Sunday – May 28th, 2023
Today was going to be another long day in the car, but a lot shorter than yesterday, at least in terms of time. It’s still a 350-mile slog including detours and stops along the way. The plan is simple. Get to Vegas, via Death Valley.
Bishop
We woke nice and early and got ready to hit the road again. While the Layover had been quite costly due to the Impending Mule Festival, with 350 miles behind us yesterday and 350 to go today, we were reassured that the stop was needed.
We headed out and took a little walk around Bishop and stopped for a take-out at the hilariously named Schatt’s Bakery! We grabbed some of the incredible Breakfast Pastries and then hit the Road.
Mt Whitney
The First stop was Mount Whitney, or at least a stop to grab a look at the Highest Peak in California, and indeed the whole of the country, outside of Alaska. I would love to climb the peak one day but that was certainly non on Today’s agenda, and probably never on Kate’s, high mountains are my thing. Today we were just happy to get a peek at it. So we stopped at the Visitor Center just outside of Lone Pine.
Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas and despite glorious sunshine and blue skies in the Valley, the peaks were obscured by some pretty stubborn clouds. Still, we got to see where the Peak Should be!
From here we headed away from the 395 and started the journey into the interior via Death Valley. We love this section of road for the Endless Horizons and distant vanishing points. This is BIG country and the vistas are simply stunning.
Star Wars Canyon
The first stop was Star Wars Canyon. We stopped here as this is a pretty cool location. It was used in the Movie Independence Day when Capt Hillard is chased through a canyon by a Space Craft, this is the Canyon. It’s also used as a low-altitude Training Area by the USAF and that is why we were here.
This is a long shot as the USAF has largely stopped operations in the Canyon. However until recently, you could watch Jet Fighters perform Ultra low altitude Passes through the Canyon, but after an accident that cost the life of a pilot, this has been largely stopped, it was also Sunday. But we were passing by so thought we would stop off regardless as the Canyon is pretty spectacular anyway.
As we were arriving, we got quite lucky, or really unlucky, depending on your viewpoint. As we were driving along the 190 towards the Father Crowley Overlook, a private aircraft suddenly appeared, basically alongside us at practically zero feet. The Jet then veered into the Canyon making a low-altitude pass right through the canyon. Incredible to see, but as we were still driving we didn’t get to see it properly or get any photos or footage of it!
We stopped at the overlook, in the hope it would circle around and make another pass, but this was not to be, and instead, we were left in the sun waiting for a plane that was not returning. We tried to fire up Flightradar but it appears in the middle of the Desert no one can hear you scream …at your phone that has no data!
We had noticed on the way in rather a lot of insects committing insecticide on our windshield and at the canyon we could see why, the air was thick with Grasshoppers. There were literally millions in the air, some really quite large and the ground almost crawling with them. It was cool and a little creepy at the same time.
Death Valley
We then pushed onward into Death Valley National Park and down into Panamint Springs the Gateway to the Park. Here you pass through a Large Valley which is not actually Death Valley itself. From here you still need to drive up into the Panamint Mountian Range before dropping down into the Valley.
It’s a stunning drive and one we never tire of. The insanely straight road rises high up above the Panamint Valley floor before plunging down into the hottest place on earth. On the descent, we ended up behind a camper van that seemed intent on doing around 40 mph. The problem with this was it meant we were constantly on ur brakes. A little over a quarter of the way down, the unmistakable odor of cooking brake pads started seeping into the car and the pedal started to get a little spongy.
If we had carried on at this rate we reckon our wheels would be on fire by the time we hit the basin floor. A quick overtake and we clicked into manual and used engine braking for the rest of the descent, while our camper van buddy continued to cook his brakes behind us.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
On the descent, our brakes were not the only thing getting hot. The temp gauge in the car started creeping up. It had been 95° in Panamint Springs but cooled off to 85° at the top of the 5000ft Pass. As we descended, this started going up!
By the time we hit Sea Level (most of Death Valley is BELOW Sea Level), the needle hit 110°f and when parked up at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes the gauge showed a whopping 112°f (45°c). Perfect Weather for hiking in the endless Sand Dunes!
Really this is really short hike, just far enough out to get past the tourists so we could get some dessert shots. Then back o the Blissful Airconditioning.
Furnace Creek
The next stop was Furness Creek, but we only briefly stopped in this little oasis in the desert for a bathroom break. We love this little town and had planned to stay here before our plans were altered by the Snow.
Right in the middle of the hottest place on earth is this little patch of greenery. We also stopped briefly at the Harmony Borax Works for a quick look at their replica Rail Road but it was too hot to get out and hike to it.
Zabriskie Point
We then headed up the hill towards Zabriskie Point. This is one of Death Valley’s must-see locations and while there is not much to see and do here. The Vista really is incredible and out-of-this-world.
