Today was another long day in Las Vegas. This city may be the most (over) stimulating place on earth. It contains unbelievable amounts of lights, gaudy architecture, and things to experience at every turn. All of them, of course, require money. This may be the best city in the world for people with cash in their pocket, and one of the worst once it runs out. I’m very thankful I had to develop spending discipline during the previous parts of the trip, because here it is pressed to the limit. A little unbelievably, I’ve managed to stay on budget. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-pUaogoX5o This morning, I encountered another of Las Vegas’ rip offs. I’ve survived on this trip by periodically getting cash when I run low. A casino would seem like a place that would encourage this activity.... read more

This morning, I’m in the town of Tecopa. Most Californians have no idea this town exists, and most residents like it that way. It’s one of several small towns that dot parts of the Mojave Desert. This particular one grew up around a set of hot springs east of Death Valley. Downtown Tecopa consists of two hotels, a large RV park, a really good organic coffee shop, a gun store, a tiny bar, and an artist run gallery selling folk art. Most of these are contained in buildings so weather-beaten they look like they have been here since time began. Surrounding this are seemingly endless desert mountains and the occasional sand dune. Small desert towns in the Mojave mainly attract two types of people, desert survivalists and aging hippies. The hot springs mean this particular town ... read more

Relatively few visitors to California make it into the Owens Valley. Many of that do stick to a resort area called Mammoth Lakes. For the rest, the valley holds a truly compelling piece of American history. Most museums in California now talk about the Japanese American internment during World War II (see August 26th). Where did they end up? The answer is Manzanar, an armed camp deep in the Owens Valley. Until thirty years ago, finding anything about the camp was quite difficult. Many people, including those held there, tried to pretend that it never existed. Thanks to the dogged efforts of some detainees and local historians, that willing blindness slowly changed. The first major efforts happened at the Eastern California Museum in Independence. It’s a worthwhile stop before seeing the... read more

Nearly all books (and many websites) on Yosemite contain an apocryphal story, which has been around since at least the mid 1960s. A visitor walks into the valley information center and asks the ranger what they should do with only one day to visit Yosemite. The ranger responds “Weep”. The first part of my second day in the park covers Yosemite Valley. As noted yesterday, the valley has a huge traffic problem. Since my campground sits at the eastern end, I have no choice but to add to it. In a convertible, the views partly make up for the traffic. They are not as good as people may think, because the road passes through big areas of pine forests with views of nothing but trees. The rest, though, is spectacular. One major thing makes the backups ... read more

Today, I’m heading south. Since I enjoyed the drive through gold country, I’m now doing it in reverse. The hills are still golden and glorious. My goal is a place that everyone in the world has seen pictures of, but even the best can’t begin to match real life. Along the way, I have a very special stop to make. California gold country used to have number of old mines open for tours. Gradually, nearly every one closed due to inability to get liability insurance. It seems that the old tunnels just have too many hazards. I finally managed to track down one that is still open, the Gold Bug Mine near Placerville. The Gold Bug Mine is what was called a gypsy mine. It was a very small vein of gold worked by miners between ... read more