main road, highway 190. Soon the Sierra Nevada came in to view.
We drove past Owen’s Lake a the tiny town of Olanche, and started looking for a spot to set up lunch. it wasn’t a tremendously scenic spot, and we opted not to get out our chairs and table, but food was eaten.
Next up was a rather ho-hum under one hour drive to our lodging for the night. Hello Ridgecrest.
But OH! A king-size bed is quite welcome, as was a hot shower and change of clothes. I’m a clean machine.
Then it was feet up (clean feet!) and get this blog entry going.
Finally, it was time for dinner. We had a couple of ideas in mind. The first place we were planning on checking out was a French restaurant called Mon Reve. We got there, walked in to see if there was a menu posted, and … well … never mind! We were seated and that was that. Forget the other choice! The server was also, I’m sure, the owner. He did the serving, and his wife, I believe did the cooking. It was just a lovely spot and we really enjoyed a relaxing, end-of-trip meal. (My meal is pictured: salmon and scalloped potatoes.)
Back to our hotel we went, for some reading and rest.
Tomorrow we are homeward bound, although you never know how many detours we might take.
Today began even earlier. Our alarm went off at 4:30 AM. Too early, but up we rose and we were on the road by about 5 o’clock, this time with cups of bad hotel coffee for our enjoyment.
As we were driving, we were talking about staying in Beatty. There’s the advantage of saving quite a bit of money. I think it was nearly $1000 less, which is nuts. But the added drive almost makes that savings not worth it. Plus sometimes I’ve been able to get better deals at places in Death Valley.
Our first destination was Lake Manly. Dan had some ideas of where he wanted to shoot for the sunrise, so we pulled over, he got out his equipment, and I got out my phone and did a bit of walking while he shot. Sometimes I’m just not in the mood to pull out the camera. Besides, lots of the flowers were not quite open yet… I think they slept in more than we were allowed.
Of course, eventually I did have to get out of the car. I just can’t resist the flowers, even if they are looking sleepy. And then I found some that I hadn’t seen yesterday so that required the camera for sure!
After shooting those, I wandered a bit more and found other flowers— things I’d already shot yesterday, but why not try some more? I primarily use the macro lens, but did remember to snap a few on the iPhone. Including one that showed the terrain. If one was to look from the road, you might not even notice the flowers.
Later I walked to where Dan was shooting , warning him to watch for sneaker waves. (Yes, I’m really good with jokes. Or not.)
Then we drove a bit to find a nice breakfast spot.
From there we went to Devils Golf Course. (They leave the apostrophe off, so I will too.) Last time we were there I neglected to take a photo, so that was remedied.
Artist Drive & Artist’s Palette was next on the agenda.
We had seen a large bike group heading up the grueling climb. They cheered when all had reached what seemed like the top — Artist’s Palette (I wonder if they knew there would be more climbing, though not nearly what they’d done.
Natural Bridge was a surprise … tons of desert five-spot flowers. I took a lot of photos of those and other flowers with my macro lens.
We didn’t do the entire walk, but we did go past the natural bridge.
Lunch was at Texas Spring, on a rather astounding table and benches.
After checking messages where we had a signal Dan drove toward Ubehebe crater. We stopped briefly at a place prior to that.
Then the crater. I walked as closely to the edge as this wimpy girl could, but had to back away. I did manage a few iPhone photos of the crater and other views, though.
Another drive and it was dinner at Stovepipe Wells. (No photos.) Finally it was the final drive back to Beatty: tomorrow we are elsewhere.
Today began at 4:45 AM. Too early! But so it goes. It also began with putting air in a tire that appeared to be low. Maybe.
Then to Death Valley Dan drove. Without even getting coffee. Horrors!
We first went back to Salt Creek, hoping for a good sunrise. I noticed there were almost no pupfish to be seen. Hmmm do the hide in the mud at night? Guess I’ll have to research. I did a small amount of photography. Dan did more.
Back to the car. Driving and stopping on occasion. I can’t name all the spots where we stopped, but breakfast was enjoyed at Ashford Mill Ruins.
While there I finally found the desert five-spot flower. I had to make a number of photos. It was my brother-in-law’s favorite desert flower. I do get teary-eyed, thinking of him, as well as my dear sister-in-law who has suffered such a deep loss.
We drove on, finding a lot more desert gold, sand verbena, phacelia, brown-eyed primrose, and evening primrose. Plus fields of flowers.
And a bit of fun.
Lunch was at a pull at some pass. Yes, I’ve forgotten the name. Dan said he’d have just one cookie. (Look closely!)
