Today, we headed toward Death Valley at a leisurely pace.

 

We were intrigued by Lake Isabella, and decided to head through the town on our way.  We were looking for a tourist haven with cute cottages and fun restaurants.  Instead, this is a small town full of fishing, RVs, and a lake formed when they built an earthen dam.  A nice small town, but not the tourist attraction we were looking for.

 

We did have a great Sunday brunch at the local Mexican restaurant.  Imagine made-to-order omelets AND tortillas and enchiladas!

 

After brunch, we followed the highway through the mountains, zig-zagging for miles to Death Valley and into the park.  

 

Arriving at our destination for the night, we checked in at Panamint Springs Resort, only to find that our $90 room had no phone (or cell reception), one available power outlet, and no TV!  Apparently, the whole “resort” operates on generator power and some kind of satellite hook-up for the business phones.  Our room was cute, rustic, and SMALL.  Luckily, it stated warm enough that we didn’t have to plug the electric heater into the outlet under the bed.

 

Before unpacking, we went to the restaurant on the premises for a late lunch.  The food here is good.  It’s the main reason we decided to try staying here.  Everyone should stay a night in Death Valley!

 

During lunch, Ron checked his phone and saw a missed voicemail message, which apparently came in just as we entered Death Valley.  We asked around and discovered that we might get cell service if we went back up the road a mile or so.  So, we hopped on Harley and started tracking the elusive good reception area.  By the time we got reception, we were 30 miles from our hotel.  Ron checked messages, and we headed back as the sun was setting.  The sun seems to set quickly here, so we ended up zig-zagging in the dark.

 

After killing time reading the mythology of Death Valley, we went to bed early....