Southern California - Day 5 - Salton Sea

Day 5 (Sept 24) - Salton Sea

To break up the drive home today, we decided to make a detour and visit the Salton Sea.

While the view of the water was nice

The beaches were disgusting, with the sand filled with dead fish and beached boats.

From there, we took a detour to the International Banana Museum to get a snack

and observe the huge collection of banana-related stuff.

Fun in WI

We visited family in WI and had fun in New Glarus and the surrounding areas. 

We tried to stick dollars to the ceiling at Puempell's tavern.

We visited statues that used to creep me out as a kid.

These statues can be found just outside of Hollandale, at Nick Engelbert's Grandview.  

We also checked out the trolls in Mt. Horeb.

Miami (AZ)

 I drove through Miami today. It was sunny and warm but I couldn't find the beach.

Los Angeles Zoo

I went to Los Angeles for a work conference. Tonight we had a social event at the zoo. I couldn't resist playing on the giant snake 

Vegas and Death Valley (March 12-15, 2017)

Because all of the girls had spring break at the same time, we decided to take a quick road trip. We rented a condo on the strip in Las Vegas and used that as a base for day trips.

To break up the drive, the first stop was at Grapevine Canyon, near Laughlin. 

We saw lots of petroglyphs, a snake, and Steve and the girls had fun climbing the rocks (I didn't trust my new knees with scrambling over the boulders).

After we checked into our condo, we headed to Fremont

 Street,

We watched a street magician

Checked out the light shows

And the girls were entertained by the other street performers.

Day 2 - Death Valley

Day 2 - (March 13) Death Valley

We took a day trip to Death Valley National Park in California. 

Because it was spring, the temperature was warm, but not unbearable, so we were able to explore the salt flats and go on a few short trails.

Days 3-4 - Las Vegas

Day 3 - (March 14) Valley of Fire State Park

Today, we drove about an hour outside of Las Vegas to visit the Valley of Fire State Park.

We had a fun day hiking and playing on rocks at Valley of Fire State Park, outside of Las Vegas.

Later that night, we wandered around the strip, checking out the different casinos' attractions.

Day 4 - (March 15) Leaving Las Vegas

Today we left Las Vegas and headed home. On the way, we stopped in Henderson to see the cactus garden and visit Ethel M's chocolate factory.