A quick wake-up call today. We have to make a decision about Storm Hilary, now that we know a little more about it and its consequences. So we decide not to go to Death Valley, since the risk of flooding is enormous and our hotel will certainly close, so we look for a hotel elsewhere. So the day begins with phone calls to cancel our reservation and book somewhere else. We find accommodation in Lee Vining, a small town a little way from Death Valley.
Once the various calls have been made, we're ready to hit the road. But first, we head to the lake opposite our current accommodation for an hour's stroll. The lake is quite pretty, and its edge is strewn with impressive, but very sharp, concretions. We take a few photos, make a few ricochets with the pebbles we find at the lake's edge, and set off again.
We make a stop after two hours on the road, as we're in the middle of a storm. The wind is blowing very hard, and we find it really impressive. It creates little tornadoes all around in the desert. It's a very strange feeling to be out in the middle of nothing in this weather. After a few minutes, we're back on the road.
We finally reached Lee Vining. It was a long drive. We pick up our accommodation, take an hour's break, and head out again for a little sightseeing. This town is rather sad, and looks a bit like a rubbish dump. But there are a few interesting things to see.
First, a haunted hotel. There's a little story around it, saying that there have been deaths in the hotel, and that a woman in red has been haunting the men ever since. Whether you believe it or not, the hotel is one of the most popular in town, so hats off to it if it's just marketing.
Next, we passed a clown-themed motel. The motel is pretty scary, plus the decor isn't reassuring as it's sometimes made up of killer clowns. Inside the motel is a small gift shop, also with a clown theme. In fact, it's more like a museum displaying various clowns donated by people from all over the world. Some have a history and are supposedly haunted. There were, for example, two clowns on display, which had escaped from a fire that killed the whole family, and in perfect condition.
To continue in the morbid vein, just opposite this clown motel, there's a cemetery, which we took a quick look at without getting too close out of respect.
After this little tour of the town, our stroll is over, and we head back to our accommodation to get some rest.