A little piece of Americana in Apple Valley, CA. Sometime in the 1970's an enterprising soul wanted to make a miniature golf course populated with dinosaurs. Sadly the plan seems to have fizzled but some of the creations still stand. I'm sure some folks would think this little side trip a waste of time, but we loved it and would stop by again if we are driving that way.

We arrived in Cambria in late afternoon and after checking into the hotel we took a drive down the road to see the elephant seals. These animals are really large when you see them in person, and quite vocal. Males, females and pups of various ages all lumped together. Quite a site.

We really enjoyed this tour more than the first one. The man was amazing in his drive to collect pieces of art, ceilings, furniture and tapestries from Europe. You could easily have a tour just for the tapestries.

There are so many things to see you could get whiplash and with the low lighting it's a bit hard to get a full appreciation of many of the pieces.

Yes, it's a bit gaudy and not a place I would really like to live but I am glad Mr. Hearst had the time and money to acquire such a great collection.

We bid goodbye to Cambria and headed south toward Santa Barbara with a side trip to Morro Bay to look for otters. We lucked out and found a small group with a mother and baby. These are the first wild otters we have ever seen and we had a blast watching them bobbing in the surf, eating and doing all those cute otter things.

Mission Santa Barbara was founded in 1786 as the tenth of the California missions established by the Spanish Franciscans to bring Christianity to the Chumash Indians who lived in the area. The interior has some unique colors and designs which might reflect the culture of the area but we don't know. However the cemetery is truely unique. The feeling is more of a stroll through a garden than a walk with the dead.

It's not often a restaurant warrants a page unto itself in our travels but this is an exception.

First it has a history. Second getting there on the windy roads can make your passenger nervous. Third, the food is really, really good.

When George found it we thought it was just going to be fun and quaint serving chicken, burgers and BBQ. However when we checked the menu before heading up the mountain we were amazed. Chicken with almond-raisin stuffing, sauteed breast of duck with roasted shallot demi-glace and rack of venison with cranberry-cabernet demi-glace. WOW.

This was a little side trip on our way out of Santa Barbara. If you are not careful you will miss the little sign and shallow pull off that give access to the site. Since we couldn't see through the gate well we just snapped a bunch of pictures and hoped for the best.

At the intersections of highways 127 & 90 in Death Valley Junction sits The Amargosa Opera House (and hotel). We have driven this way on several occasions and always wondered just what this was, so today we stopped in before going into Death Valley.

This is an active Opera House with shows since 1968 with or without an audience. Marta Becket painted all the murals which is quite an accomplishment considering Ms Becket is now in her 80's and much of the work was done in her 60's and 70's. More Americana.

As we drove into Death Valley we started looking for things we had not done on our previous trips, and there was a lot. Our first little stop was the 20 Mule Team Canyon which takes you past several areas that were mined long ago, including this one.

I wish the light had been better when we hiked through this canyon. Our pictures do not do the colors and texture of the rock justice. It's not a long hike, nor difficult, but it is very pretty. The formations are quite unique to this particular canyon and the mosaic effect is prominent although you can't tell it from these shots.

It was getting near dusk as we drove by the Sand Dunes on our way to Stovepipe Wells. After mines and canyons this was a pleasant change of venue. The wind was blowing rather briskly and there was a light layer of sand blowing along the surface of the dunes giving it a rather life-like look. It's a very serene area and since we didn't make it to the highest dune we can always use that as an excuse to go back.

Rhyolite is just off Route 374 a bit outside the park near Beatty, Nevada. It was founded in 1904 after a couple miners hit what looked like a rich vein of gold. The population grew quickly to over 10,000, had electricity by 1907, and was a ghost town by 1916. What's left are some great shells of mostly concrete buildings plus the 2 room bordello and Tom Kelly's bottle house.

Getting to Leadfield is a bit tricky. Heading back into the park from Rhyolite you take the one-way dirt road that goes west from 374. This is an unpaved road that eventually meanders over the mountains often rough, narrow, and unnerving for those with a fear of heights. The town is about 15 miles in and there isn't much left except some metal building shells, a couple closed mines and lots of tailings. We loved it.

Heading on west from Leadfield you go through Titus Canyon. This was a truely amazing route. The canyon walls are so high, the quiet is complete, and the formations and colors are perfect. rn