Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

I think it will be even better in a month. Or at least it was last year, late April / early May. So... better come back!

And fuck, I forgot to go look at that stupid puddle -- err, I mean majestic ephemeral lake.



I think that's it, in the distance? Not going to waste my time on non-navigable waterways though--I'm a BOAT CAPTAIN!

 

Is that an ore chute on the right? I've never seen one made of welded steel like that.

 

I had flashbacks of Beyond Thunderdome, Master Blaster and Auntie Entity talking into it.

 

I hear that it's *very* nice in Panamint right now, which I'd have thought you might have seen. Ahem. I think the rainfall didn't happen at quite the right times for DV propper this year, not that I generally like to be in DV propper anyway, due to the crowds.

Plus, when I come back, it'll be for a 395 adventure. As I hope you've marked on the calendar for some dates that we don't yet know.

It is. And I've never seen such a thing either. That was part of the reason I wanted to do that hike, which was not an easy one.

I snapped an @mk5-style photo in there as well. Was a weird place. As usual, not profitable.

​

 

It was pleasantly yellow in the valley, but I didn't really get a good photo.



Oh well, that never stops me from posting them.



Jealous of your cool mine shots... I can't find my stupid LEDs, or even a battery charger for that matter, so all my flashlights and headlamps are sputtering out.

Best I can offer to counter your artistic mine photography is ... well, here's a rat shitting out hantavirus somewhere in Talc City:



Fucker stood his ground, I gave up and left.

Hopefully someday I'll get my act together--that's what I keep telling the wife at least.



EDIT: Here's a better mine photo. Still no fancy colors though:



This one was a filming location for the 2012 horror flick "Abandoned Mine" which I just rented and watched with the wife. Not normally my favorite genre of film, nor a particularly great specimen thereof, but damned if we didn't have a blast pointing out all the places we had been!



Even better, after the credits had rolled, the series "Death Valley Days" showed up on the recommendations reel, so now I'm falling asleep to the comforting nostalgia of whitewashed Americana, dreaming of saloons, cattle, and gold... with Ronald Regan's gleaming eyes and velvet-smooth voice guiding the way.

 

Talc City! I'd forgotten all about that place.

 

need to go here one day!

 

Certainly has a forgotten-about vibe.

Speaking of which, and I know this is a Toyota truck forum, but ...

Are you a rebellious youth looking for a zippy car with plenty of room for friends and outdoor-lifestyle gear?

Or a hard-working single mom looking for a reliable car with GREAT mileage?

Or a police investigator looking for a missing vehicle implicated in a homicide?

If so, stop by Talc City Ford Lincoln Mercury and test drive this lightly used Ford Edge TODAY!!!




That's like four grand worth of airbags right there. Fresh oil in the crankcase too--probably just needs a jump!

This one's a real puzzler. As if they attempted a convertible conversion with a plasma cutter, but couldn't figure out which way was up. My best guess is idiots on social media? In any case, a shitty gift from a shitty person... yet another carcass to rot away in the desert.

 

I'm seeing that strikethrough and thinking: That was fast. What did this guy even do?

 

Pretty sure he was trying to circumvent BST rules. Made some quick post in a few threads, then posted his truck for sale. Guessing mods took his for sale post down already.

 

Posted on April 1

 

I don’t think there’s a Mojave thread so I hope this isn’t too far off topic here.
https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/2...09d-dbf1-ee11-aaf2-002248223353&ceid=11740223

 

It's pretty wild when you think how animals are responsible for the spread of seeds over the earth.

The irony is their position when it comes to letting pack animals or horses into wilderness areas.

 

But not dogs, at least in National Parks.

 

You don't usually find seeds in dog poop

 

Exactly. However, to be fair the camels in the link I posted are transporting water and JTree seedlings in saddlebags, for humans to plant. They aren’t dispensing JTree seeds from their bowels. We recently got a dog and it has impacted my DV adventures. When I went into the park last month, I spoke with a dog-friendly ranger who told me that dogs can go anywhere a car can go plus on footpaths in any campground a car can get to. So Saline Warm Springs CG and Homestake CG near the Racetrack are OK. Or the road up to the Big Four mine in northern Panamint Valley. I walked with our dog up the dirt road opposite Ashford Mill for several miles and didn’t see a single person, vehicle or animal. And this winter with some backcountry roads temporarily closed to vehicles, she said any of those (like West Side) which were still open to hikers were fine for dogs. By the way, on my last trip I camped at the Pads south of the park and while not exactly backcountry, it was clean and quiet. I camped away from the actual pads.

 

If you find sunflowers anywhere, that might have been me

Dogs have put a crimp on some trips for me as well. Really not down to pay luxo hotel rates or impose on someone. The most f'd up situation was the need to use the bathroom. I stopped at the local park figuring I'd go park, take care of things and be on my way. Driving, a ranger spots Riley and pulls me over. "You cannot be here", I explain my plan and "Again, you cannot be here". I say that I do not intend for the dog to get out of the truck, take care of business, and leave. He wants to write a ticket but cannot because not POST certified. Calls for the Sheriff who shows up pretty quickly and tells the guy he's not doing it and to let me use the bathroom and leave. There are a lot of places claiming "dog friendly" but what they mean is "in an improved campsite, on an asphalt trail, or in a parking lot. You may not leave your pet unattended. You may not take your pet on a trail or in buildings". So you cannot leave your car to say use the bathroom or go to the visitor center or a store. Kinda what's the point?

 

Hah, our dog is Riley also. She’s our first dog (and I’m Social Security age) so I’m still figuring things out. I do try to follow rules up to a point. I was surprised to read about some NP, perhaps it was Canyonlands, where dogs aren’t allowed even if they never leave the vehicle. So I was pleased when this seasonal ranger at the Furnace Creek visitor center was so helpful with tips. Of course I don’t know if she was actually correct

 

There are plenty of places with zero dog policies and for good reason. Especially if off leash.

 

Good resource on pets in DV:

https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/pets.html

And, yes, I think she was correct!