Death Valley Off Road Trip - October 2013

In mid October, Nancy and I joined our Land Cruiser friends for a trip to Death Valley to do some off-road exploration.   The trip was lead by Andy P. and there were 5 other vehicles – Andy along with passenger John F, Dan S, Tom F, Pasquale B, and Scott S and his daughter Grace.

Dan, Nancy, Steve, Pasquale, Top, Andy, Scott, Grace, John

We left Sacramento Sunday morning and drove  pretty much straight through to our destination for the night at the Fish Lake Hot Springs.  Fish Lake is just across the border in Nevada and it makes a nice camp spot on the way to Death Valley.   Unfortunately the springs were quite crowded that night – there must have been about 20 vehicles parked there – it was an off-road motorcycle club from Salinas.  We were fearing the worst but they were a very well behaved and quiet group – there were as old as we were so their rowdy days were far behind them.

The Ponds at Fish Lake Hot Springs

The springs at Fish Lake were very well maintained, nice and clean.   There were some ponds adjacent to the springs that were just beautiful and to my amazement they were full of goldfish.   I guess someone had released them and in the warm spring water they had done quite well.   What a sight to see golden fish swimming around in a pond in the mountains.

Goldfish at Fish Lake Hot Springs

Next morning (Monday) we headed south to Dyer and drove into the National Park on Eureka Dunes Road skirting around the very majestic Eureka Dunes.   From there it was through Dedeckera Canyon up and over Steel Pass and then down the wash to Saline Valley Hot Springs (a place we had stayed in in prior years).

Eureka Dunes

There were a few people at the springs but the area is so large that we didn’t collide.  The springs were beautifully maintained and very clean.  There is a shower area in a grove of palm trees and even a toilet with a library of books.  It appears that there are some longer-term residents at the springs that take pride in maintaining the facilities.

Tuesday morning we pushed on down Saline Valley past the swampy vegetated area where apparently in the previous week a vehicle had gone into the undergrowth ignited the vegetation with their hot exhaust. They then bogged down in the mud and were then unable to get their vehicle away from the fire.   While they were not hurt their vehicle burned up.   The fire was still smoldering but we did not see any sign of the truck.

We traveled all the way to the southerly end of Saline Valley and turned up towards the Lippincott Mine.  It was a nice long grade up to the pass with some spectacular switchbacks.  Not too challenging but challenging enough to be interesting and exciting.  Nancy did a fine job of driving.

The approach to Lippincott Pass

We dropped down from Lippincott pass to the Race Track where some of us stopped to take a look at the stones and their tracks across the playa.  Quite an interesting phenomena – a perfectly flat playa across which in the right conditions (moisture, ice and wind) fairly large rocks are pushed across the ground leaving trails on the playa.  No one is sure as to the exact mechanism, but it appears that wind is the driving force in just the right combination of surface water and ice.

Stones on the Playa at The Racetrack

In something of an anomaly at the far side of the playa there was cell phone signal.   There are areas of Sacramento where I can't get a signal, and here in this remote corner of the Death Valley we have signal.

On past Tea Kettle Junction (where there were far fewer tea kettles than 2 years ago), and then up towards Lost Burro Mine and White Top Mountain.   We went to the end of the trail by White Top and were treated to a spectacular view of Panamint Valley below.   We choose this overlook area for our campsite that night.  It was much higher here and there was a nip in the air.

Fine food from Andy for dinner – salmon sashimi from fish he caught in Alaska the previous month and an amazing sea food chowder.   Pasquale brought out his guitar and serenaded us with some equally fine music.  We were living well.

The next morning we headed south on Hidden Valley Road over Hunter Mountain until we joined up with the southerly extension of Saline Valley Road.  From there it was a fast run across the valley floor through some nice examples of Joshua Trees until we joined up with the paved road to Panamint Springs where we took advantage of some very expensive (> $6 per gallon) gasoline.

Joshua Trees

Panamint Valley Road was supposedly washed out and was closed.   We skirted around the barriers and headed south.   Taking to the dirt we traveled down the eastern side of Panamint Valley, past the town of Ballerat and the active mining operation that is going on there.   Ballerat looked pretty deserted but the Manson families Power Cruiser is still parked in the middle of town.

We traveled south to the entrance to Goler Canyon and made our way up the canyon over the Mengel Pass to Striped Butte.  Goler Canyon is very impressive (very similar to Titus Canyon) and fun to drive.  It is, of course, the last hold out of the Manson Family and Charlie was caught hiding under a sink in the Barker Ranch up this canyon. 

Near to Striped Butte there is a cabin, the so-called Geologist’s Cabin, and fortunately it was unoccupied so we made camp there.   Another beautiful location and the perfect spot for more salmon sashimi and some of Tom’s Salmon Fish Cakes.   Pasquale again provided some great music as we polished off the last of my Talisker.

The Geologist's Cabin, Striped Butte

Thursday morning we headed down Warm Springs Valley until it joined up with highway near Ashford Mill.   We took the pavement east over Jubilee Pass and Salisbury Pass.  We then took off northwards on dirt on Greenwater Valley Road until turning west on Gold Valley through the Amargosa Range to the end of the trail at Willow Springs.  We did a short hike down the valley but the loose rock and gravel didn’t make for very nice walking conditions.

Heading back out to the east we found a nice flat area to make camp.    Tonight was Pasquale’s chance to impress us with his cooking, and that he did – Pasta with Four Meat Meat Balls and a wonderful sauce. 

Friday morning we headed back out to Greenwater Valley Road and headed north towards Furnace Creek.  We took the side road to Dante’s View overlook with it’s superb overlook of the entire extent of Death Valley.  In Furnace Creek we again had the opportunity to buy some expensive gas.   With full tanks of gas we headed back to the dirt roads and headed east up Echo Canyon.   Echo Canyon took us up and over the Funeral Mountains and dropped us down to the settlement of Amargosa.  

From Amargosa we continued north to Beattie and then west into the Amargosa Range.  That evening we camped at Starzy Ranch.  A wonderful setting in a cattle corral beneath an overhanging cliff.  It was our turn to cook and, given the prior nights fine cuisine, we were feeling a little performance anxiety.  While we were not as organized as the others and while we didn’t have all the required equipment we did a pretty good job of delivering pork loin with fig sauce, potatoes and spinach.   When I say we, I really mean Nancy, I just followed her instructions.

Campsite at Starzy Ranch

Friday night was our last night on the trail and we headed out Saturday morning back home.  A long drive but we made it to Sacramento by 6:00 in the evening.   A wonderful week exploring one of the more interesting parts of California.

  

Aspens on Highway 395 on the way home

Here's a link to more photographs from the trip.