On the northern edge of Death Valley National Park, Scotty's Castle was built in the 1920s in a Spanish Revival style. It was built
by Albert Johnson, a wealthy Chicago insurance broker, as a desert retreat. During the frequent absences of Albert Johnson, the house
was claimed by local cowboy, prospector, and publicity hound Walter E Scott as his own, and that it was financed by his hidden gold
mine - a fantasy that Johnson was happy to indulge. The house features elaborate architecture; exotic tiles; and a remote-controlled
1,121-pipe organ
From Stovepipe Wells (left) we drive northwest towards Scotty's Castle. Alongside this road is the most extensive of Death Valley's
Mesquite Flat Dunes - an area of fifteen-square-miles containing contoured and everchanging sand dunes, some over a hundred feet high.
Near Stovepipe Wells is an area called Devil's Cornfield (right), an expanse of tufted arrowweed grasses perched on mounds that make
them look like sheaves of corn. Other areas of Death Valley feature colourful banded rocks
From Death valley, we drive to the old silver mining town of Tonopah in Nevada,
where we spend the night at the Best Western Hi-Desert
Inn
June 29th: The town of Tonopah was established in 1900 following the discovery of a rich vein of silver ore which spawned Nevada's
last great mining rush. Murals and statues record the town's mining history, and a mural acknowledges the nearness of US Air Force
bases and the mysterious 'Area 51'
(right)
The Embassy Suites Hotel in Paradise Road, Las Vegas - our accommodation for our last night before our flight home
Since we departed from Vegas on June 5th, The Venetian's campanile has been transformed to advertise performances of Phantom. Our
final evening in Las Vegas crowns a wonderful trip when we see a superb performance of Phantom. We travel from the Embassy Suites
to The Venetian by using the Las Vegas Monorail - after the show, we eat at Treasure Island, and end the day by watching the fountains
at The Bellagio
USA 2006: Las Vegas & California
(continued)