While nearly everyone else in the country is sitting inside watching it rain or snow, I'm outside on the patio eating my breakfast. Or driving the 50 miles up to the ski areas to play in the snow...or on my way to the beach!

Is anyone interested in attending a Mid-Winter Tour through Death Valley, ending up in Las Vegas? January and February are the best months out here, sunny and (usually) warm. Last winter the wife and I went to a mini-trailer meet at Furnace Springs out in Death Valley. It was awesome!

A tentative date would be 13-14 February 2005.

We drive over to Las Vegas several times a year (230 miles from our house) and we go by way of Death Valley to avoid the traffic on I-15. It's a beautiful drive, with some mountains and canyons as well as the desert floor.

There are several areas of interest in Death Valley National Park, like Scotty's Castle, the old Borax Works at Furnace Springs, plus natural sights like the Devil's Cornfield, sand dunes, etc. that are visible from the road and accessible on foot.

Total trip time would depend on what we decide to do along the way. Death Valley is less than 100 miles from Ridgecrest (which is due north of Mojave), and we could schedule 2-3 hours stop for everyone to go see the things they are interested in.

Beatty, Nevada (state line) is about 40 miles further, so gasoline is not a problem. The National Park Service keeps water tanks full along the roads in Death Valley year around, so those of us with older cars that could tend to overheat on long climbs would also have that resource.

I'd even be interested in swapping drivers with a few others just to find out how their cars drive and handle.

If we get enough response (yes, the FWD people are welcome too!) I can set up an itinerary and publish maps and schedules, as well as setting up some kind of discount deal for a good hotel in Las Vegas.

I'd love to see a long line of Volvo's cruising up Las Vegas Boulevard!

Drop me an e-mail to barongrey@mchsi.com or post your thoughts here.

Steve