Death Valley - October 2014

In October we made another trip to Death Valley in the Land Cruiser.  We left Sacramento early Friday morning and met up with Andy P. and Dan S. in Bridgeport.  The first destination was into the Excelsior Mountains due east of Mono Lake and north of Death Valley.  Our ultimate goal was an old mine and cabin called Bass Camp but it was getting late so we found a nice sheltered campsite on the way to Bass Camp which was also by an old mine.

While the guys had promised simple food for the trip, it proved to be above average camp fare (at least when we weren’t cooking).  Andy’s menu was a fine salad and a lasagne with bechamel sauce baked in a stove top oven at camp.  That and a fine wine made for a great meal.  

Andy adding the finishing touches to his lasagne

The moon was relatively new and it set early so the stars were spectacular that night.

Next morning Dan doled out his homemade burritos that were to supply our lunches for the rest of the trip.  Individually packaged in foil and perfect for placing on the engine manifold each morning.  By lunchtime they were just perfectly warmed through.  Gourmet engine cooked food.

Bass Camp

Bass Camp was just a couple of miles away from our overnight camp.  It is quite an interesting place where a Mr and Mrs Bass built a cabin in the 1900’s and mined the area for gold and silver for some 20 years.  It is many miles from anywhere and I can’t imagine what a hard life it must have been for them in such a remote place. There is a cabin in the shade of a big rock and various other smaller remnants of structures.  Most interesting were the water collection gutters affixed to the side of the bigger boulders to collect any rainwater running down the rock and divert it into some sort of storage tank.  The mine up the hill from the buildings was quite extensive - it was not sealed off and it went back a long long way.  

Mine at Bass Camp

After Bass Camp we investigated a water collection device known as a Guzzler.  They are quite large installations designed to provide water for the local fauna.  They are funded by local hunting associations to promote healthier and more prolific animal life and so, I suppose, more hunting opportunities.   The water collection device is like a large sloping roof several thousand square feet in area which feeds into an underground pipe system that delivers water to a small pond area a couple of hundred feet away.

Guzzler in Excelsior Mountains

From the Excelsior Mountains we headed to Fish Lake Valley where we were to meet the other members of our group.  Steve and Paul from the South Bay joined us there.  Fish Lake Valley sits beneath the White Mountains and is a hot spring next to a small lake.  We had camped there the previous year and the lake was full of goldfish.   This year the goldfish were not quite so prolific - perhaps they didn’t do so well through the winter.   However the lake was crowded with Coots and they became quite annoying as the night wore on - we pitched the tent right next to the lake and they weren’t the quietest of neighbours.  

Camp at Fish Lake Valley

That night Nancy and I cooked a passable but by no means gourmet pasta dish while Dan trumped us with a starter of Elk meat fondue.  Of course he hunted and processed the meat himself.

Next morning it was a chance to buy some expensive gas and supplies in Dyer before we pushed on into Death Valley proper.  We took a little detour around Cucomungo Canyon and Willow Spring and then dropped down Tule Canyon to Crankshaft Junction.  From there we went over Hanging Rock Canyon to the Eureka Dunes.    As we did the year before we then went up Dedeckera Canyon and over Steelhead Pass to drop down into Warm Springs Road and the Saline Valley Hot springs.  We encountered a little trouble coming down Warm Springs Road as there were a few places the road was washed out.  Andy’s truck got stuck on a rock requiring a bit of winching and rock piling to get things moving again.

Warm Springs Road

At the Saline Valley Hot Springs we pitched camp and Dan treated us to Pork Loin Shish Kebabs - how can we compete with such great food.  Later that evening we soaked in the Hot Springs before retiring for the night.  It was warm enough to leave the fly sheet off so we were treated to a wonderful display of stars.

Lippincott Pass

The next morning we pushed on down Saline Valley and up over Lippincott Pass.   We took time to explore the old Lippincott mine site and then followed the road down to the Racetrack and Teakettle Junction.   We pushed on in the afternoon down Hidden Valley, and found a nice camp spot near Hunter Mountain.  We were high up and in the trees and it got rather cold that night.  For the first time in my life I cooked chili (or reheated it - I cooked it at home) and to tell you the truth it wasn’t bad.   Again Dan trumped our humble offerings with his homemade Elk Sausage.

Joshua Trees

The next day we drove over the Panamints and stopped for gas in Panamint Springs ($6 per gallon when it is well below $4 in the rest of the state).  We had a look around Ballarat the old gold mining town.  Alas the store was closed but Tex Watson’s truck is still there (of Manson Gang infamy).  

Tex Watson's Truck - Ballarat

We moved on down to the south end of Panamint Valley and headed up Goler Wash.  We stopped to look around what is left of the Barker Ranch, the ranch where Charles Manson and his followers were staying and where Charlie was captured hiding in a cupboard under the sink.  The place burned down a few years ago and is now just a shell.  In it’s day it must have been a nice place to stay, though incredibly remote.   What would make someone put time into developing a ranch up there.

Striped Butte

We continued over Mengel Pass, down to the Geologist’s Cabin and Striped Butte and up Warm Springs Canyon.   We camped somewhere near Gold Hill for our last night out on the trail.  The next morning we drove down into Death Valley and headed up to Furnace Creek where we said goodbye to Andy and Dan who were staying another night or two.

The Road Home

It’s a long drive back to Sacramento, but we did it in one shot.

There are more photos here.