Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park
MEM-LAS
February 24-27

• Nick arrived in Las Vegas and met up with Brad at the airport. Brad had been in the city since earlier that week on a work trip. We rented a car and drove to the Mandalay Bay, where we would be staying the night.
• Once settled in the hotel, we went in search of food. We ended up having a sandwich and a couple beers at Burger Bar, then went to the casino, where we proceeded to play slots and video poker for a while as we drank on some cocktails. We both slowly but steadily lost money...but just enough at a time to make you feel like it could be won back at any moment (no). After losing for some time, we went to the bar and sat down, where the bartender explained how to lose money at Keno...which we did. Brad wanted to play roulette one more time to try his luck, but again, it didn't work in his favor. Drunk and tired of losing, we went back to the room and crashed for the night.
• We both woke up hungover. After showering, we went to the breakfast buffet and gorged on eggs, lox, bagels, bacon, French toast, fruit and potatoes (I think that's all). Once sufficiently stuffed, we checked out of the hotel and began the drive out of the city. We stopped at Wal Mart for a lantern, then went to Smith's for grocery items and got food for camping (74$).
• The drive north from Vegas via US 95 was pretty uneventful, as there really isn't much to look at as you're flying through the desert. Mountain ranges followed the highway for a while. From Amargosa Valley, we took NV 374 south into California, then just about 10-15 more miles into Death Valley (click on link for the park website). We paid the entrance fee (20$) 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.
• After eating, we went to the Stovepipe Wells area. On the way, we stopped at Eureka Sand Dunes and walked into the desert a bit...and then a sandstorm (one of many) hit - and we were bombarded with driving sand. Quite an experience. 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.
• When we woke up the next morning, we took apart the tent pretty early, since we didn't exactly get a lot of sleep. We went for a nice hike in Mosaic Canyon, near Stovepipe Wells (just south). 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.
• After the hike, we headed toward the Charcoal Kilns and goldmines. We got to an old abandoned gold mine in the foothills of the western range of Death Valley. 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...
• We arrived in Panamint Springs, a small outpost in the Valley, in early afternoon. Near the campground we located, there was a gas station and bar/restaurant. We got gas, checked out the campground and then went to the bar for beers. We ended up talking to one of the owners about the whole complex (called the Panamint Springs Resort). 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.
• We went across the road and set up our campsite (7$) and then decided to go for a hike at Darwin Falls, just down the road. Great hike, through canyon, over rocks and streams to a waterfall.
• Back at camp, we had another beer at the bar then went to the site and built a fire, where we hung out, ate dinner (chicken and corn) and had beers.
• We woke up Sunday morning, having slept so much better that night since the wind wasn't as bad but the tent (not able to be staked) had magically shrunk in size during the night - at times there were pretty heavy gusts.
• We packed up and drove back east over the western (Panamint) Range and back into Death Valley. We took a northern road for about 20 miles to Titus Canyon and went for a hike there.
• Back on the main road in the park, we headed east and left the park toward Beatty, NV. Once in Nevada, we stopped in Rhyolite, a ghost town and checked out the area. 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.
• We got to the park about an hour later. 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.
• As it got dark, the coyotes started to howl in the distance, making us a little uneasy. To add to our jitters, a bunch of kangaroo mice were invading our campsite the entire night, and we had to keep chasing them away. Overall, a great place to camp - great weather, scenery.
• The next morning, we packed up and headed to Vegas (after eating at Ihop in North Las Vegas), where we caught our flight back to Memphis.
  

Chile, South America (Part 3)

Chile
MEM-SCL
December 22-Jan 2, 2011

• December 29 - Happy Birthday to Nick! 33 years old.
  