We parked up and hike the short trail to the Lookout point. The sun was burning down and the temperature now was absolutely baking. So we just visited the main lookout point, grabbed some photos, and ran for the cooling delights of the Car.
From here we needed to backtrack back up to Beaty Junction. We could have carried on to Parump but we wanted to visit the Ghost town of Rhyolite and then Beaty and head into Vegas along the I-95 so it’s back up to Beatty Junction again. and then head back into the mountains as we made towards the border of Nevada.
Rhyolite
Just before the town of Beatty, we got to the abandoned Ghost Town of Rhyolite. This old Gold Mining town had been partially preserved and sits alone in the desert as a reminder of the gold-rush boom times of the early 1900s.
There are several buildings still standing and some partially collapsed, along with some wrecked cars left very slowly corroding in the arid dry environment.
We took a bit of time out of our journey to explore the town and take in the amazing history of the area. We love Ghost Towns and Rylyt is one of the better-preserved sites that has not become a historic site.
There were a few other visitors but overall the site is quiet, barren, and remote. The old Train station, Jail, and Tom Kelly’s Bottle house are all great fun t explore. There is a small free museum too and over the other side of the valley the Bulfrog-Ryolite CEmetry.
Beatty, I-95, Total Wines
The final stop on the list was Beatty, however with time getting on, and really not much we wanted to see in Beatty we kind of just drove on through. This is a really remote settlement and has its charm, but it’s not really that welcoming. Instead, we set our GPS For Las Vegas and Headed on down the I-95, the Veterans Memorial Highway.
This Long straight road tears straight through the desert in an almost straight line with basically nothing to stop for all the way into Sin City. So this was the final stretch before the Big Lights of the Strip. We had been out in the sticks for a while now and it can be a bit jarring to suddenly be back in the City Again.
The I-95 is not the most exciting road, but it has its unique charms. The Spring Mountains rise up to the west and the barren desert stretches as far as the eye can see. As we rolled along the highway, making the odd pass when we encountered slow traffic, an unfortunate event occurred. We are usually very lucky (or just careful) with our Hire Cares and have never returned one damaged. However, as a car passed us on a dual carriageway section a small rock flew up from his tires and tapped our windscreen.
After an initial shock, we both dismissed it as a lucky escape ad the impact was not “that” loud. Some of the Grasshoppers from Star Wars CAnyon had made bigger impacts. However as we carried on, Kate noticed a small crack appearing. Dammit, but it was right in the corner, maybe Avis would miss it. As the miles crept by the crack was creeping too, first up the screen then heading across the middle towards my line of sight, this was not going to be ignored.
However, we were in the middle of the desert and there was nothing we could really do but keep plowing on and get to Vegas. After a while, the crack stopped getting worse so we just hoped it would stay that way and made for the City.
Before getting to the Strip we stopped off at Total Wines. A quick Pitstop to stock up on drinks for our Time in Vegas and to grab some Tequila to take home for gifts and, to drink as we can’t get good Tequila at home cheaply. A few Bottles of Teramana and a Bottle of Casa Del Sol, a New Brand created by Eva Longoria that Kate wanted to try.
Then it was on to the Strip and a 45min delay as the Traffic was utterly crazy!
Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
After sitting in the Strip in stationary traffic, we finally got into the Cosmopolitan Parking lot, and then upstairs to the Lobby where even more Chaos Awaited. Arriving in Vegas at the Tail end of Memorial Weekend we hoped we would miss some of the Chaos, but it seemed we had arrived just in time for it.
The queue was crazy long and when we asked if there was a Priority Line as we had booked with our Platinum card and were Marriot Bonvoy Gold Members he just looked blankly at us and said only Jocky Club Members got a Priority Queue. So we just waited in the LONG line which took an Age to move as it seemed everyone checking in had some kind of issue.
When we eventually got to the front of the Queue we found out why. The Cosmopolitan is undergoing a transition from Independent to MGM Owned. It has always been one of our Favorite Hotels, but the Transition seems to have rendered the Customer Service useless.
We do not want to Blame MGM as we usually get great service there and the Cosmo Service has also been exceptional in the past but on this trip, it was really poor. Everything was too much trouble and we struggled to get a straight answer to any question, even to the point of straight out lying to us.
We had booked the room through our Amex Platinum Card, through the Fine Hotels and Resorts. This service includes a heap of benefits and was basically the same price as booking direct, a little cheaper actually, but this is where things started unraveling.
The first problem was the Queue. We were told by the agent we could have used the priority Queue or even the Concierge in the Autograph Lounge which our Marriot Gold Status gave us access to. Great, we asked about that and got told no, only now been told we could have avoided the 45-min Check-in Queue.
