Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Wait.... what?!? where? Furnace Creek?

 

Visitor's Center.

 

ah ok, I just wikipedia'ed it... there is some debate on accurate temperature monitoring equipment in 1913..

 

I think in 1913, you just have to accept what it said. Can't compare to today's weather instruments.

 

Well my stupid '14 T/X Baja doesn't have a damn temp gauge so I can't tell you exactly... camped at 7k though and the low was in the 50's. Highs where I drove were upper 80's to mid 90's. Good eyes recognizing it. Lightly traveled area of the park.

 

No OAT?

 

Yep... the highest TRD trims in 2014 and 2015 lack that. I did some googling and the solution on TW was buy a 2001 Yukon mirror and wire it up with a dongle, but it was like $300 said and done & I think the guy making the dongles stopped doing so. Too much work so I guess now.. a handheld kestrel meter would be good though to know general temps & I'd love to get windspeed too.

 

I carry a Kestral 5500

 

Kestrel makes versions with preset rifle info just in case you're into shooting.

 

And Death Valley NP has or will ban, fires in the park starting on the 12th of September.

Link to the announcements. https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/fire-restrictions.htm

 

reruns.ok.wish i were there.last year..blue sky looks good.

 

Just watched The Mandalorian Season 2 Official Trailer!! More Death Valley locations!

Did a scene overlay with one of my shots. Zabriskie Point

 

Drove home from CO last night.



It had been so nice breathing thin, cold, and clean air for almost a week, but the increasingly apocalyptic sunset greeting us as we emerged from the Virgin River Gorge reminded me of the reality to which we were returning.

I swung off the freeway at Cima to visit my favorite camping spot. I had studied the maps, read the reports, and I knew what to expect. But it did little to prevent the heartbreak of seeing the devastation with my own eyes.



The silhouette of this majestic shade tree still stood still against the moonless night sky, just as it always had. And even by the dim glow of my taillights, it would be easy to think that nothing was wrong. There was no smell of smoke. No ash on the ground. In fact, green grass has already sprung forth from the desert floor.



But a quick flick of the flashlight revealed the truth. The trees had burned. All of them. They loomed charred and lifeless around me, and as my truck idled nearby, I realized that I was the only uninvited guest at this otherwise silent wake.

 

That is absolutely heartbreaking... wow. The nighttime photo makes it look almost more stark and lifeless than daytime ones. Really hope Lee Flat doesn't suffer that same fate.

Where in CO were you? Headed there soon

 

Well, the plan was to camp around the front range with friends, but the pandemic and early snow / cold-snap took that off the table! So I played it by ear and tried unsuccessfully to reach 14,000 feet in my truck, while mostly staying in hotels because night lows were dipping into the 30s.

Until more snow hits, the high jeep trails are partially accessible, but don't count on any of them as through routes. I was hoping to bucket list some passes around Aspen/CB this year, but I didn't even try after how many times I was thwarted by snow driving west from Denver. Of course, I was trying to get there without using any of the paved passes, which are still totally open. But the only trail I actually made it over was Red Cone/Webster, and that was super sketchy.

I'd say the real winner of the trip was Buena Vista. I've always loved that place, and once we gave up on my insane back-country itinerary, it was super relaxing to hang out in such a beautiful area. I also enjoyed my first dine-in restaurant and draft beer since February!

The temps have continued to climb, so perhaps this week or next would be the perfect time to visit, and some of the passes might reopen unless it snows again. The aspens should be in full swing by next week too.

 

Were you planning on 14k on Mt. Bross? Hiked over that last year and saw some jeepers up there. Would be pretty cool to drive that way. Glad you were able to adjust plans and have a good time regardless. Got some beautiful shots there.

I'm planning on headed to the Alpine Loop and hit some trails out of Ouray in ~2 weeks so we'll see how things look. Think the storm that forced your plans to change will have melted off, but definitely could have some more roll thru. We'll see.

 

Yeah, there's another thread where we were discussing our highest elevation achievements in our trucks, and planning new destinations to reach even higher elevations... oh wait, you're on that thread too!

(Small world, right?)

Anyway yeah I was hoping to summit Mt Bross but got snowed out at 12400 feet. I got to 12600 on another approach, but nowhere near 14k!

But I feel bad talking so much about Colorado on the DV thread. Feel free to pm me if you want outdated advice from a novice regarding the alpine loop. I made it last year, but had to skip it this year. Life is too short!

Oh and to answer your question from the other thread...

I'm sort of a scientist/engineer whose apparent superpower is bankrupting whatever company I work for.

 

There’s a selfie video taken by a guy who documented his walk across the valley playa from Badwater to Westside Road in the summer and he attempted to return back the same way to his car, but he only brought 1 gallon of water and made it to within a few hundred yards of his car and the road. Its an agonizing video to watch since he filmed and narrated most of his journey until his video camera failed from the heat, but it’s a good educational documentary for search and rescue training to see what people do wrong in those situations.

 

Just a reminder to everyone that desert season is upcoming.

 

ROFL