Day 3 Here in St. George Utah

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Well, I'm sitting here sipping some wine by the pool at a nice hotel in St. George, Utah while the rugrat swims. ( about 85 degrees today and one hour later---time change) We left on May 28 and drove to Visalia, CA for our first night of the 80 day adventure and stayed at the amazing Ben Maddox House B & B. He was a prominent historical figure who associated with Thomas Edison and Ben Maddox brought hydroelectric power to the central valley of CA and founded Visalia's first newspaper. We stayed in his historic grand suite of his 120+ year old home and our hostess was delightful and so talented. A huge humid balmy electric storm hit as we were swimming in the 90 year old pool in the back of the huge victorian....we lost power and it was eerie but neat and then trees started coming down so we retreated to the parlor by candlelight. The next day (yesterday) we savored a delicious feast of a breakfast at the B & B ---no need for lunch it was so great and huge and we drove over the Tehachepis through Barstow (reminds me of my stay at the Barstow hospital in 1990 when a campstove exploded and caught my legs on fire during an archeological expedition I was on in the Cadiz Mts.--but I healed miraculously without skin grafts---another story published in HEAVENLY MIRACLES---HARPER COLLINS PRESS)and into Death Valley where we stayed last night at the historic Amargosa Hotel and Opera House which has a history so flamboyant and captivating that you'll really have to look up the website to appreciate the 84 year old New York ballerina who has run the place since she left NY decades ago to paint world famous murals (on the walls of the opera house)(Cistine Chapel of the west) and she develop a literally-world renwoed stage show there and the hotel was once home to the Borax miners 100 years ago---very retro and very unique. It was literally amazing beyond words and people were there from all countries to see it today! Tonight after arriving in St. George, Utah (after a brief crossing through Arizona for a few minutes)(as well as a short visit through Las Vegas earlier) we ate dinnner at our favorite US chain---Cracker Barrel. We always try to hit them since we love them and cannot enjoy them in CA. The rug rat had to buy 2 more Webkinz there with her hard earned allowance---that must be that she is up to about 35 by now----she's too busy swimming to bother her for an exact figure. Book mark that!

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Photos

Death Valley
"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair..."