Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Unless of course, you’re into that thing. Or have a broken wrist.

 

27.9.21 1137 #KNP #SCANARTIFACTS #SMAUG #UNCLEAR

 

lol - I stopped short of that.

 

I attempted to set one of those up one time. My woman said, "What the hell is that? You expect me to stew in my own juices and why would I not want a good view while I'm going!" <--- keeper

 

Keeper for sure. Mine will pee anywhere. It's the deuce that she needs to hide especially when we go with groups. Glad she doesn't read this!

 

haha, mine's the same way. We got to a 2 day camping trip out in JT a few years ago and she told me she held in a #2 from the moment we got there until we got home. I was half impressed. I don't have the intestinal fortitude to pull that off

 

Mine's the same. I go anywhere, anytime. No holding back

 

From my first Death Valley trip in 2008...the great cicada death party at Ritas high in the Panamints

 

Jesus............

 

Really?
Could be a one time experience...and they were already gone back to the earth so no big deal.

On another note, down memory lane from 2013 with @HBMurphy in paradise just in time for dinner

 

Beautiful Panamint Valley

 

They just look super crunchy !

 

I saw a news story yesterday where a couple of men were arrested for selling fried grasshoppers to passengers on a Ugandan airline flight. Unruly behavior, violating food safety regulations, etc. Afterwards the airline issued a statement that they will considering offering them on their snack menu, based on the enthusiasm of the passengers. https://nehandaradio.com/2021/11/30/man-who-sold-fried-grasshoppers-on-plane-faces-jail/

 

Part 2 of my trip to the Owlsheads. But first, a few questions are worth considering:

1. Are you a serial under-achiever?
2. Does the thought of hiking Telescope Peak - Death Valley's highest summit - make you snuggle deeper into the couch?
3. Is even getting second place just a little too much effort?

If so, perhaps you, like me, would enjoy the ...

Lowest Peak in the Park​

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full story, more pics
Lowest Peak in the Park - Owlsheads #2​

 

Might be one of the best chapters.

 

Although I’ve explored around DV quite a bit, I haven’t actually done any of the iconic “4wd” routes, specifically the rougher routes that require low range and a fair amount of low speed travel. What kind of mpg can I expect with a basically stock 3rd gen V6? On the roads such as North/South Pass or up around Darwin I’m probably getting 14 mpg. Over the next few days I’d like to go in at Big Pine, over to Ubehebe/Racetrack, then down Lippincott, over to Saline, Steel, Eureka Dunes then back to 395 at Big Pine. Seems like it’s about 250 miles, should be fine on a full tank, with 2 gallons extra in a can? Or not? I realize conditions vary so I’m just looking for guidance. Thanks.

 

i did something like that but entered from beaty nv and exited from the eureka dunes to lone pine. I carried extra 5 gallons and I could have made it to lone pine on a single tank with top off at furnace creek. But my trip computer said i had about 12 miles left before empty as I was pulling into lone pine. toward the end i was driving super conservatively to save gas so i did not have to burn my extra 5 gallons

 

Really, that route doesn't have anything that's going to need 4Lo except maybe going down Lippencott and through Dedeckera - which won't really need 4Lo, but you might feel more comfortable in it. The vast majority of that route, really, is just a bunch of washboard (which, for me anyway, is ~35-45mph).

Assuming you don't air down until you hit dirt in Eureka Valley, and air back up when you hit pavement coming out of Eureka Valley, my sense is that you'd be cutting it close(r than I'd like) with a tank +2gal. I'd take at least +5gal, but I'd really be more comfortable with +10gal. That second 5 would be for the "well, I'm out of gas for some unexpected reason and need to get to somewhere with fuel." Somewhere with fuel in DV is usually about 75 miles away.

That said - the reality is that the route you're talking about is a very popular one. In the worst case scenario - that your run out of fuel - there will be plenty of folks like me who come along and can get you going again. Heck, if you're talking about next week, it might even be me.

 

@dman100, I get about 200 miles per tank on my 4.0 with armor and 33s when pulling our trailer around off-road using a mix of 4hi/low. I carry an extra 10 gallons of fuel to extend my range to 300 miles if needed (or have some to share if I come across someone in a pinch).

You should be fine with an extra 2 gallons but if you can fit a 5 gallon can that would give you extra range if needed.

 

@dman100 you could do that drive on a tank of gas. and use gears as needed. having an extra 2 gallons is in my opinion enough and probably unused.