Taking the long way on the longest day....

First stop Bishop

Left Mammoth 8.15 am - after a compulsory stop for coffee. (see previous post!!). Couldn't bypass Bishop without a photo opp - just like home complete with service clubs, golf courses and Shell garage.  Next stop Lone Pine - yes that's its name. Subway there does a great 6" turkey ranch sandwich; fuel for my first stint behind the wheel on the wrong side of the road.  Even Chris needed a break on this 8 hour journey.  Really feels like we are in the West and have been enjoying the ongoing and ever changing  vistas of the magnificent Sierra mountains.  Friends on the horizon since Tahoe.

Time to head east into Death Valley from just south of LP.  First oops - missed the corner (thought briefly about sacking navigator) but a quick u-turn had us heading through an increasingly dry and giant landscape.  Saw out first cacti in the wild.  Got the whole right hand side of road thing sussed - plenty of cars to follow!! Lots of Mustangs :(

Over mountain range into first valley of death. Kind of like the Crown range road but hotter and longer and BIGGER. #1 driver returned to wheel after compulsory tourist photo stop.  "ticked" Drive Death Valley off Chris's bucket list.

First glimpse of the heart of Death Valley.

Next stop: Stovepipe Creek for a beer in the saloon then onto Furnace Creek through the sand dunes and land too dry for even the cacti.  Temperature at 105' Fahrenheit, elevation -190' (that is 190 feet BELOW sea level).  Mammoth was over 8000' (above).  Ears and sinuses got a good workout.

 Aptly named.

Driver #2 returned to wheel for last leg thtough Pahrump then on to the outskirts of Las Vegas. Traversed the 2 longest, straightest stretches of highway in the whole of the world.  

Driver # 1 took over in outskirts of city.  Hell on wheels doesn't begin to cover it.  Driving down Las Vegas boulevard at 5 pm on Sunday evening - 6 lanes each way and who knew the Hertz return depot was in the bottom of the Caesar's Palace carpark building?!  Certainly not google maps! Fortunately a helpful valet got us heading in the right direction.  
Road code notes:  orange lights used to foreshadow upcoming red lights are NOT places to stop, you MUST turn right on red lights (if nothing coming) and first car into intersections with 4 stop signs gets to go first....    Mmmmm, lots of room for tooting and confusion.  Much adrenalin and perseverence later, car dropped off to right place, taxi found to take us and luggage to hotel and in shower before  joining wedding group at Cirque de Soleil.  The first beer didn't touch the sides and another bucket list tick hard-earned by Chris.