Diet Taco... trying to keep things light

Nice. Love that photo of the front door.

Last time I was there, I found a TV Log from 1975 in the attic. Sort of fun to see what (little) there was to watch, and of course, the ads!

 

I was not brave enough to venture upstairs.

TV LOG - Now with Hantavirus!

 

A gf in college had a civic like that. Fortunately, I did not get hantavirus from her.

 

Mojave National Preserve - Part 3
November 2023

One last post on my November trip. The morning and afternoon were one of those magical days in the desert when weird stuff is going on. This day it was the clouds. The winds were blowing "the wrong way" and all sorts of low broken cloud decks were blowing every which way creating chiaroscuro all over the desert. So basically I just drove around and took pictures.

First, right at sunrise clouds were hugging the ground:

Wet Morning
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As the sun got a bit higher in the sky the various low cloud decks projected shadows across the landscape. For whatever reason IR worked better with this one:

Wacky Clouds with Wacky Camera
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After my mid-morning break at a local mine (see previous post) the clouds just kept on giving as I drove around the preserve:

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And that was pretty good way to end the trip...

 

Wow, what a treat.

 

Death Valley
February 2024

This trip was mostly a wash due to me coming down with a nasty head cold right upon arrival, so this is a very short report. I did manage to get one day in the park during which I visited the rare Lake Manly and did a nice hike in the Black Mountains.

Lake Manly Pano


Lake Manly Up Close
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I was visiting very shortly after a string of winter storms and so Lake Manly was probably at nearly its maximum extent (at least since Hillary when the whole park was closed). Very few people were out visiting as yet and being a weekday the park was surprisingly empty. Not a single boat, inner tube, or person to be seen anywhere. Just a few cars at Badwater as well.

I actually had an inflatable raft with me, but given I was still recovering from my cold and wanted to save my energy for a hike, I decided to leave it unopened in its box to be returned unused to Big 5 on my way out. No campy selfie for me!

As to the hike, well I had wanted to do three hikes in the Black Mountains this trip but I was only able to get one in on my last day. It was, in a sense just, like every other Black Mountain hike: a steep gravel wash on the way up, some entertaining narrows, and those always enchanting, at least to me, views of the valley floor framed all sorts of different ways as one hikes back down.

Narrows


Down Canyon View
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So in the end, one day out of five in the valley was better than no days out of five. I'll just have to come back to do those other hikes another winter day.

 

Death Valley
March 2024

The family usually spends a few days in Death Valley during my daughter's spring break while we are in CA to visit family. This year the weather cooperated beautifully and we were able to hit my daughter's favorite spots as well as see the last bits of Lake Manly.

We started off on the way in visiting Dante's View in order to get a view of the lake.

Rare View
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From there we headed to our favorite canyon. I've lost count of how many times I've been up it, but I have visited it consistently for over 25 years now and the changes over time are interesting to watch. The 2022 monsoon storms actually had little to no effect. Hillary, on the other hand, did manage to move a fair bit of sediment!

March 2023 (pre-Hillary)


March 2024 (post-Hillary)
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That's the very same boulder we are sitting on in both photos. This was by no means that big a change for a desert canyon, or even that I've seen in this particular canyon in the past, but it was the biggest change in quite awhile. My daughter was bummed because it had washed out the last climbing obstacle before this spot and she's all about the climbing.

We in fact now call this "The Climbing Canyon" as there are a lot of fun scrambles and that's how she referred to it during her first ascents when she was three.

A Little Bit of Downclimbing
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For my daughter the allure and novelty of actual "camping" has started to wear off. I can no longer just hand her a shovel to keep herself entertained for an hour and she has begun to notice there is nothing particularly special about my "camping hot dogs" or "camping drink". Fortunately she still likes visiting and exploring just as much as before and looks forward to our trips. To keep the interest alive, and to placate my wife who long ago expressed a preference for hotels when they are within an hour drive, we therefore headed to...

Not Exactly "Roughing It"
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Tasty BBQ, WiFi, showers, and beds were appreciated by all. We spent a couple more days in the Park revisiting past haunts at my daughter's request.

More Changes From Hillary
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The previous year I had to almost crawl to get under this. Since Hillary I barely had to duck. The rest of this slot is much as it was before, though the fanglomerate walls are freshly caked with mud now. The weather for the rather open hike up the wash was delightful compared to last year when it was a bit more toasty.

Once Again, Climbing
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On our last day we made sure to visit another canyon with a few fun scrambles. This was my daughter's second or third trip up this particular obstacle. We got chased off by a storm from this canyon last year, so we were glad to be able to visit it on our way out this year.