• Everyone woke around 7:30 and finished packing the rest of our stuff. We met with Patricia before leaving, to check out (and inform her of the situation with the fridge). She wasn't too upset, but we did leave her plenty of money to get it fixed.
• We departed Pucón at 8:15. After about an hour, we stopped for gas (100$), then continued driving for a couple more hours. There was an excessive amount of construction on Route 5, which caused some delays, but nothing major. It was really more of an annoyance. In Linares, we ate at a pizza place called Pizza Express (no Big 10 special). Finally, we ended up in the Colchagua Valley, near Santa Cruz around 4:30 or so, and stopped at a winery called Viu Manent. The Valley is regarded as one of the best wine regions in the world. The guy at Viu Manent gave a very detailed and informative description of the wines we were tasting (7 for 7,000$ CLP) - it took about 30 minutes to get through all of them.
• We left the winery and got to Terra Vina, the hotel we had reserved, and checked in. The hotel is situated in the middle of a vineyard and is run by a Dutch lady. Each room has a balcony overlooking the fields of grapes. We settled in and made our way to the common area and had a couple bottles of wine and cheese and sat on the patio for a while, chatting and relaxing (which was very easy to do). Angie presented Nick with a custom knitted red and white (go Hoosiers) winter hat for his birthday. We also met a nice couple from Washington, DC who had been in Patagonia, touring. We swapped some stories, then it was time for dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant called Vino Bello situated just a couple hundred meters through the vineyard (there were signs to guide guests through so as not to get lost).
• At dinner, we had a really nice waiter who was very helpful but spoke virtually no English. Initially, we were seated on the large patio behind the restaurant. We started with a couple bottles of wine and beers. Nick ordered pesto/mushroom fettuccine, Angie and Adam both had gnocchi, Carrie had a Mediterranean salad, and Brad had spaghetti. The food was delicious. The waiter was really attentive and even brought Nick tiramisu for his birthday. After dinner we took the road back to the hotel instead of walking back through the vineyard in the dark, then called it a night around 11:30.
• In the morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel, then got packed up and left around 10:30. The Dutch woman at the hotel recommended a few wineries so we opted for Las Ninas, which was pretty close. Again, this winery was pretty inexpensive (around 5,000$ CLP for 5 glasses). Perhaps it's the region (Maipo) that we were in. After the tasting, we bought a few bottles then got back on the road, going through downtown Santa Cruz and visiting the Colchagua Museum, which chronicled the history of the region, and contained many artifacts from the area. This area was also hit pretty hard by the earthquake of February 2010. Most of the damage had been repaired, but there were a lot of buildings and roads that still were in need of repair. Going north through San Fernando via Route 5 we stopped for lunch at a place on the main road in San Fernando called En Familia Centro. We were there for a while, eating, chatting and having drinks. It was around 5:30 by the time we got back on the road for Santiago.
• We arrived in the city after driving a bit, and had some trouble finding the hotel (Marriott) but ended up getting checked in ok eventually. Both rooms were on the 22nd floor with great views of the city. Once we had settled in, we took advantage of the executive lounge on the 23rd floor for drinks and hors d'oeuvres. The rest of the evening we laid low. Nick and Angie went to the mall adjacent to the hotel to check on a camera battery or charger for Angie's camera with no luck. After a few drinks in the hotel lobby bar the night was called.
• Friday the 31st, we ate breakfast then took the SUV back to the airport. We didn't have any issues returning the vehicle, aside from the challenging Americans (Canadians) who took forever in line in front of us. From the airport, we took a cab back into the city, to the Bella Vista area adjacent to Cerro San Cristobal (St. Christopher Hill). We got dropped off in front of a restaurant and after the cab departed, Nick realized that he had left the camera in the cab. The waiter called the cab company and within 20 minutes or so the driver returned with the camera, for which he was rewarded 5,000$ CLP. We ate, had a couple drinks, then walked to the hill to get on the funicular that goes up to the top. At the top of the hill, we got great views of the city. The Virgin Mary statue and church provided a place of worship (we did not). Once we got back to the bottom, we decided to walk a bit, heading into the downtown area. In the Plaza de Armas, the Santiago Cathedral, National Historical Museum, and other historic buildings surrounded the square. There were a ton of people hanging out, waiting for the evening's festivities. At a department store, Angie bought a bag for the return flight, then we all took the subway back to the hotel.
• We rested up, ate, and had a few drinks, then checked with the concierge about a place to hang out for New Year's. He recommended a place called Urracas and scheduled a cab. At 9:30, we loaded up and the driver took us...to an empty club. Turns out it didn't open till after midnight. We were kind of kicking ourselves for not having made plans earlier, but just opted to head back to the hotel and hang out there. We gathered in Carrie and Adam's room with all the booze and snacks we could find. We drank a bit then went to the executive lounge where we partied with several others that were there also counting down. At midnight there was a great view of the fireworks from downtown and also of the hill on the East side of the city. Had a few more drinks after that, then laid the year to rest.
• Jan 1 - happy new year! We ate breakfast and took the subway downtown. No one was on the street at all. The only people out were the Carabineros, the Chilean National Police force. We made our way to the Central Market and walked around for a bit. There wasn't really much to see; fishmongers and restaurants filled the entire place. We ate lunch at one of them, then jumped on the subway to get back to the hotel.
• Once back, we gathered our stuff, packed up, and checked out. It was about 4 PM, and our flight was at 10:30 PM. A cab was scheduled for 7 PM, so we hung out at the pool for a couple hours, then ate at the lobby restaurant (horrible, expensive service).
• At 7, we jumped in a cab and went to the airport. We hung out in the Skyclub for a bit then boarded the flight...we were all together to ATL. The flight wasn't too bad - still, 9.5 hours on a plane sucks. Finally made it back to Memphis around 8 AM.
  

