executive summary for those who think I write too much :-)
- HUGE trees
- tiny squirrels
- deer encounter
- desert crossing
- VEGAS!
- Blue man show
- not much sleep
now... an early start for a very long trip today - about 9 hours of driving. Question - why would a hotel that asks you to turn the lights off when you're not using them have an outdoor heated pool with no covers? A winding drive now through the Yosemite trees - less snow today, just the patches left from yesterday's falls. We've been lucky with thr road closures as there were still some closed areas yesterday, which are open again this morning. Managed to get the hertz navigator working, so we put ours away which didn't have the Nevada maps loaded yet.
Mariposa Grove where we exit the park has massive sequoia trees - a mile's walk takes us up to the largest of them, named the grizzly giant. At the base of it we see tiny squirrels - a contrast to the massive tree. Walking back we come across a deer, eating something inside a hollow tree trunk. She wasn't moving far away, even for us and ran back to the tree as soon as we were past. Snow flowers were sprouting beside many of the pines, strange red growths that spring up where there is a particular fungi under the ground. There are still patches of snow near the track, but the day is warming up.
Back in the car we dropped down the mountain to a warmer morning. The landscape changed dramatically as we drive down from the mountains, from the huge trees, to scrub on the hillsides then grasslands with some cattel ranches and mesas rising from the plains. Surprisingly we find more berry farms, wine grapes, cherries and olive farms. Fresno is quite green, with masses of RV sales lots both new and used. Then on to Bakersfield - suggested for a lunch stop but we decided to press on for a while yet. Tehachapi, on the edge of the Mojhave desert is another windfarm area, with many hundreds all over the hills on the edge of the desert. Once we get past them there is less and less vegetation as we drive across the desert - past Edwards Airforce Base and a rocket site.
Once we turn onto the highway to Vegas we are just part of a long line of cars and trucks heading for the lights of the strip. We go up to 4730 feet and then down into Nevada. As soon as we cross the border there's the discount fashion mall - had to stop for the experience but only bought a few shirts - for about 1/3 of what we would pay in Aus...
Almost had a close encounter with the highway patrol - but they pulled over the black, fast looking job in front of us - whew! Found Treasure Island wiithout any trouble and after about an hour to check in, had a nice surprise to find the Venetian across the road - where we had tickets for tonight's Blue Man show. Can't describe it really - you will just have to go. A really good night. Afterwards we walked up the strip for a while, Vegas is still partying hard at 1am, but we'd had a big day and were in bed nice and early - about 2am early!
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