Day 15 - Death Valley & Mammoth Lakes (18.10.2016)

Our 15th day starts with a shock as we realize that we forgot our National Park Pass in yesterday's motorcycle jacket.

So we quickly check out of the Bellagio and head straight back to our rental agency, Eagle Rider. When we arrive, the staff at the reception greets us with our National Park Pass. Relieved, we set off towards Death Valley. By the way, do not touch the drinks in the minibar at the Bellagio if you don't want to drink any. The drinks are automatically charged when you take them out.

The drive to Death Valley doesn't offer any particularly scenic sights, but it's always nice to admire the landscape. After entering Death Valley, we have to climb a lot of elevation to get below sea level.

Once we arrive in Death Valley, we take some photos. Because we're visiting so late in the year, the temperatures are relatively pleasant. It's only 35°C and quite bearable here. Along the way, we also come across some dingoes and witness a practice flight of an Air Force jet with loops and various maneuvers.

We make a stop at the dunes before embarking on the long journey to Mammoth Lakes. We planned this as a layover to break up the long drive to Yosemite Park.

Upon arrival, we realize that this was a big mistake, as we find out at the reception of the Village Lodge Mammoth during check-in that Tioga Pass is closed due to a rockfall, which means we have no chance of entering Yosemite National Park from this side of the mountains.

After this shock, we look for a restaurant and find one nearby at Roberto's Mexican Cafe. They serve really good Mexican food, and we can recommend it for a nice Mexican meal.

Then, we go to sleep and prepare for our journey to Napa Valley tomorrow.