Another DV report. Eureka, Saline , Lippincott, Racetrack, Echo Canyon

v_man

Explorer
My girlfriend and I both had last week off as teachers . We both love the desert, so another trip to Death Valley was planned . It would be our 4th together if I remember correctly .

Our trip from the Bay Area began on an ominous note . Very heavy winds on 395 south blew a truck over.
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Our first night we camped at Buckeye Hot Springs near the town of Bridgeport
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A little snow in the night gave us a beautiful sunrise, and the same windstorm blew this burned out tree across the road. I was able to use the winch to move it to the side which was great fun.

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On to Death Valley... Saying goodbye to the Owens Valley here with the Sierra in the background

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Onto our first mines of the trip , and the Eureka Valley...
 

v_man

Explorer
The Eureka Valley

I do not know the name of the mine, sorry to be ambiguous , I'm looking for it online . It is just before you reach the southern turnoff for the Eureka Valley Sand Dunes . You take a steep , gnarly , narrow trail up about 1,000 feet into the mountains to see this old site . I don't think it gets visited much.

Celeste holding an old Coors can, and a fresh one
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Beautiful views of the valley below

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Long stretches of graded road in the Eureka

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We camped out near the sand dunes in the Eureka and enjoyed some beautiful sunset views

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A desert built for two

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The last light on the Last Chance Mtn. Range

On to day three , and into Dedeckera Canyon and the Saline Valley...
 

v_man

Explorer
Dedeckera Canyon and down the long road to the Saline

Day three began with some fun driving through Dedeckera Canyon. D canyon is a narrow slot in the last chance range that allows passage from the Eureka Valley to the Saline Valley. It has 3 or 4 rocky obstacles in it on the way to Steel Pass. The country is some of the most remote in Death Valley. Many long miles from any decent road. If solitude is what you seek , you can find it here ...

I had driven Dedeckera a number of times so I handed the keys over to the little lady

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The first obstacle
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A tad bit narrow here . She drove it like a pro

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An interesting perspective of the next obstacle

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And out into some open country

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I love it when she drives , it gives me a chance to enjoy the scenery

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Finally we make it up to Steel Pass with the Saline down below us and the Inyo Mtns. beyond

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We had a nice little afternoon in the Hot Springs . We chose not to camp here though . There was still an abundance of people left over from Presidents weekend, and we were seeking a little solitude after all.

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So on to Lippincott 4x4 Road we must go ...
 

v_man

Explorer
Lippincott Road

If you know death Valley you have likely heard of Lippincott road. According to accounts I have read, at one time it had a reputation as being a fierce 4x4 road not to be underestimated . Lately it seems to have been tamed with a grader . We went up it in 2wd , although I was in my 2.28 case. Nevertheless, Lippincott is a beautiful trail , it is steep, narrow, and as scenic as anything you'll find in DV.

The start of Lippincott with the Saline below
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The narrowest section of the trail , you have about a 18 inches to play with here
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An old sign from DV National Monument times

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Another pano shot

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Even saw some of these boys , walking on the rocks like lizards

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Made it bottom to top in about 45 minutes . Here is the famous sign warning you of impending doom.

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We found a beautiful little spot atop a hill overlooking Lipp. for our 3rd night's stay . The chair comes back out and the relaxin' ensues.

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See ya later sun (Lipp in background)

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These beautiful colors appeared to watch us make dinner

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Onto day 4 and sunrise on the Racetrack Playa...
 

v_man

Explorer
The Racetrack

I don't usually like to wake up early on vacation , but the prospect of a sunrise on the playa seemed worth it .

Here is my girlfriend walking out to the grandstand . Water is for coffee
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My little coffee maker, she's such a good sport
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Perhaps my favorite picture from the whole trip . My girl took it , me standing up on the grandstand (an outcropping of rocks in middle of playa) watching the sun come up
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Messing around with the camera
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Any DV wanderer knows this place . I guess the Park Service removes the teakettles from time to time? The sign is looking a little sparse!!

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We gotta keep moving. Past teakettle we go heading north , past Ubehebe Crater , back onto the highway down to Furnace Creek , and onto the infamous
Echo Canyon...
 

v_man

Explorer
Echo Canyon

Echo Canyon can be a lot of things. It is a mild trail out to the Eye of the Needle rock formation , and a mild trail still out to the well preserved Inyo Mine Site. Beyond that it turns into a little one hit wonder 4x4 trail with one of the toughest rock obstacles in DV , or so I was told. Beyond that it is an escape route out into the Nevada desert , and our exit route to begin our long road back home. I always wanted to check out Echo Canyon, and I'm glad we were able to .
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A few miles in you will find the 'Eye of the Needle'
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A few miles further east brings you to the Inyo Mine .

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But the trail after these things is what I was interested in . I knew my 'Runner would have no trouble with the bedrock obstacles and pinches in the narrow canyon. But I had been reading and studying up so long on this trail , I had actually gone through about 3 different trucks . It was the classic case of something taking on a life and aura of its own, beyond truth or reality or facts , and that is how I perceived Echo Canyon, as some wicked hard trail that I must see for myself . Like most things of this nature , it turned out to be rather anticlimactic ... Anyway here is the obstacle
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Many , MANY , people it looked like had stacked rocks to take the bite out of the staircase obstacle . I had a mind to actually start removing rocks to return it to whatever state it was in before people touched it ... But I did not . Another view
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I walked up the obstacle with nary a wheel spin or protest from the truck at all . It was still great fun.

After the first obstacle
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The road beyond the two main Echo Canyon obstacles leads up to Echo Pass near the CA/NV border . Here is a shot of that
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It is hard to tell from that pic, but just above and right of her head is the outline of the Sierra . I could clearly make out the Whitney group . It was truly a delight to see the Sierra some 100 miles and five mountain ranges away .

The girlfriend drives again as I get my afternoon jog in down canyon , and help spotting her
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Our afternoon and last night in DV was upon us . We camped out on a little hill overlooking the Amargosa desert in NV.
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It seems fitting to me that our last night ended with a grand view of essentially nothing . We could see miles of barren desert and forgotten mountain ranges to be sure, but nothing that anyone would pay to see , or fly in from Europe for . We were out of DV , and we had the most satisfying view of all . A landscape untouched and unwanted by man , a desert that will always be left alone and hurriedly passed through by a traveler to reach somewhere else. But solitude and separation will always be the commodity that a desert possesses , and we were grateful to share it for a brief moment .
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rkj__

Adventurer
Thanks for sharing your trip with us. What a great way to spend time with somebody special.
 

Wh1t3nukle

I gotz dis
Ok, with all this tech....no actual video?!?!!? ;)

I think this photo is my fav of those shared as it just shows the shear prominence of things....

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From the direction you traveled, Bay area and eastward, do you have any recommended off pavement from Bay Area to Sac?
 

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