During Check-in we received our Welcome Letter detailing the benefits, Early Check-in, $100 Resort Credit, Free Breakfast Each, $25 Bar Credit, and Late Check-out. A nice little bundle. Only the Early Check-in was useless as it was not 5 pm, and we needed to check out early but still, this was our fault, not theirs and the perks are pretty nice. However, the first issue was our Room Upgrade. We were told bluntly we could not have an upgrade because there was no availability. But we could have an upgrade to a higher floor and a Strip View…which we had booked anyway so not a Upgrade at all. When we enquired further and asked about the possibility of switching the next day to a fountain view, we got some conflicting answers that really felt like she just wanted rid of us.
We are big proponents of tipping for good service and had made this clear, in our own version of the $20 Trick, but there was no Movement. Oh well.
Up to our room and the One Bedroom Terrace Suite with Strip View on a Hogh Floor, was in fact on the second lowest floor Terrace rooms are available and had a view of a roundabout and the back of the Aria. Not a Stip View, apart from a small glimpse of the MGM and New York New York in the Distance.
Apart from that it was a really nice room, but we had been sold a High Floor Room with Strip View and this was just not that, and we really felt we should get an upgrade considering our status and the Fact we booked through the Fine Hotels and Resorts that always get us upgrades everywhere we have used them.
So we decided to go down and have a chat with the Concierge in the Autograph Lounge. Thinking maybe we just got a bad agent. However here, things were even worse. The Customer in front of us was very loud and the lunge was really quiet they were discussing with the agent very loudly that they would like their room upgraded to a Fountain View, just like us. The agent was happily doing this for them and was discussing which room exactly they wanted.
This was taking a while and a second Agent came in to serve us. We explained the situation and asked if there was anything they could do. We once again got a flat, no. At this point, we dropped a bit of a clanger and explained how we literally just heard the customer in front of us get upgraded, how can you be claiming there is no availability? After looking flustered, we simply got the answer there isn’t any now, maybe she got the last one? Well no, as we had been told before there was no availability, and there clearly was, as she got one, and there were options and choices for her, whichever she chose, there must still be the other options.
Sorry there is no aaibiity. Ok, whatever, what about switching rooms tomorrow? She looked into her computer and said yes that may be possible as there is availability tomorrow. But you will have to pay for the upgrade as the Free Upgrade is only available at Check-in.
This was clearly not going anywhere, We need to be clear, it’s not the fact we were not getting the room upgrade that was bothering us it was the inconsistencies and the tone of the service. We were very much given the impression, you do not matter, you are not important..go away.
Walking the Strip
We headed to the room for a quick look around. The lack of view was a real bother but overall it was a nice space, and the bathroom was excellent, but the war over our included upgrade was not over. But rather than dwelling on it we headed out to hit the town.
Being Memorial Day Sunday, the City was CRAZY! we rarely see it this busy and there were queues just to cross the rads and extra workers were brought out as crossing guards! We headed up from the Cosmo to the Bellagio to catch our first Fountain show of the trip and then made our way down the strip towards the MGM where we had dinner reservations.
Walking the strip is always the perfect thing to do upon arrival. The sun was just going down and the Vegas lights starting to light up, so it was the perfect time for a strip walk.
Brewdog – Massive Disappointment
The disappointment of the Room and the Cracked Windscreen meant today had really felt like nothing had gone well, so we were looking forward to trying out the new Brewdog Rooftop Restaurant. We had got reservations for the Rooftop Bar well in advance and were looking forward to trying it out.
Brewdog is my favorite Brand of beer and it was a real oddity to have a Restaurant/Bar n the strip that was actually British (we don’t count Ramsey).
Arriving at the location, it looks like the Brewdog popularity hasn’t made it across the pond yet and there were Touts outside trying to get people to come in. We rarely see this in Vegas where most restaurants attract customers simply by word of mouth.
Inside there is a large Bar area where you can try different beers and buy take-out cans to enjoy at home. We have Brewdg in every supermarket at home and at far more competitive prices so this was not a tempting offer!
We headed upstairs for the main event the Rooftop bar and restaurant. However, despite having reservations for the Rooftop we were ushered into a small indoor area with no views and very little atmosphere.
For us, after a long day, that had really not gone according to plan, this was too much. If you offer an outdoor Rooftop experience, then provide it. We asked to be moved outdoors but got some non-plussed shrugs saying they were full. We asked to wait for a table and again got met with a very uncaring attitude. We know service can be lacking in Vegas, but this was just too much for our already frayed tempers. So we reacted in a very British way and simply left. You might say stormed out and that’s probably fair.
Crashing
Overall today had been a disaster and my temper had had enough. It was such a long drive into Vegas and nothing had gone right upon arrival at all. It really was time to call it a night on the day and wake up tomorrow for a better day.
Back at the Room, we were seriously considering our options on the Cosmopolitan. Looking at the prices of other hotels in case we just decided to up and leave, which at this point was a real possibility.
Walking Total – 5328 Steps – 2.8 Miles
Really we didn’t walk anywhere at all today. Most of the day was spent in the Car, and the only real walking was down the strip in the evening.
