ROADTRIP: New life in Death Valley

While the name conjures the idea of a place where nothing could possibly live, when you take a close look, you can easily see the tracks of snakes, lizards and birds in the sand of Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. A natural spring feeds the beautiful gardens and swimming pool of The Inn at Furnace Creek. Sand Creek is home to a pup fish that lives nowhere else – an Ice Age leftover that adapted as the area turned from lake to desert, as well as a lot of lizards like the blue-spotted fellow below. Most everyone is blend-in brown.

Birds play in the wind around Ubehebe Crater, created when a volcano blew hundreds of years ago. And humans flock to Scotty’s Castle, not so much a castle as a millionaire’s vacation home built in the 1920s.

Getting There
Death Valley National Park is well marked from both Nevada and California, and spring is the best time to go, but watch for closed roads even as late as April. If you have, or can rent, an all-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicle, these will be your best bet because you won’t have to mess with tire chains, but if you are traveling any of these roads from October-April you might want to have some in the car just in case. Once you get out of the major cities, you’ll pay through the nose for a set.

CA-190 runs (sort of) through the middle of the park, and you can get to the west side from Reno, Sacramento or Los Angeles, and to the east side from Las Vegas.

From Reno, US-395 heads south, crosses into California, runs down the east side of Yosemite National Park, and then down the west side of Death Valley National Park, which sits along the Nevada border. From US-395, CA-190 or CA-136 head into the park.

From Sacramento, US-50 will connect with US-395 south toward the park and most of the On The Way destinations. This section of US-50, one of the most beautiful (and also called the loneliest for its stretch east of Reno) highways in the country, also goes through  Eldorado National Forest and just south of South Lake Tahoe.

From LA, US-395 heads north. From Vegas, US-95 or NV-160 will take you to Death Valley in about the same amount of time.

In the Park
There is a per-vehicle or per-person fee to enter the park, and kiosks are conveniently located. There are two hotels (ranging from pricey to holy crap) and camping in the park; check website to find information and pricing.

Leashed pets are allowed on established roadways and in parking areas only, and are not encouraged because of the extreme temperatures. The usual rules apply: Leave no trace and take only pictures. No off-roading is allowed, don’t shoot your guns and build your fires only in established pits. In other words, don’t be a jerk.

Pay careful attention to gas while driving in the park. There is a (expensive!) gas station, but it’s easy to run out while you’re seeing the sites. If you’re renting a car, take a look at the spare, jack, etc. You likely won’t have cell service in the park, and depending on the time of year, who knows when the next car will be along?

ROADTRIP (Sort of): Expediency necessitates I-80

The scenery is mostly lost on Wonder Dog.

Although I usually wouldn't count I-80 as a roadtrip, it does occasionally offer some beauty. Sadly I spent the better part of it in the dark this trip, but there was a full moon, which lends a wonderful romance, and Utah, mostly flat a boring, was shrouded in the most amazing fog. I was warned by a sign, but I was not expecting it to last through the majority of the state. I wish I could have stopped for a photo, but I was afraid of causing a traffic hazard.

Also, expedient didn't really mean what I thought it did. Interesting. And, because of the audiobook I'm listening to, found out there's really no such thing as a solar eclipse...

ON THE WAY: Montgomery, Ala.

Apart from the usual beauty of a historic capitol city, Montgomery also holds some of the most important Civil Rights Movement landmarks in our country. The main north/south street running through downtown is Decatur, which is one block west of the Capitol and crosses Dexter Ave., home of the famous Dexter Avenue (now) King Memorial Baptist Church, where the great man was twentieth pastor. The site has been a church since 1879, and Dr. King directed the Montgomery Bus Boycott from his office there. I was overwhelmed to attend Rosa Park’s funeral here before she was honored at a ceremony in Washington DC. There is now a museum on the site as well.

One block south of Dexter is Washington Avenue, where you can see the Civil Rights Memorial and visit the attached center. The Memorial was designed by Maya Lin, and honors those who died during the Civil Rights Movement (the years between the Brown v. Board decision in 1954 and Dr. King's assassination in 1968). Visiting the memorial is free; admission to the center is $2 for adults. Just north of the Capitol a couple of blocks is Oakwood Cemetery, where Hank Williams Sr. and his wife Audrey are buried.

If you have time, and want some really good Caribbean food, continue south on Decatur and head west on Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway. Cross over I-65 and continue west on Day St. Turn left on Air Base Blvd and you'll see Island Delight.

If you have less time, continue south on Decatur, and the road becomes Norman Bridge (you'll pass by Alabama State University). On the left in the Old Cloverdale neighborhood you'll find Derk's Filet and Vine.

ON THE RADIO: Grammar Girl (Quick and Dirty Tips)

Grammar Girl is another podcast I started listening to years ago whose offerings have grown into a whole website of useful tips on everything from managing your money to grooming your dog. Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty makes learning about grammar fun enough for my kids to enjoy it; I swear, it's not just for grammar dorks like me. You can also vote for Grammar Girl in the Education category for this year's Podcast Awards.