Mountain ranges followed the highway for a while. 
From Amargosa Valley, we took NV 374 south into California, then just about 10-15 more miles into Death Valley (click on link for the park website). We paid the entrance fee (20$) then went on to the Furnace Creek area (the most visited area of the park). Before getting there, though, we stopped at Zabriskie Point, an overlook in the south of the park. Winds were gusting at around 40-50 mph, making it hard to breathe, let alone walk standing up straight. 
At Furnace Creek Visitor Center, we checked on camping options. The ranger gave us a few tips on where to go. We knew a fire was not going to be a consideration because of the winds, so we opted to eat at the cafe there instead.
We got a campsite once at Stovepipe - an unimpressive campground littered with RVs. Winds at this point were extremely high, and we had concerns about the tent not only staying up, but blowing away (with us in or out of it). Every time the wind gusted (and it was often), the front of the tent was practically flat on the ground. 
We went across the street to check on rooms at the motel, but there was no vacancy there. The clerk mentioned going to Beatty, NV - a small town across the border, about 30 miles away - but this wasn't really an option at this point. It was getting dark and very cold, and still extremely windy. We finally got the tent to stay up and then put the cover on it and strapped it down. 
It was much more stable then, but still, throughout the night, wind gusts put the top of the tent down on our faces, sand blowing through every hole and crack in the screen and canvas.
At the beginning of the hike, we were walled in by colorful (almost marble-like) rock walls that stretched upward above us for about 50 feet. At some points, it was fairly narrow, getting to about 3 feet wide as we climbed over boulders during the ascent. Once toward the top of the climb, it opened up to a riverbed of sorts and we walked for another half mile or so before turning back.
Several entrances to the mines were seen, but all were locked/wired/boarded shut. It was windy, and COLD! Snow was on the ground. 
We explored the area a bit, then headed to the chimney kilns. We made the turnoff on the road to get there (just before the mountain pass) and as we got higher up the mountain, there was more and more snow on the road. The paved road soon turned to gravel, where the snow was even thicker. Eventually we realized (after we began sliding backward) that the car was just not going to make it up the hill. This was a good time to turn back, which we did. 
We took a few seldom traveled park roads through the passes to the western part of the park, the Panamint Valley. The drive was really pretty but a bit monotonous through the pass - great views of the scenery, but really, it's desert...
A family owned all three, with a brother in the family doing different jobs (running the restaurant, campground, gas station, etc.). We had been sitting at the bar with a few beers when it started snowing. The bartender informed us that this had happened 3 weeks prior, but it had been 13 years since it had last snowed.
Heading back toward Vegas, we had plans to stay the night in Valley of Fire State Park, which is just about 45 minutes northeast of the city. Before passing through Vegas, we stopped at Tenaya Creek Brewery and had a beer.
It reminded us both of Arches National Park in Utah. V of F is Nevada's oldest and largest state park. It has lots of sandstone arches and rock formations. 
In addition, there were 4,000 year old petroglyphs on the cliff walls. 
We explored the park for a while (seeing the different rock formations and petrified wood) before finding a place to camp. Our campsite was quite nice - no one was around, since we had selected a walk-in site away from everyone. It was quiet, with great views of the surrounding valley. We had a couple beers, built a fire and had dinner. Dinner was chicken and potatoes.
The Ski lift actually ran to the base of the volcano, to where it began a steep ascent...where we then began the ascent to the top. The high point of elevation is nearly 10,000 feet above sea level. There were a lot of people climbing that day; this is actually one of the most climbed "stratovolanoes" in the world.
After a (what seemed alarmingly brief) instruction session on how to climb, use the tools, and stay safe, we and our guides headed up the mountain.
After about 10 minutes, we climbed on, hiking for another 45 minutes to an hour before stopping again. 
A short time before, Angie had decided to turn back to go to the base with one of the 3 guides. The incline was beginning to get steeper at that point and our legs were starting to ache. We had a quick lunch, and at the prodding of our guides ("let's go, chicos, vamos"), we began climbing again. This section of the climb was extremely steep and long. For a portion of this area, we were at about a 45 degree angle and looking down induced instant vertigo. This was probably the most dangerous part of the summit. Another hour or so later, we reached the last rest point, where we ate a snack, drank some water and took photos. The view this high up was incredible. We could see lahars extending outward from the volcano, Quetrupillan Volcano in the distance (another stratovolcano that is inside Villarrica National Park as well) and all the surrounding towns and Lake Villarrica and way beyond. 
We began climbing once again, and after 45 minutes, reached the summit. During the last portion of the climb, our legs were exhausted, and we had to stop frequently. At the top, though, we were able to sit for a few minutes, eat, and relax. The Israelis that were with us were also relaxing, smoking their cigarettes ("if the volcano is smoking, so can we"). We were also able to descend into the volcano's caldera, explore it a bit and take some photos. 
The caldera itself was massive, spewing sulfur fumes and steam into the air and belching up gases that had this odd echoing sound. 
It was a strange feeling to be so close to something that is so fascinating and mysterious yet so dangerous. The gases make it hard to breathe anywhere inside the caldera. The maximum amount of time that we were able to stay at the summit was about 30 minutes because of the noxious fumes.
We reunited with Angie, and then got rid of our suits and boots. The driver of the return shuttle van took us to a house in a neighborhood to get our things. It was a bit confusing at first, because we didn't realize that they were going to be taking our stuff from the outfitters to the house. Once we figured it out, we got everything and returned to the rental car.
Then we drove to the home building supply store (Sodimac) for a shelf for the refrigerator at the house. Somehow the previous day, the top shelf in the fridge cracked in two so we felt like we should replace it. They didn't have the part we needed though, so the only other option at that point was to let the owner, Patricia, know about it and leave money for her.
