Death Valley and Diamonds!

Death Valley
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We had to take the long and tortuous route from Yosemite to Death Valley as many of the roads at higher altitudes were still closed due to the winter snow. It was amazing how you could leave the snow capped mountains and arrive in the searing desert heat just a few hours later.

We arrived just in time to secure the last available room in the Stovepipe Wells lodge, before setting off to explore the hot, desert landscape. We saw marble effect canyons, crystallised salt flats, rolling sand dunes and The Devil's golf course, where "only the devil could play golf on such rough links".

We cheered as we thrashed the computerised dealer

Marble-like surfaces at Mosaic Canyon
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Next stop was the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip, and the opulent luxury of our room in the New York, New York Hotel. We weren't brave enough to try our luck at gambling on the tables, but we had a little flutter on the Blackjack slots. We cheered as we thrashed the computerised dealer, and decided to cut and run with our winnings - a grand total of $7 (about £3.50)!

The following day we took in the sights of Vegas's many extravagant hotels and Dan braved the Stratosphere Tower's vertigo inducing rides, which literally reduced me to tears (I thought I'd conquered all my fears after New Zealand - obviously not!).

The salt flats
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Our final night was spent in traditional Vegas style by gorging ourselves on the delicious food at the Carnival World Buffet in the Rio Hotel, followed by a show at the Venetian - The Blue Man Group, highly recommended. However, I think the highlight of my time in Vegas was a little trip to Tiffanys in the Bellagio...

To be continued...!