Barstow to Panamint, Death Valley......23rd March...

Hello folks I'm back blogging again after a few days in Panamint and the peace and quiet of the desert....
Shortly after leaving Barstow we turn north on the 395N on route to Panamint on the western edge of Death Valley....
This was a really good scenic 4 lane highway running along the edge of the Eastern Sierras.....

And another nice long straight quit road....this is now the 190 East which runs right through to the west side of Death Valley.......

Salt flats with the Eastern Sierras in the background....

Comfort break and photo opportunity....

Bradda Ed as usual enjoying the ride.....the beginning of Death Valley in the distance.....

And now for the trickier bits....it was downhill to 2000 ft and our stop for 3 nights at Panamint Resort.....resort is stretching the truth rather but they say that was the name it was given way back at the beginning of tourism to this area and they have stuck with it !! It was an interesting stay not so much for seeing the DV sights as we discovered most must see views of The Park apart from the general beauty of DV are over the next mountain range, 5000 ft elevation, near Stovepipe and Furnace Creek 30 and 60 miles away respectively and with diesel at $6 a gallon it turned out to be an expensive stay !! We were told by a staff member that they didn't actually want to sell the gas or diesel as they run expensive generators for power...ummmm ?? We had of course expected to pay a premium but not $2 more than usual...BUT on the plus side oh the night skies were some of the best we have ever seen.....while in Big Bend NP, Texas we had fabulous night skies but here "it really did feel you could reach up and touch the stars" and so nice to sit out all evening and be warm while enjoying the heavenly display.......