Warning: There are no photographs in this thread. There are only snapshots taken by a complete amateur, or his 8yo daughter. All pics taken with a Cannon S95 on Auto. I only wish I had the photo talent of many who usually post here.
I have spent many an hour reading reports on this site. Thought I'd try contributing.
Searching for a title, I settled on the simple. Other options included: Loaded for Bear, hunting Squirrel, Making Lemonade, or Plan B,C, and D.
Katie, my 8yo daughter, and I left for Death Valley on Feb 15th. Pulled her out of school at noon, and we hit the road. First destination was Cabella's in Kansas City, KS for a good tent. The weather was forecast to be cold and wet, and we needed to be warm and dry. We then drove through light fog to Emporia, KS before quitting for the night. Next morning was thick fog until west of Witchita. A call came in to inform me that the route, and meeting location had been changed. We were seeking lower elevations, and warmer weather. Once out of the fog and in the sun, the strong headwinds started. As many know, the JK is neither aerodynamic, nor powerful. Made a long day getting to Albuquerque to meet up with my cousin Paul who would be joining us on the trip. A nice meal, a great conversation, and a soft, warm bed. The next morning was spent on logistics of getting Paul's stuff crammed in with our stuff. We each had two sleeping bags(one good, and one for a blanket), sleeping pads, and all the other stuff that goes into a plan for three nights in the remote parts of the park. I had left the trailer at home, so creative packing was the rule.
Followed RR tracks most of the way.
Big Well in Greensburg, KS
One of my drafting partners as I dealt with the headwinds.
New Mexico sunset.
Thursday night found us in Kingman, AZ with Katie not feeling well at all. The stomach flu had been marching around and around our house, and we were hoping she and I would escape the last round. She didn't. Most of Friday was spend in a hotel room in Kingman. We notified our group we might be late, or not at all. Found out that many were bailing because of the weather, mechanical problems, or other issues. By late afternoon, she was feeling well enough to make it to Pharump, NV. Lots more sleep, and on Saturday morning, things were looking up. As we had already missed our meet up with the group on Friday night, we decided to spend the next night in a hotel as well. Camping with Katie not 100% seemed like a bad idea. Turns out Furnace Creek requires a two night minimum on the holiday weekend. That would be our camping spot and we were going to make the most lemonade out of this trip that we could. Paul wasn't disappointed as the cold can be hard to manage for him.
Made it!
Saturday at 11am we were looking into the Valley from Dante's view. Cold, windy, and beautiful. I had been here two years ago and thought it a great place to introduce Katie to the Valley. I had prepped her by having her read "Julia, Death Valley's Youngest Victim", so she had an idea in her mind. Turns out she wasn't far off. The salt surprised her though.
Dante's View
Stopped off at FC for a map and pay the dues, then headed off to Titus Canyon. I surprised Katie with a trip to Rhyolite. Something about ghost towns and kids. Stirs the imagination in ways that is hard to do elsewhere. I'm a kid too, I guess. Titus Canyon was beautiful. We tried to give Katie a geology lesson(blind leading the blind in a lot of ways though), and looked at the polished walls. A quick stop at the Devil's Cornfield just to see what it was finished the travels for day. What Iowa farmer could resist a place called the Devil's Cornfield? Steaks over the grill on the room's patio was dinner.
Bottle house
Red Pass on Titus
Sunday we planned a big ambitious loop. Furnace Creek, to Saline Valley South pass, to Lippencotts, to the Racetrack, and then to Scotty's Castle. The Saline valley road was covered in 1" of snow at the turnoff. Hmmmm... Wonder what this means to our plans. Oh well, I'm very experienced with the Jeep, I sure as heck know snow, and we decided to push on and turn around if conditions started to look sketchy. Then the magic happened. We were the first tracks past Lee Flat. The snow was 3"-4" deep, and the Joshua trees were all around us. The Jeep rode quiet, the sun shone bright, and the moment enveloped us. We passed the summit without any drama, and started down. Finally ran out of snow at 2500', and had pretty much decided that the Racetrack was going to be too wet to visit. As the Racetrack is the 'Best place on earth' in my opinion, I was sad at the prospect of not sharing it with my companions. At the turnoff to Lippencotts, I looked down valley, and wondered what the place I've read so much about, and was so tantalizingly close to, was like. A reason to return someday. Shortly after turning onto Lippencotts trail, we met traffic, and were informed that the playa was dry. Happy Day!!!!! We made short work of the climb, and were on the playa at noon. Paul was able to move across the playa easily without leaving a track, so we were over the last hurdle of the day. Spent a good hour there, wandering and wondering. Just like one should. Time for a quick run out to the Crator to look over the edge. Katie *really* wanted to hike to the bottom, but we convinced her to tour the Castle first, then if there was time, we'd be back. What eight year old girl could resist a castle? Ubebhebe was added to Saline Valley as a reason to return. Katie loved the Castle tour, and absorbed much of the story. Afterwords we wondered up to the 'stables'(she is horse crazy even though we own 5 plus a pony) and found Scotty's car. He sure was hard on that thing. Supper(farmers have dinner at noon) at the Furnace Creek Ranch, and the day was over.
First Tracks
Magical
Rare Death Valley Burro.
