Death Valley & Camarillo - Sep 25 to Sep 29

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After our one day hiking in Zion Park in Utah we made a long trip to Death Valley in California. This included some Interstate 15 Highway driving in a cross wind near Las Vegas that had semi trailers slowing down to a crawl. At one point we thought we had blown a tire but realized when we stopped to have a look that it was the wind getting under the awning over our slider.

The temperature forecast for Furnace Creek in Death Valley was 95 F so that was cool enough for us, but the wind made walking around the RV park a sandy challenge. Next day was a drive west along Highway 190 across the valley and it was only 85 F so the drive was a pleasure. We stopped at elevation -200 feet in a salt pan and several times at higher elevations to photograph mountain vistas and passes. Highway 190 on the map is a sleeper, but the reality is a wild ride of dust, dunes, steep climbs, windy passes and colourful mountains.

From Death Valley, we took California highway 190, 395 and 14 all the way to Los Angeles to visit with Kayla’s cousin Gary and Deb Borsos. This was a distance of 400 miles, half on urban divided highway and half on rural mountain roads all of which were very busy with tourists and transport trucks. Arriving in Camarillo, CA we stopped for the weekend for some R&R. Gary and Deb were gracious hosts. Their pool was fun, their tomatoes a treat and the local farmers market a bonus for future meals.

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