Eastern Sierra, Death Valley and Las Vegas again 😜

After the night in Exeter (for the first time since Sunday in a double room, but it was huge 😊), on Friday we drove for a long time through a consistently similar landscape: dry fields with bushes (Eastern Sierra). As a driver, this may not be particularly exciting. I initially wanted to watch a lot of Netflix, but I kept dozing off 😜 Afterwards, we visited the 'Museum of Western Film History' in Lone Pine, where we also stayed overnight (another huge single room 😜 Best Western Hotels have been very good on this tour!). We walked about a kilometer. There was supposed to be an hour-long hike later, but two of us (including me 😊) decided against it because it was too hot (37.8 degrees Celsius). In the heat, I could only walk very slowly and the sun was burning down on us extremely. I really didn't feel like it. But it was a good idea to stay at the hotel because I could do my laundry with the hotel's washing machine.
In the evening, we went to a delicious pizza restaurant - the others were amazed at my large Coke Zero (I love large drinks 😊) and instead of a Caesar salad, I was brought a Greek salad. Of course, I gladly took it, but the waiter asked several times if it was really okay, and the driver said, 'Are you sure? You're in America, you can get anything you want' 😁😁 I smiled again. I like it that way 😊
Death Valley on Saturday was even hotter, up to 51 degrees Celsius were shown to us🔥. Along the way, we visited an open-air museum and the most famous photo locations in Death Valley, such as the lowest point in America. I also took many photos from the bus.
Man, it was soooo hot!!! Even if you didn't move, the sweat was pouring. I was so glad I didn't have to drive here because there was simply NOTHING for miles, then there was a gas station in the middle of nowhere. The driver told us that his vehicle caught fire here last year, so you have to be very careful and give the vehicle a break after the mountain pass. Can you imagine having a breakdown here! No network, exposed to the heat... phew. There were also warning signs that you should not walk after 10 am... Really intense. But it was worth seeing.

We stayed in Beatty, where there was already a casino in the hotel, Nevada-style, and there was another Denny's Diner 😊 Unfortunately, I wasn't hungry at all, but there are plenty of Denny's locations.
On Sunday, we went straight into a completely different terrain - it's so exciting, the landscape changes every day on this tour. Trees, forests, deserts... and on Sunday we went from 'nothing' to ... Las Vegas.

For many, Las Vegas is certainly a highlight of the tour. But I had just been there for the second time and could have done without it, but I compared many travel providers and every national park tour makes a stop there, it's just on the way. But there are worse things, because with a guide you always get to know new corners and details. So our driver kindly made a stop at Woodbury Commons Outlet, where I wanted to go anyway, because I still needed a collapsible, sturdy backpack for hiking/camping. I found one from Victorinox, a trusted brand 😊 Finally, I also came across a Cinnabon stand when I was hungry, and I indulged in small cinnamon rolls that the employee decorated with caramel and pecans at my request 😄

Afterwards, we went to the frequently photographed Las Vegas sign, drove along the strip once, and in the evening, a buffet dinner was scheduled at the 'Paris' hotel. The Londoner and I hurriedly ate the food because we still had tickets for 'The World's Greatest Rock Show'. This show was nice, but there were a lot of empty seats!
After that, we checked out the nightlife, because I could sleep in all day on Monday if I wanted to. After all, I had a huge suite with a living room and dining area, and even 2 TVs.
The Hakkasan Club, which was recommended to me, was really huge and the music was great, but the prices were an absolute rip-off: 32 dollars admission, a water cost 10 dollars, a glass of wine 16, Champagne would have been 24 dollars - no thanks 😜 I preferred to save the money for the post-night-out burger at Johnny Rockets (Oh, there are still so many restaurant chains I want to check out, like ihop, Jack in the Box, Shake Shack, Carl's Jr, Chipotle, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Checkers, Fatburger, Outback --> to do list 😂)
On Monday evening, the 4 new tour members arrived, who will now travel with us. If you wanted, you could still go out for Thai food. I didn't miss that opportunity, with lots of spice 😂