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We left Pahrump on April 9 via state highway 372 then crossed into California following highways 178 and 127 to Death Valley Junction. Turning west on highway 190, we entered Death Valley, America’s hottest, driest, and lowest national park. We have visited the park twice before (in 1976 and 2000) and are struck, once again, by its vastness and its barrenness. Entry into the park has risen to $20 per car (it used to be free!). Thank goodness for our trusty National Parks Pass.

We were surprised when we reached Furnace Creek and saw that gas was $4.22 per gallon – so glad we filled up in Pahrump! We stopped at Stovepipe Wells and enjoyed hamburgers for lunch in Bubba. I asked Jerry what we ever did to deserve this incredible lifestyle! We noted that there is a campground with full hookups located there, along with a general store, gift shop, motel and saloon. It is really hot here with temperatures already over 90 degrees each day.

Highway 190 south from Stovepipe Wells is a long, steady pull climbing from sea level to 4,956 feet in elevation at Towne Pass. We were reminded of the severity of the climb by a road sign warning motorists to turn off their air conditioners for the next 25 miles. We did so, but started the generator to run the house air as we made the climb. Never any reason to be uncomfortable in Bubba! As we crested Towne Pass, we were faced with a nine percent downgrade – going down is harder than climbing! We crested another summit at 5,175 feet before reaching Lone Pine – "where the real west becomes the reel west".

We checked into the Boulder Creek RV Campground just outside Lone Pine where we would spend the next two nights. It was a nice campground, complete with baby goats and desert tortoises. The campground was filled with flowering trees in full bloom and the mountains surrounding us were snow-capped and beautiful.

Lone Pine is a beautiful little western town located at the foot of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states. At the base of the mountain are the Alabama Hills, where hundreds of western movies and serials have been filmed through the years, in addition to many other types of films. We visited the Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Lone Pine Film History which contained artifacts from many of the early western serials, including Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and The Lone Ranger, all shot in the Alabama Hills. There were a number of old posters featuring the series’ stars. John Wayne made11 feature films in this area with "North to Alaska" being his last. Other films made here included "Old Oklahoma Plains" with Rex Allen; "Yellow Sky" with Gregory Peck and Richard Widmark; "Saga of Death Valley" with Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes; "Hellbent for Leather" with Audey Murphy; "Man in the Saddle" starring Randolph Scott; Nevada Smith, starring Steve McQueen, Karl Maulden, Brian Keith, Arthur Kennedy and Suzanne Pleshette; and "Rawhide" with Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward. One of the newer films that features scenes from the Alabama Hills is "Gladiator" starring Russell Crowe.

We learned some interesting facts here about some of our film heroes. Hopalong Cassidy made 66 films with some 30 of them made in the Lone Pine area. Barbara Stanwyck was one of the great stars of the Gold Period of American cinema. Her career spanned a number of decades as she starred in many different genres of film. She worked here in "Violent Men" and loved the Alabama Hills so much that she left instructions in her will to have her ashes spread among the rocks. The best part of the museum is that it is FREE! But, we did leave a donation.

As I end this segment with fond memories of Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills, my usual sign-off takes on added meaning. Visit this area, alive with the spirits of the western stars, and you will truly understand: Happy trails to you . . . til we meet again!