We headed back down and eventually parked so we could read and nap.
Eventually I got tired of sitting, so I went out to shoot somewhere more flowers right by the car. Dan soon joined in the fun. At one point, while Dan was a distance away, I managed to lose my balance fall over, roll around a bit, and actually have absolutely no injuries. My watch however did ask if I had taken a fall and if it should send out an SOS. No thanks! I must have looked hysterically funny. And yes, my camera was fine!
Then back to field of flowers.
The sun was rapidly setting, so we packed up and headed to dinner.
But wait! As we drove Dan spotted friend and wonderful photographer Franka Gabler. We stopped, chatted, and decided to have dinner together.
It was a great way to end our day … although we then had a long drive to our fancy Motel 6.
After our earlier visit to DEVA we thought we might come again because it seemed as if there were signs that we’d find some nice flowers in March or April. Then we started reading reports of the rain the park had had and seen photos that implied perhaps even a February trip might be a good idea. Because of that we made reservations for both late February and March, and waited for more news.
Well, even more rain meant now might be a good idea, so early this morning we headed on our way.
The drive was uneventful — especially for me since I didn’t do the driving. Here are just a few shots (the train bit was in Tehachapi).
While in the Panamint Valley, just prior to heading up the mountain, we saw a car veer off the road on to the playa. That’s a huge, ugly, rotten, illegal thing to do. Dan held on to the horn for a good long time and whoever was driving must have gotten the message. But driving on the playa just ruins it for everyone else. What a dumb thing to do!
As we neared DEVA we saw a lot of the yellow … desert gold was definitely plentiful! There were places that were just blanketed. We also saw evidence of Phacelia … the purple does stand out! Eventually we pulled over and did a bit of investigating. I took a few iPhone shots just for the record. (Tomorrow I’ll get more serious about some macro photography.)
I learned about the name Stovepipe Wells…
Dan drove to a few different spots, just to get ideas of where we might shoot in the next few days. We also visited Salt Creek, where we saw more pupfish than we’d ever seen before! Stay tuned for the video … maybe It’ll appear soon, or maybe we’ll have to wait until I get back home.
More driving and I did pull out the Canon with the macro lens. I hope some of the shots turn out nicely — won’t know until I get home, though.
Eventually we headed to our motel. Places in DEVA were outrageously expensive so we found a Motel 6 in Beatty, Nevada for less that 1/3 of what we’d pay in the valley. It’s a drive, but so be it!
We checked in — the kind woman at the desk moved us to the first floor and we were relieved since the elevator was broken and we have a lot to haul into the room. She had her Fox News running — we are in a different part of the world now. Go figure.
For dinner we went to Smokin’ J’s BBQ. I had a turkey sandwich, Dan had turkey slices with fries (and more), and we ordered a salad to share.
Too. Much. Food.
Who knew? But in any case, it was just fine and it was one of the very few places open. Beatty isn’t exactly a hoppin’ happenin’ sort of place. (Population 880)
Then back to our hotel we went. We have to get up far too early in the morning so I am quickly writing this before a bit of reading and then sleep.
Stay tuned for more adventures. Today was just a “gotta get there” day, after all.
Nearly two years ago (March 5, 2024 to be exact) our older son and daughter-in-law had to leave their home due to a fire. We are all thankful no one in the co-op, including Brandon and Lia’s cats, were injured, but it was much worse than we knew at first. There is a video (that even shows our son at the start) about the fire. (They live on the 6th floor, and the fire start in the place right below them.)
I flew to New York to visit shortly after the fire happened. I was pretty horrified!
WHAT a mess, right?
They are still not back in their home.
Even getting start on the repair work took, if I’m remembering correctly, over a year. Or at least close to that.
While the whole family was here in January (celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary!), I mentioned to Brandon that I’d be willing to help paint when things were ready. And, lo and behold, we flew there on the 11th to get going on that.
The flight was uneventful and we were greeting at EWR by colder weather and a bit of snow. Then we took a car to our hotel. Our hotel with a tiny room and no place to hang anything up. But hey, it was less expensive than others, and after a 15 minute walk would be a direct train to Brandon and Lia’s.
Before starting our painting adventure we were able to celebrate my “Brooklyn brother’s” birthday (to differentiate between him and my “Germany brother”). We met up first a jazz club, much to his surprise. (It was fun to see his face when he saw us there!).
We then dined at a lovely restaurant. With Timothy and Margaret. FUN FUN FUN!
