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We went to IKEA this evening for dinner and to check out the latest fun things. We always have fun at IKEA and never fight although it scratches that trashy reality TV show itch to watch other couples fight.
The only disappointment was the lingonberry soda dispenser spit out raspberry instead 
We ended up with an octopus, an otter, and some small sea animals. Oh and a cat pattern front door mat. It was a good IKEA haul.
@skinnylatte woah when did SF housing get hot again? Six months ago it seemed like a ghost turn.
@h2onolan it's very pretty! Do you go up the river or down the river on your ride?
On our way south on 395 we stopped at the Cottonwood Creek Charcoal Kilns. The protective roof has been ripped off in a wind storm so these old mud brick kilns are not long for the world.
We drove through the Alabama Hills (named for a Confederate ship oddly enough) which is a very popular movie and TV filming location, and is ground zero for all of the van life and overland influencers on centrally corporately owned and operated social media platforms. It's stunningly beautiful and it was cool to see where some Star Trek episodes were filmed. But the hype around the place in those influencer crowds is hella overblown.
Oh and we found the fault escarpment from the 1872 earthquake which was fascinating.
We stopped in at the Eastern California Museum in Independence to see the Slim Princess steam engine. I got to climb up in the cab and had a great time with it.
The indoor part of the museum has one of the most astounding native American basket collections I've ever seen in one place.
There also is a set of dentures made out of coyote teeth that evidently is a very popular attraction.
Today we went to Manzanar and the Eastern California Museum in Independence plus a few other stops along the 395 corridor.
Manzanar is incredible.
Then we went over South Pass that was covered in about a foot of snow which was a bit sketchy. But we made it. We saw an abandoned 4runner on the side of the road but no people were around.
Then we descended into Lee Flats which is full of epically huge Joshua trees.
And then finally we made our way back to the pavement and got up to Lone Pine.
Wow what a day!
Then we went over Lippincott Pass into the Saline Valley where we found a thrashed BMW abandoned in the middle of the road (yes it's been called in).
Two F35s buzzed us while we worked to get around the BMW.
Then we went up to Ubehebe Crater where it was very cold and windy.
Then we drove out to Devil's Racetrack and saw the moving rocks that make the place so famous. Oh and teakettle junction.
In the morning we left Beatty and went to Chloride Cliffs for a spectacular view into Death Valley. It snowed on us and the clouds were descending onto us so we headed down to Stovepipe Wells (the OG place... Not the new one).
We made it to Lone Pine!
Photos later.
Absolutely mind blowing scenery today. Found two abandoned vehicles on the way. Aside from the F35 jets doing low passes, I suspect we were the only people in the bottom half of the Saline Valley. Possibly in the entire valley.
Hmm it looks like we're going to get some weather today. The plan is to go to Chloride City and Chloride Cliffs this morning, and then Ubehebe Crater and Devil's Racetrack around lunch. I suspect we won't be able to do Lippincott Road or Hunter Mountain Road because of snow so we'll have to go all the way back and around to get to tonight's destination of Lone Pine.
There's an indication that we might get a thunderstorm and at least some snow flurries before a bit of rain.
Burros and Beatty
At the Goldwell Open Air Museum and nearby cemetery
At Rhyolite ghost town
Checking out some pupfish today at the excellent Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge. It's absolutely insane how people destroyed a 5000+ acre wetland in the middle of the desert because of money.
At Devil's Hole the whole place is fenced and monitored with cameras. A small caged passage goes to a viewing platform where you can use binoculars to spot pupfish
Are the pupfish imprisoned or are we imprisoned?
So I guess we just adopted a Devil's Hole pupfish. His name is Glug Glug.
He even came with a certificate of adoption 
I had no idea that CALTRANS has Rivian SUVs in their fleet now. One just pulled in and is charging at Shoshone right now.
On top of a pass between the valley to the east of Death Valley and Death Valley itself. This is close to the old townsite of Greenwater and south of Dante's View.