Exploring as one should. Each alone with their thoughts.
Best Place on Earth
Our merry band of travelers
Continued....
I have spent many an hour reading reports on this site. Thought I'd try contributing.
Searching for a title, I settled on the simple. Other options included: Loaded for Bear, hunting Squirrel, Making Lemonade, or Plan B,C, and D.
Katie, my 8yo daughter, and I left for Death Valley on Feb 15th. Pulled her out of school at noon, and we hit the road. First destination was Cabella's in Kansas City, KS for a good tent. The weather was forecast to be cold and wet, and we needed to be warm and dry. We then drove through light fog to Emporia, KS before quitting for the night. Next morning was thick fog until west of Witchita. A call came in to inform me that the route, and meeting location had been changed. We were seeking lower elevations, and warmer weather. Once out of the fog and in the sun, the strong headwinds started. As many know, the JK is neither aerodynamic, nor powerful. Made a long day getting to Albuquerque to meet up with my cousin Paul who would be joining us on the trip. A nice meal, a great conversation, and a soft, warm bed. The next morning was spent on logistics of getting Paul's stuff crammed in with our stuff. We each had two sleeping bags(one good, and one for a blanket), sleeping pads, and all the other stuff that goes into a plan for three nights in the remote parts of the park. I had left the trailer at home, so creative packing was the rule.
Followed RR tracks most of the way.
Big Well in Greensburg, KS
One of my drafting partners as I dealt with the headwinds.
New Mexico sunset.
Thursday night found us in Kingman, AZ with Katie not feeling well at all. The stomach flu had been marching around and around our house, and we were hoping she and I would escape the last round. She didn't. Most of Friday was spend in a hotel room in Kingman. We notified our group we might be late, or not at all. Found out that many were bailing because of the weather, mechanical problems, or other issues. By late afternoon, she was feeling well enough to make it to Pharump, NV. Lots more sleep, and on Saturday morning, things were looking up. As we had already missed our meet up with the group on Friday night, we decided to spend the next night in a hotel as well. Camping with Katie not 100% seemed like a bad idea. Turns out Furnace Creek requires a two night minimum on the holiday weekend. That would be our camping spot and we were going to make the most lemonade out of this trip that we could. Paul wasn't disappointed as the cold can be hard to manage for him.
Made it!
Saturday at 11am we were looking into the Valley from Dante's view. Cold, windy, and beautiful. I had been here two years ago and thought it a great place to introduce Katie to the Valley. I had prepped her by having her read "Julia, Death Valley's Youngest Victim", so she had an idea in her mind. Turns out she wasn't far off. The salt surprised her though.
Dante's View
Stopped off at FC for a map and pay the dues, then headed off to Titus Canyon. I surprised Katie with a trip to Rhyolite. Something about ghost towns and kids. Stirs the imagination in ways that is hard to do elsewhere. I'm a kid too, I guess. Titus Canyon was beautiful. We tried to give Katie a geology lesson(blind leading the blind in a lot of ways though), and looked at the polished walls. A quick stop at the Devil's Cornfield just to see what it was finished the travels for day. What Iowa farmer could resist a place called the Devil's Cornfield? Steaks over the grill on the room's patio was dinner.
Bottle house
Red Pass on Titus
Sunday we planned a big ambitious loop. Furnace Creek, to Saline Valley South pass, to Lippencotts, to the Racetrack, and then to Scotty's Castle. The Saline valley road was covered in 1" of snow at the turnoff. Hmmmm... Wonder what this means to our plans. Oh well, I'm very experienced with the Jeep, I sure as heck know snow, and we decided to push on and turn around if conditions started to look sketchy. Then the magic happened. We were the first tracks past Lee Flat. The snow was 3"-4" deep, and the Joshua trees were all around us. The Jeep rode quiet, the sun shone bright, and the moment enveloped us. We passed the summit without any drama, and started down. Finally ran out of snow at 2500', and had pretty much decided that the Racetrack was going to be too wet to visit. As the Racetrack is the 'Best place on earth' in my opinion, I was sad at the prospect of not sharing it with my companions. At the turnoff to Lippencotts, I looked down valley, and wondered what the place I've read so much about, and was so tantalizingly close to, was like. A reason to return someday. Shortly after turning onto Lippencotts trail, we met traffic, and were informed that the playa was dry. Happy Day!!!!! We made short work of the climb, and were on the playa at noon. Paul was able to move across the playa easily without leaving a track, so we were over the last hurdle of the day. Spent a good hour there, wandering and wondering. Just like one should. Time for a quick run out to the Crator to look over the edge. Katie *really* wanted to hike to the bottom, but we convinced her to tour the Castle first, then if there was time, we'd be back. What eight year old girl could resist a castle? Ubebhebe was added to Saline Valley as a reason to return. Katie loved the Castle tour, and absorbed much of the story. Afterwords we wondered up to the 'stables'(she is horse crazy even though we own 5 plus a pony) and found Scotty's car. He sure was hard on that thing. Supper(farmers have dinner at noon) at the Furnace Creek Ranch, and the day was over.
First Tracks
Magical
Rare Death Valley Burro.
Exploring as one should. Each alone with their thoughts.
Best Place on Earth
Our merry band of travelers
Continued....
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