When you hear the name Death Valley, what comes to your mind? For me, I thought of extreme dry heat and a never-ending sea of sand and desert. We decided it would be a great idea to visit one of the hottest places on Earth! What better way to explore Death Valley than in an RV? We booked an RV through Cruise America and were on our way. But first, Las Vegas! Note. If you’re not the greatest trip planner or organizer like myself, I’d highly recommend trying out Wanderlog – very helpful.

This was my first time setting foot in Las Vegas. While I enjoyed the bustling nightlife and the neons of bright lights everywhere, I was antsy to get this RV trip going. On the night of arrival, we went to a promiscuous but entertaining show (warning: adults only 😊) titled Rouge – The Sexiest Show in Vegas! The show was quite interactive (we were spared), and the fantastic work and physique these performers maintained to make this show stand out were quite impressive. We loved it and thought it was worth checking out. If you decide to stay at the STRAT Hotel, Casino, & SkyPod, I highly recommend checking out the fantastic view of the rooftop!

We picked up the RV and stopped by the local Walmart to stock up on essentials like water, food, and booze (I’ll leave this to Judge Judy). Death Valley has several campgrounds ranging from primitive to full hook-up. We made reservations in advance for Furnace Creep Campground as we didn’t want to chance it with the first-come, first-serve option. Because we had the RV, we reserved a full hook-up site and were glad we did. Temperatures, even at night, were pretty hot, and I applaud the neighbors nearby with their tent campsites; the A/C in the RV was probably the one utility that made this trip a little more bearable. We started up the grill and enjoyed what rest of the night we had under the stars, which was pretty amazing. City life brings a lot of light pollution, and you can’t get a view of the stars unless you leave the city.

We started with a light breakfast and were on our way. If you visit Death Valley, I recommend starting early by heading North on the 190 toward Stovepipe Wells and then turning around and making your way south to Badwater Basin, then back up north and make a right at the 190 to head to Dante’s View. This route covers most of the popular sites on the park’s east side. Unfortunately, the 190 heading towards the park’s west side was temporarily closed off due to a recent rain just before we got there.

Our first stop was at the Harmony Borax Works, a former mining spot where Borax deposits were found here, which was used to make laundry detergent back in the day. Did you know it took about 20 mules to move one container of borax?!

Our next stop was at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, which, if you didn’t notice, is used by Hollywood to film dunes scenes such as in Star Wars. We tried to reach a high peaked dune, but as the day was hitting noon-time, the heat started to get more intense, so without preparing any water, we decided to turn around.

The next stop provided more shade than the flat sand dunes, which was very welcoming at this point as it was around noon, and the RV was the only thing separating us from the intense heat. The parking lot to the Mosaic Canyon provided some spectacular views of the park. A hiking trail through the narrow canyon provides great exposure to the polished rock & marble walls. We went in about 20 minutes and decided to head out as there were still more stops heading towards Badwater Basin. Please note getting to the parking lot is very bumpy. Drive slowly and hold on if you’re in an RV.

According to the park ranger, this wasn’t that hot. :]

Once leaving Furnace Creek, we took a right on Badwater Rd, and our next stop was the Artist’s Palette. I think this place is best experienced by being there in person. The camera did no justice lol. There are a variety of colors that is caused by the oxidation of different metals. Do you remember the background to that one Mew playing card we all wanted when we grew up? The variation of colors within the rocks kind of reminded me of that ha. I thought this was pretty cool. You will have to take a left and then drive back up north and then drive back down south to reach Devil’s Golf Course (it’s supposed to be a scenic drive, but you can park to the side and get out to take a closer look at the rocks).

Our suspicion was correct when we saw this snow-like sand from afar. Devil’s Golf Course is a huge salt pan on the floor of Death Valley! I couldn’t help myself and test it out for myself, for research purposes, of course. You have to be careful if you walk into the field of rocks, as the edges of all the rocks are pretty sharp. We then ended this route with the last stop at Badwater Basin. The basin is the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below sea level, and the white coating is made up of table salt. If you’re up for taking on the intense heat, grab a bottle of water and walk in about 20 minutes, and you’ll reach the point where the salt forms. It’s quite a walk, so think first if you want to go out there.  

Our final stop was Dante’s View, and we saved the best for last; we also wanted to time our stay in the park where we wanted to be to stargaze, which Dante’s View provides some of the best stargazing. We were fortunate to see the sunset as the sun’s rays shimmered throughout the valley like a light hitting a prism. This view was breathtaking and nothing short of spectacular. I was also thrilled I was able to muster up the courage to ask Bob to be my spirit other half in this moment of the Universe. Seeing the Milky Way galaxy in all its beauty later that night was a way of the Universe reassuring me of everything I am at this moment. Hard to explain and best way I can do so. 😊

VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK

Let me just say that the Valley of Fire State Park blew me out of the water with its campground, the facilities, and the gorgeous burning red theme throughout our time there – just wow, one of the most impressive state parks I’ve ever been to! According to the Nevada State Park website:

“World-renowned for its 40,000 acres of bright red Aztec sandstone outcrops nestled in gray and tan limestone, Valley of Fire State Park contains ancient, petrified trees and petroglyphs dating back more than 2,000 years.”

Nevada State Park website

You may want to make advanced reservations, especially if you’re staying where we did at Arch Rock Campground. We got fortunate to get the last spot as all campsites are first-come, first-serve. Places we did check out while we were there included: Atlatl Rock, Arch Rock (small arch), Rainbow Vista, and Petroglyph Canyon Trail (highly recommend). All in all, I was amazed by this place and would come out here again if the opportunity arises.

It was our last morning until we had to return the rental RV, and our flight was scheduled for later that day, around 8 pm. If you ever find yourself with some extra time in Las Vegas and you don’t want to be lugging around your suitcase, there are services that provide storage for luggages for the day. We ended up using usebounce and left our luggage at a subway/gas station, which turned out ok because we got our stuff back in one piece and nothing was missing. It does feel a little shady handing off your luggage to an employee who just finished making a sub for a customer and watching your stuff get hauled off to what seems like the kitchen of the store – but we didn’t say anything and hoped for the best, and it worked out (phew). They do ask you to take a picture of your stuff, but I’m not sure if that’s just a tactic by the company to give the customer self-assurance that their stuff will be ok with a picture… I’ll keep it there.

And finally, we ended up where we started, “Las Vegas, baby.” Finally went to the Ceasar’s Palace, saw a water show, and went to a popular buffet restaurant Wicked Spoon.  The food was ok, but it was their specialty bottomless beverage special that really knocked us out, almost quite literally 😊 Ha. Our waitress didn’t think it was possible, but, in true spirit, we are not quitters! We tried six of the seven specialty sips [EACH] : Wicked Seasonal Sangria, Morning Buzz, Whiskey in the Jar, Mas-Tradicional, Cha-Cha, and the Rasberry-Hibiscus.

Let’s just say our memories were a bit fuzzy between when we left the buffet restaurant and when we picked up our luggage, went to the airport, and woke up, landing at Dulles International Airport. One thing was for sure, I did miss my cats A LOT.

Nothing like Home Sweet Home.