Mileophile: Day 7: Los Angeles, California to Death Valley, California to Tonopah, Nevada

We rallied the troops from their slumber because we had a busy day ahead of us! Although we were staying in Hollywood, we hadn't really seen much of it so we headed toward to Chinese Theater to check out the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This section of L.A. is a little rough around the edges and a lot smelly. When a very large population of homeless folks don't have access to restrooms....I'll let you fill in the blanks. We walked a bit and then headed back to the hotel to pack up our things and air out our noses.

Thar she blows!

Foot comparison at Mann's Chinese Theater

The Queen!

RIP, Betty.

Our breakfast plans included making a pilgrimage to the Beachwood Cafe. Why, you ask? Because, duh, Harry Styles mentions this sacred location one time in one random song, so obvi we had to plan our entire vacation around it....Mae was insistent and since her first desired destination (The Harry Styles Pop-Up Shop) had shuttered its doors prior to our arrival, we relented. Fortunately, the food was delicious and we had the sweetest waitress who bestowed upon us all sorts of Harry Styles insider tips. Now, Mae was sore that Harry himself didn't darken the door while we were there, but at least we were able to feast our eyes on other people who could've possibly been celebrities! If only they had not injected an excess of collagen and botox into their faces and rendered themselves unrecognizable.....

ERMAGERD!!!

After breakfast it was time to say, "Later, Tater" to LA. We will miss the beautiful flowers and homes of Beverly Hills, but not the odiferous stinky-stank of Hollywood. We were bound for Death Valley. And, as unappealing as it might sound, Death Valley didn't make me want to be dead at all. However, It was a labor of love to cross through it. Because it is the largest national park in the lower 48, that big girl is an investment of time! We drove several hours through very remote landscape to get to the boundary of the park and then drove another hour to the interior just to reach the welcome center. Time management not being our strong suit on these trips, we blew into that welcome center with our hair on fire five minutes before closing. I wormed my way in because I did not just drive 4 hours into the fiery pit of hell (if hell was still scorching hot, but strikingly beautiful) to miss out on a Death Valley Christmas Ornament for my travel tree! It was cool (figuratively) to watch the temperature rise as we descended the mountain. It went from 84 to 104 in about 10 minutes. Although I didn't have time to focus on the exhibits of the welcome center, I deduced that the take home message of Death Valley NP is "Welcome to Death Valley", "It's hella hot here" and "If you linger, you will die and be dead, most assuredly dead."

I told them to "act hot". T-Money understood the assignment

After exiting the park we quickly crossed over the state line and checked off our 49th state of Seeing The Nation by Graduation! Whaaat!?!?

We had to hit the brakes when I remembered that whilst laundering the other night, I met this sweet little couple who told me all about this ghost town outside of Death Valley. It was pretty special and adjacent to some roadside art installations in the freaking middle of nowhere. A stop in Rhyolite was worth the groans and protests from the peanut gallery.

Spooky Last Supper

Nekkid Lego Lady

Ghost town! Spooky!

Hey, buddy!

Just chillin on a mosaic concrete sofa in the middle of the desert...

Old Train Station from 1905

One of the last examples of bottle construction still standing in America

We arrived at our dinner stop in Tonopah, Nevada, and enjoyed a shiny happy dinner with a grumpy little gal for a waitress. We loved the food at the Tonopah Brewing Company. We also loved how the waitress rolled her eyes anytime someone new walked in the door. So sweet! The kids were so curious about where we were staying for the night. "Will I have a bed?", "Will I be able to charge my phone?", "Is this an actual hotel or something weird?" I can't blame them for their curiosity. We do like to keep our lodging unpredictable for a couple of reasons. One, it's fun to watch them squirm. Two, it keeps them humble. The humility lesson is particularly important for a certain Bullington who possesses Champagne wishes and caviar dreams, but lacks a bankroll and/or a job. So far on this trip we've tried to alternate accommodations. We'd go from a nice hotel in Sedona to a Yurt. From a yurt to The W in Hollywood. From The W in Hollywood, to a haunted clown motel next to a cemetery in the middle of the desert......Yeah. They didn't see that last one coming.... I can't remember who first told me about this place (probably my friend Rachael B, but I'm not 100% sure) and the reactions were mixed when we rolled in. Actually, not that mixed. They ranged from abject horror to flat refusal to exit the van. Oh the things that are going to come out in therapy later! When they are recounting this experience later I am sure they will leave out that I am such a good mom that I secured not one, but TWO rooms at the World Famous Clown Motel. A normal room with a few benign clown paintings that I liken to a baby's nursery, and the IT themed room for those Bullingtons who were feeling a bit more adventurous! They weren't even feeling adventurous enough to exit the vehicle! I went to check in and greeted the owner who showed me around the massive collection of clown memorabilia. I bought a few clown noses for good measure, and went back to the parking lot to try and pry the children from the van. We eventually got them situated in the wussy room and Mr. Bullington and I got comfy in the IT room. We totally didn't even get murdered.