Trip to the Valley of Death

 


        I have always been carried away somewhere when on my trips. This was what happened this time too. Everything started when I decided to have a half a day long ski in the area of Taho Lake located in Sierra Nevada mountains at the border between the states California and Nevada. My wife Alla also expressed a wish to go along with me and suggested dropping into the nearest town Reno and staying there for a night at a hotel instead of adding another 400 km to the speedometer. This was what we seemed to have agreed upon. But in another couple of days we got an attractive offer by mail to spend four days for a perfectly small fee in Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. It made us thoughtful for a while. Half a day skiing and a night in Reno or four days in Las Vegas for the same money? O.K., deal, we go to Las Vegas, and will visit the "Valley of Death" National Park, staying there for a night alongside. And visiting the Grand Canyon as well, but that is already as a COMPLETELY by side matter.




        Las Vegas and Grand Canyon are famous tourist destinations, while the Valley of Death is where hardly every next person would be lured into. Firstly, such name is ever being given for a place for no reason, secondly it is situated far away from major roads and in order to get there you have either to cross the desert Nevada if you approach from the East, or the desert Mohave from the West. We approached from the West and therefore we traveled long enough through the desert Mohave. Anyway, if choosing to believe that the word "desert" has to do somehow with the word "empty", then compared to the Valley of Death it was a flourishing garden. And really, there were "Joshua Trees" growing to the left and right. These are the trees resembling cactuses that have grown up to acquire the enormous dimensions with some small bushes underneath - at least some sort of life. It were Mormons who gave the name of Joshua to these trees while traveling from Utah to California in 19 century. This tree reminds the human figure and the Mormons used to believe them to be the sign of the prophet Joshua showing them the way to the blessed countries.



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