Donny & Marie!

Just a quick update as I realized I hadn't yet blogged our GROOVY 20th Anniversary trip to Las Vegas to see DONNY & MARIE!


I never missed their TV show way back when...


The whole trip was great, starting with fine dining at Arby's in Hesperia, CA on September 26th. From the Instagram files:




Were sad to leave Arby's for Vegas, but the hotel didn't disappoint.


September 27th... we couldn't take pics of the show itself, but here we are with an advertisement for the fabulous DONNY & MARIE!


I was so inspired... was ready to don a wig and sing Paper Roses!


All kidding aside, the show was so much fun - genuinely witty, a FABULOUS backup band, and of course Donny & Marie themselves are amazing, versatile singers and entertainers. WOW. We sat pretty close to the stage, and -what a show!


The next day, we headed back to Burbank via I-15. Stopped for lunch in Baker, CA - the Gateway to Death Valley, home of the World's Tallest Thermometer!


I think I blogged about this briefly on one of our summer vacation posts - here. It was 115 degrees that day!

The World's Tallest Thermometer has a fascinating history, and we got to hear it firsthand from the daughter of the man who built it: Willis Herron! Sadly, he passed away in 2007. But his whole family repaired the thermometer and maintains it today. Here we are with his daughter LaRae Harguess and a picture of her parents.


It was re-activated on July 10, 2014 - the 101st anniversary of the hottest day ever recorded on Earth - 134 degrees in Death Valley, CA! We drove by it on July 13th, not knowing it had just been re-opened.

A postcard from the awesome Temp 134 gift shop:


This is a MUST-SEE when you're on the road to Las Vegas. We got some great souvenirs and met some really nice people! A great way to end a fabulous trip.