We're well above National ave here in Indiana. Not sure why! Cross the Mississippi river from IL into Iowa and gas drops 60 cents.

We went through Furnace Creek in Death Valley in very early May, on the way to the back-country! Gas was 8-something there back then!!

 

That's funny. I was just in Furnace Creek earlier this year, too. I made a point of filling up before going there.

 

When we was there! Same sign. Its a small world!! We filled up outside the park as well. Do you like to explore Death Valley too?

 

I'm bummed that we didn't bump into each other (though we probably wouldn't have even known it, anyway). I just checked my calendar (actually I checked with my wife, lol) and we were there on April 1st. So it was a month off.

Maybe next time!

 

It would have been fun to meet you! My wife says the photo she took was dated April 30. Looks like was even more expensive earlier in the year! We usually grab some friends who moved to/live in Vegas and try to do late March/Early April. Starts getting hot about the time we went this year. Fortunately most of our exploring was at higher elevations (3000-6300 feet) and it was quite pleasant. This year we did Inyo mine, Aguereberry Point, and Eureka Mine. Most of the fun is getting there. It's so remote! 80 miles into Death Valley Park, and then you go 10-30 miles off of paved roads onto rock roads so rough you can only go 10 mph in many places. Good tough tires are imperative and some places have zero tow service in case of breakdown (other more accessible places have tow service at $1000+) - so know when you are alone, you are really alone! 4x4 caravans are the best way in case you have trouble, but I have never had the luxury (or any trouble). A few years ago I bought a big book on history of Death Valley. Lots of Mining and lots of shysters!! Only a few mines actually made money. Amazing the amount of people that actually lived there in mining camps. Last year 2021 we did Skidoo mine and the Charcoal Kilns. Year before that we went to the "Racetrack" (moving rocks) over Hunter Mountain and showed our friends Titus Canyon. I would have gone Lippencott road to the Racetrack, but the wives weren't having it. Year before that was by ourselves to the Racetrack by the northern route from the big crater and Titus Canyon the second time. Before that year we saw Titus Canyon the first time, and Scotty's Castle before the road was washed out and it became inaccessible. Rest of the time we have always stayed in a "Kitchy" hotel a couple of miles across the Nevada border named Longstreet Inn and Casino. I originally knew I was going to like the place when I saw they had a big metal chicken in the lobby. Good food and wife won $80 in the Casino in 2019. RV park and petting zoo with a big plastic cow outside by the highway. Duck pond out back with all kinds of misc stuff to look at both inside and outside of the hotel. We especially get a kick out of the karaoke singer who is there on a lot of Saturday nights! Drink and have general fun! Most amazing thing I have experienced in Death Valley was on first trip we stayed in Furnace Creek and drove 10 miles out into the desert on a moonless clear night (on the highway). Shut off the headlights and got out of the car. Could see amazing stars and the Milky Way - but with no moon, we couldn't see the white car we was standing right beside. Kept waiting for eyes to adjust. Never happened! Zero light pollution. Also zero noise - absolutely quiet! Nothing quite like this unless you experience it first hand - very weird feeling.

 

We stopped in Death Valley as part of an almost 3-week RV trip to visit friends and relatives in Colorado and Iowa, do touristy things, and scope out possible locations to retire to. We ended up buying a place in Nevada, so now we're working on selling our house in California, and we'll be out of here early next year (which is when our new house is supposed to be built).

Next time you're going to be in the area, let me know. If we're close by, maybe we can say hi.

 

Sure, I'll contact you next time we go.