DEATH VALLEY, CA:

FURNACE CREEK ECO RESORT

October 2015

California...California... It's only been two weeks since I got here and you've already been great to me!

As I told you guys on the blog, I'm in Venice Beach, CA, taking a 4-week raw vegan cuisine course. I have classes every weekday from 8-2 but on the weekends (no matter how tired I am) I push myself to get out of the eco-friendly cottage I'm renting in order to go enjoy LA or take a few roadtrips around California. Death Valley was one of those. Those improvised, random, fearless, and adventurous roadtrips. How did I decide to take that 5-hr drive on Halloween's Saturday morning returning on Sunday to be ready for cooking school on Monday??? Well, let's just say I was having one of my normal days where I wake up and want to do something different. Add a new memory to the story of my life. Have a new story I can tell my kids and grandkids one day. That type of "something different". So that's exactly what I did. My best friend and I drove for 5 hours (almost 5.30 to be exact!) from LA to Death Valley with a thin mattress in the car's trunk, LED lights everywhere, vegan snacks, sweaters, cover-ups and Coco! YES!! I took my furry baby with me too! :)

We left LA around 11am on Saturday and without even hesitating drove all the way to Dante's View in Death Valley to catch the sunset. I honestly have no words to describe what that felt like. In case you guys haven't heard of Death Valley, it's a 3 million acre National Park in the US. It's hot and dry and cold at the same time, as crazy as that sounds! It all depends on which part of this National Park you decide to set place on. When we arrived at Dante's View (peek of the mountain) around 5pm the temperature was near the 60s but, as soon as we started descending to Furnace Creek Resort to enjoy a warm dinner, the temperature went up to the 80s. Mindblowing isn't it? We had planned to sleep in the car since we didn't have time to book a hotel, but the universe has it's ways. We arrived at Furnace Creek Resort for dinner and were surprised by the manager with an invitation to stay for the night. 30 minutes into our conversation we couldn't believe the words coming out of the manager's mouth! Furnace Creek is recognized for its water sustainability and softer footprint practices. From recycling and reusing water from nearby natural springs to using a solar energy system that provides over 30% of the resort's energy. That's enough to power 223 houses in America!! They also save more than one million gallons of water every day by allowing their spring-fed pool water to flow into their gardens and golf course ponds. As if that were not enough, their toiletries are cruelty-free and natural too! We mesmirizingly arrived at Furnace Creek by chance without even knowing we were walking into a green paradise!...And... what we woke up to the next morning was beyond breathtaking!

I hope the pictures do justice.

Live consciously & fearlessly babes. Less excuses & more stories worth sharing. Every day!

Things to know before traveling to Death Valley:

-Take sweaters

-Take sunblock and a hat

-Take repellent (eco please!)

-Take wine. Lots of it :p

-Take comfy shoes and except to walk for miles, hike and climb.

-Take snacks for 5 hour trip

-TAKE a map!! There is no mobile reception in the middle of the desert!

-Furnace Creek Resort DOES have WiFi!