thru small towns in CA out to Death Valley

making postcards @ office depot
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June 14- got a much later start than planned. Managed to get to somewhere outside Bakersfield. Stopped at a roadside hotel, turned out to have a pool!

June 15- stopped at an Office Depot to make some collage style postcards on their copiers. Picnicked on the east edge of Sequoia Nat'l Park, north of California City, California. Drove thru Death Valley. Made a few stops for taking in the views. Saw 2 fighter jets making canyon runs. Ended in Death Valley Junction, stayed at Amargosa Opera House, with no one around except Vladimir the peacock and some of his fellows. Only food establishment was miles away at a casino. Almost set the desert on fire trying to cook on camping stove. Rode bikes in the dark on the empty roads and around the courtyard of the hotel. Checked out other suites with paintings on walls. If you're into luxurious, commercial style lodging I dunno if you'd appreciate this place the way we did. It's an odd hotel but in a most lovely way. There's a website that explains its unusual history and the shows you might be able to catch on a Saturday night if you can get a room. I had never spent much time in the desert before. I think it's beautiful though. There's alot of wildlife too. We saw the flock of peacocks. They're quite bold and seem totally comfortable with the people passing thru what feels like their turf more than anyone else's. We spotted a rabbit in the distance. That was exciting to me. I dunno why. It happened at another point on the trip too. Bunny sightings- very exciting! They're just so damned cute...