The next morning we (somewhat leisurely) headed over to Brandon and Lia’s to see what we were in for. First it was cleaning up and prep day. I neglected to take any photos I guess (Funny that I thought I had!) and Dan got only a few. But we vacuumed. Dan did a ton of masking. Brandon and Lia worked on getting the floors (which are beautiful!) covered, along with more and more cleaning. Sorry you only get these three pictures, though.
From there we headed to our hotel, catching a bite at the noisiest restaurant ever. We even texted each other at one point!
The following day Brandon and Lia both had work so we decided to enjoy a lunch at Red Rooster, being fans of Marcus Samuelsson. We had a delicious meal. Dan spent some Dick Tracy time talking to his watch. And yes, yours truly even took a photo of the floor in the bathroom. Because. Of course when I saw Bernstein I had to take a photo!
From there we wandered, with our final destination being the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
We had learned that Jameson and Meghan were going to be at the Cathedral that evening to hear the Gesualdo Six sing. The concert, however, was sold out. BUT … we get to the Cathedral and hear singing. How ‘bout that? They were rehearsing. So we got to enjoy them as we wandered the building.
Toward the back there was a quilt exhibit. You can read about it as well.
More wandering …
And more quilts …
… and wandering …
From there we took a train down to meet up with Brandon and, when she was done working, Lia.
We had some drinks and dinner and then headed back to get some sleep.
On Saturday morning it was work time! I only took a few photos … I guess I was too busy edging and rolling and all that …
For the evening the four of us went to celebrate our hard work and Valentine’s day at an Albanian restaurant in the Bronx called Çka ka Qëllu.
VERY yummy and such a nice way to relax after a day of work.
Our Harlem hotel room looks out here:
Back to work … and look at that beautiful tile in the bathroom!
The above is the kitchen. That’s right, no cabinets, no appliances … nothing. Yet. But soon ….
For dinner we (finally!) got to meet up with Jameson and Meghan as well. Fun times!
Our breakfasts are enjoyed downstairs at our hotel. For me it’s just coffee. (I had a pastry the first morning and was reminded that eating before doing a physical activity gives me the shakes!).
Back to the subway we went for yet another ride up to Pelham Parkway North!
This was our final day of painting. We managed to get a lot done.
The kitchen floor is lovely. (So is Lia!)
The happy painters … and Brandon being Brandon. 😉
Sadly, we had to head back home on Tuesday. But so it goes. We had the first row of Premium Economy … HUGE leg room! Gotta love that.
And hello Bay Area!
So here we are. Back in what is now a rainy San Jose.
Do you wonder what we’ll do next? It won’t involve painting, just so you know. (Although I’d go back and help more in a heartbeat if we had the time and money to do so.
I’ve started doing searches for some flights we hope to take and, oh my goodness, the costs have really gone up. I had read about it, but seeing the numbers staring me in the face really hit hard.
We do have miles we can use, and now we are figuring out how (if) we can use what United calls “pooled miles”. Initially it seemed pretty easy. But one has to read everything to be sure and get it right and, as it turned out, we can’t use pooled miles for the “Miles & Money” option. It does appear we can use them for just miles alone, though. I guess we’ll find out when we are finally ready to make things real.
What does it all mean, though? Well … my flight will be using all miles. Dan’s will use money & miles. This means we can’t get the tickets all at once — we have to book separately and then go back to United and ask to have the tickets linked. All of this is done in Dan’s account because … hmmm … why? Now I’m not even sure! I’ll have to ask him about that. I know there was some reason. Or at least I think there was.
But oh United makes things difficult. Today I couldn’t log in using a particular browser. The one I prefer. Yesterday it was no problem. Some days it will say the flights I’m looking at aren’t available at all and I’ll go to a different browser and there they are. They should also really fix the calendar: when I select the first flight you’d think the calendar would then show only flights after that date for the next flight, but nope, it goes back to today’s month. Silly.
I have chart I use for flight price comparisons. It’s interesting to see how the prices go up and down. I’ve never found any sort of pattern. And oh how complicated it can all be: for an upcoming trip I had five different route possibilities. My brain is … well … what brain, I ask?!
And yes, the images below are tiny. Sorry!
I’ve also finally put templates together for trips that I think will be easy to use. Prior to this I was creating them each time. The images will change, depending upon our destinations, and I’m sure I’ll be tweaking things as I go along.
First is my itinerary page …
And then all the specifics …
It’s all kind of busy work, I know. But I’ve always loved busy work!
And yes, this was one big long ramble. Because I not only like busy work. I also like to ramble.
