Death Valley and amazing mishaps

My first day around Death Valley was a mixture of amazing and mishaps. Let’s call them amazing mishaps (on a side note “The Amazing Mishaps” would be a good name for a band). Amazing sunrises, dramatic shadows and contours, attractive clouds, creating my own light and managing a flat tire.

The closest tire repair shop was 50 miles away at Reverts 24 Hr. Tire Shop in Beatty, NV. Mr Revert wasn’t able to fix my tire and he didn’t want to charge me. He did so much of the work involved that I practically insisted that he allow me to pay him for his effort. I was grateful for his kindness and integrity. Accidentally I came across a story about his parents which answered everything. It’s how he was raised. 

New tires

The nearest set of new tires was in Pahrump, NV another 73 miles away. Place A had the tires but not the time. Place B had the time but not the tires. Place C had the tires and the time but they close in 45 minutes (yeah I’m still 73 miles away). They could all fit me into their schedule on Monday morning.

One last phone call led me to Walmart in Pahrump. They had the tires, almost no wait, and were open until 7pm. Heather and her team at Walmart absolutely saved the day. They even fixed a broken headlight and topped off my wiper fluid.

The Death Valley visitor guide is pretty clear that you should expect a flat tire, so plan accordingly. They’re not wrong. I know you aren’t reading this for my adventures in auto maintenance, but hang in there with me.

Exploring Pahrump

That left a little free time while Debbie and I waited for the tires to be installed. Seeking to make the best of things I brought a small bag with my Canon EOS R. Time to explore Pahrump on foot!

Of course our first stop was The Bearded Lady Saloon. With a name like that, why wouldn’t I? Not only was a car club out front, there was a puppy inside. And there was beer.

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