It’s hard not to feel better waking up in a suite so large it’s bigger than our old apartment. Still, not wanting a repeat of last night’s dinner debacle we decide to try someplace new for breakfast. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the luxurious Wynn, which happens to be nearby, so it seems like a no-brainer.
I wish I had brought my camera because it is so beautiful inside the Wynn. Vibrant red, plush carpeting lines the hallways and everything is shiny, sleek and bursting with color. There’s a line when we get to the buffet which we take to be a good sign.
After we get seated we first do a walkthrough of the entire buffet. So much food and it all looks so good we barely know where to start! Sandy grabs a couple of small things then we head to the omelet station where we both have an omelet prepared for us.
Oh, it’s so good! Sandy shares her delicious grapefruit dish with me, then we go for round 2 only to find that half of the breakfast food has been replaced with lunch dishes. Oh no! I’d planned it all out, but didn’t take into account that they switch to lunch after 11am. Luckily brunch turns out be just as amazing as breakfast looks and we spend an hour and half gorging ourselves until we can eat no more. I can’t remember even half the stuff I ate, but among my favorites were the smoked salmon with capers, vanilla yogurt with homemade granola, different kinds of Gouda cheese, naan bread, the most tender flank steak imaginable and white chocolate covered marshmallow lollipops. My stomach is straining under the extra volume, but I wore stretch pants so it’s all good … today is going to be a great day!
I’m really excited to go back to Death Valley, arguably one of the most inhospitable places in the world, it is also in my opinion one of the most beautiful.
Strange orange vegetation right before we drive into the park.
The plan is to see some of the things we didn’t get to see last year, but we can’t resist a quick stop at Zabriskie’s Point. It’s so nice and warm when we get out of the car!
View towards the other direction.
Death Valley is the largest park in the continental US and it’s a long drive to Scotty’s Castle. To put things in perspective; it’s about the same distance as Den Bosch to Haarlem! We get there right at 4pm and I worry that we have missed the tour, but it’s not too late and we join our guide near the front gate.
Fancy old towncar.
The history of Scotty’s Castle is fascinating. Here's a link to a brief synopsis.
Our guide was a fantastic story teller. Clad in period clothing, here she’s pointing out Scotty’s "shot splitter", through which he could supposedly strick the barrel of his gun so he could simultaneously shoot whoever was at the door, as well as anyone standing by his window.
Ornate decorating inside. Interestingly all the furniture are one of a kind pieces, that were created specifically for the house by a man who was hired to tour European Castles and replicate all the things he found there.
Dining room.
Overview from the outside.
Ubehebe Crater is a short distance from the Castle so after the tour’s finished we drive straight there. It’s half a mile across and 500feet deep, but you can’t really tell the size of it in this picture because of the shade.
The surrounding landscape is very interesting, a deep gray layer of volcanic debris with only occasional vegetation.
It’s getting late and when we drive back the light on the colorful hills are beautiful.
There are a few familiar stops on the way to our hotel; first up Devil’s Cornfield.
Then the gently sloping Mesquite Sand Dunes. What a great spot to watch the sun set!
We wait until it’s almost dark then we head back to the parking lot. A large group of people is just heading out into the dunes and when I follow them I spot a ranger up ahead. Yay, we’ve just stumbled upon a ranger guided nighttime hike into the dunes!
The ranger has great stories about the nocturnal animals that live in Death Valley. When the tour is over it’s completely dark and we have to follow someone carrying a flashlight to get back to the car without having a run in with one of the creepier crawlies.
I can’t bring my bathing suit back home without using it so I take a very quick dip in the (cold) hotel pool before we go to sleep.
There’s internet, but they limit the amount of data you use to only 25mb so by the time we check our e-mail and the weather we’re locked out. Oh well, that just means I have no excuse not to get up early to watch the sunrise.
And yes, we ate so much this morning that we’re still not hungry! No dinner tonight.
Mileage for today: 225 mi
Hotel: Stovepipe Wells
Restaurant: Wynn (brunch buffet)
Hotel: Stovepipe Wells
Restaurant: Wynn (brunch buffet)
Hello darlings,
Just managed to post the previous comment, so I'll try the next one.
It's against my principle to do one a day so that I can enjoy it longer, but alas! opportunity knocks!
After the compilation of all that you've been eating I'm getting very hungry.
Luckely we are going to Grandma Gerrie in an hour. She always has all kind of sweets. yummie.
I like Zabriskie's Point a lot. It looks almost unreel.
Isn't there a film with that name in the title?
What a strange place, Scottie's Palace, quite a mixture of styles.
A nighttime hike, lucky you.
I wonder what sounds there are at night? Is it really a Death Valley, or is it full of live during nighttime.
As always, lots of love xxx,
Joeve