Chile, South America (Part 2)

Chile
MEM-SCL
December 22-Jan 2, 2011

• On the 27th of December (a Monday), we all got up around 5:45 and went into Pucón, where the outfitter was located. We had gotten fitted for pants, jackets, boots, etc the day before, so all that stuff was distributed to us. We got into the van, along with 7 Israelis who were about 20-25 years old. They were a loud group, but friendly. One of them mentioned that they had been in Chile and Argentina for about 2 months, traveling around the countries.
• Once at the Villarrica Volcano, we all opted to take the ski lift up to the first portion and then climb the mountain from there. It cost 5,000$ CLP (about 10$ USD) to take the lift (but was worth it). 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.
• The beginning of the trek was not too hard; we climbed for about 30 minutes, then rested and ate a quick snack. 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.
• Once ready to head down, we suited up in our jackets, pants, hats and gloves and began a series of slides to get down the mountain. Literally, sliding on our asses the entire way down. After a slide of about 100 yards or so, we picked up, moved 100 feet to the right or left, and did it over and over again until reaching the base. It ended up taking about an hour to get back to the bottom. We were all so happy to have accomplished what we set out that morning to do. 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.
• The first place we hit up was a grocery store for alcohol. After a day like that, we wanted to reward ourselves and let loose a bit. We all began drinking once we got back to the house.
• Angie and Nick went to the casino in downtown Pucón at 10 PM, had a few drinks there, then played some slots, roulette then left around 1:30. Nick won about 25$; Angie lost about the same.
• On Tuesday, we ate breakfast, sat around for a while and did nothing at all till about noon. We hadn't visited Villarrica yet, so we wanted to check it out. It's a city bigger than Pucón (about 40,000) with a lot of shops and markets, with some pretty decent restaurants as well. We ate at a place called El Rey del Marisco. It was delicious food, great service, and moderate prices. After leaving the restaurant we stopped at several markets and bought a few things from the craftsmen manning the booths. 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.
• Back in Pucón, we rested for a couple hours, then went back downtown and ate at a tapas bar called Mamas & Tapas. We had some great tacos, enchiladas, and chimichangas (as well as two for one mojitos and beers). So much food!
• Back at the house, it was very dark outside, so we sat out and stared at the stars for a while. In this area, there really isn't any light pollution, so the number of stars that were visible was pretty amazing.
  
• By 11 PM, we had pretty much packed all our things, in preparation for the drive north the following day. The house was cleaned that afternoon so we would be ready to leave in the morning.