Salt, Sand, and Sierra Mornings: Day 4 – One last jaunt through the desert

March 3, 2026

All good things must come to an end, and it was time for this short adventure to the desert and beyond to wrap up. An early alarm shook us from our slumber. Suitcases were packed, car was loaded, and we enjoyed one last breakfast at Best Western. It was time to head back east to Death Valley National Park and onward to Las Vegas.

It is a bit odd to write about this retrospectively, as I did win the lottery for a permit to hike Mount Whitney later in the year a few weeks after this trip… but I bid farewell to Mount Whitney with a “I hope I can visit you soon,” and told Lindsey that I really hoped this would not be my last trip to Lone Pine as I really enjoyed this little town with its impressive rocks (and food). Lindsey was a bit more optimistic about my chances of returning, while I wallowed in superstition, so worried that once again the lottery would do me dirty. I didn’t even take one last photo because I thought it would jinx me!

The drive was most done in silence, both of us lost in whatever thoughts we were lost in. I finally cued up the soundtrack to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as we took to giggling and flinching as the heaves in the road set our internal organs on an anti-gravity trip for split seconds at a time.

Realizing it was still early and the crowds were not yet out, we took the chance to stop at one of the superbloom areas the national park was hyping up in a not very Leave No Trace manner (meaning they were giving exact locations of good superbloom sites). This area was dominated by the purple species of flowers, instead of the desert gold in most areas. I had a fantastic time until I saw a caterpillar and screamed and ran back across the road into the safety of the car. Have I ever mentioned my intense fear of caterpillars?

Death Valley might kill me after all.

Lindsey and I managed to never go in the front entrance of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center two days prior, so we missed the electronic thermometer. Always needing a restroom stop, we took the chance to repeat a visit for toilets and the thermometer. Much to my horror, the sidewalks and road were COVERED in caterpillars. I quickly snapped a photo of the thermometer reading 77 degrees (too hot for my liking, though hardly an impressive temperature), and took to flailing around and announcing my pure hatred for caterpillars while other tourists looked on like I was a crazy person. I safely made it back to the car without one touching me, and we noticed it was going to be impossible to drive out of the parking lot without running over them.

“Oh my god, can you imagine if these caterpillars were there when we were camping?!” I gasped to Lindsey in horror. I shuddered. Thank goodness our one night of camping occurred before these horrid beasts emerged. Otherwise I would have literally died in Death Valley.

We had one final stop to make in Death Valley National Park, and that would be the overlook at Zabriskie Point. Touted as one of the best places to watch the sunrise, we were here well after sunrise (and just a little bit after a 3.8 earthquake struck Death Valley!). A steep, but short climb, lead us up to a great panoramic view over Golden Canyon and the land beyond.

I’m realizing I cannot visit a national park lately without scolding tourists, so the Death Valley entry is me informing a group of men that they shouldn’t hurl rocks off of Zabriskie Point because there is a hiking trail below. They mouthed off to me, and said next time they’ll bring bowling balls. I may hate humans more than I hate caterpillars…

With Zabriskie Point wrapped up, all that was left was the semi-boring drive back to Las Vegas. Since we had an evening flight (now delayed due to a ground hold at LAS), there was a bit of time for one last adventure: the Alan Bible Visitor Center at Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Boulder (Nevada… not the Colorado Boulder). Lindsey and I had both visited Lake Mead before, but neither of us had raided the massive box of passport stamps, and I had faint hopes of a stuffed ringtail cat in the visitor center to buy that I skipped over during my 2022 trip. No ringtail cat, but the passport stamps and final postcard haul was worth it – they even had a Black Canyon postcard I could mail back to myself! (Still the coolest kayak trip ever.)

And with that, and a bit of sitting around one of my least favorite airports (sorry, LAS), the long weekend adventure was over! See you in a few months, LAS, Death Valley, Lone Pine, and Mount Whitney! And hopefully I won’t be seeing you, caterpillars!