We actually ran into a large group of fairly old folks who were coming out of this canyon as we headed in. Not a surprise as we saw all their vehicles parked along the road, but it was a pleasant surprise to find all of them bunched up in a single group and leaving just as we were entering. They looked a lot what I'd imagine a Sierra Club group hike to look like. I've never understood doing giant group hikes in the desert, but I'll also admit I've not done a good job of developing empathy for the disability of being extroverted.

So no actual "camping" this year, but still a successful visit! The measure of success for me on these trips is the answer to the question "do you still want to come back next year?" Fortunately the answer at the end of the trip was still "Definitely."

 

most excellent family time.

 

Not Death Valley and Not My Truck
September 2024

The fall was mostly a bust for me this year... again. A variety of reasons were in play, but one of the good reasons was that what could have been a September desert trip in the truck turned into a Lake Powell trip on my brother's boat instead.

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Death Valley
Early December 2024

I finally managed to get into the Mojave the first week of December. I was pretty tired from a busy fall and so opted to plunk myself mostly in one spot and focus more on some astronomy observing than that much desert exploring. I did do a few hikes and the time out in the quiet was absolutely delightful. Fingers crossed next fall will offer more opportunities!

Also I decided to simply not bother with a camera at all. Luggage was already chock full of astronomy gear and I really didn't need another distraction. So the limited photos are all just from the cellphone this time.

I'm going to leave the location undisclosed, and besides the obligatory sunset photo the remainder will be under the ground.

Yet Another Sunset


Boom


103 Year Old Trash


Yet Another Mine Entrance​

 

Death Valley
Late December 2024

At the tail end of a trip to visit family in California we stopped by Death Valley. My wife and I went on a few hikes together. Our daughter wanted to be sure to hit her favorite canyon, but otherwise was mostly looking for resting in a hotel room this time around!

We've come a long way:

2018


2024​

 

@DVexile So hey, Ken, man. Believe it or not, I've never been to Death Valley. Near it, past it, yes.

Zabriski, golf course, sliding rocks thingy, oh my....


Por favor, Guidance to do list with family for only 1 day:


Guidance to do list for only 2 days:


Guidance to do list for only 3 days:

 

Driving, hiking (short or long, and what is short/long to you?), backpacking?

 

I meant to direct that to His Highness Ken. But hey, I'll take all the help I can get.

Initial trip would likely just be lodge and/or campground with fam with various day hikes 10 yo son can deal with that. some 4WD trails, etc.

Following trips could be more extensive, but not right now. Wife and I have done 8-9 day backpack on JMT sections, including up Whitney, like...uh a decade ago? LOL.

 

Yah, I was going to let Ken answer (b/c there's no better expert) but DVNP has so much to offer that I figured it'd be helpful to know how you wanted to visit for 1, 2, or 3 days. A trip for me would be a lot different than a trip for someone with a rental car or 3 year old.

I was going to think through it for myself too. I'll pipe in if he leaves anything out.

 

First things first - everything is dependent on the temperature and the wind! So your plan may need to adapt a lot depending on the time of year. The closest, fastest, easiest things are at low elevations - as are any accommodations beyond fairly basic campgrounds. So if you can, try to go during the cooler months. But the highs still vary by at least 20F in a given month so also be prepared to potentially get an early start to your days if you are shoulder season and temps are running high. The heat will make any hike miserable, so be prepared to adapt to the heat. The spring is notorious for very strong winds, though they can happen anytime, and if those are happening you'll want to adapt into only canyon hikes.

You can do trips in hotter months by going higher, but that tends to mean more driving around and a very different experience of the park.

Second - Crowds are more and more of a problem, so there are some "must go" places that I'd actually say are "must skip" and that you save only for some rare occasion in which the park is empty for some reason or when you are going at a really odd time of the day (Badwater, Golden Canyon, Artists Palette, Mesquite Dunes, and sadly probably Mosaic Canyon these days as well).

Third - The place is huge and driving can absolutely kill all the fun for everyone involved. The shorter the trip, the more you need to plan to stay in a fairly "small" area - "small" in the DV relative sense.

Fourth - Get Digonnet's Hiking Death Valley. You need this, period.

The following all assume each day is a "full" day, meaning you are starting in the morning in the park and if you are leaving the park it isn't until after sunset.

One Day

• Stay night before in the center of the valley - This could be at either of the hotels in Furnace Creek, at the various campgrounds there, or in the reserve ahead dispersed camping along Echo Canyon or Hole in the Rock roads. Stovepipe Wells is also very functional, but you'll have a bit more of a drive getting to the starting point.
• Sunrise Zabriske Point - As in be there before sunrise. This assumes you are staying in or near Furnace Creek. If it is winter time, this will be a cold morning, bundle up. This place is a mob scene during the day, but it is at its most beautiful in morning twilight and you'll probably just have photographers there. If getting up at zero dark thirty isn't your style it is no big deal to miss this, but if you are a sunrise person this is the place to be.
• Head down Badwater Road - Get a jump on the crowds by getting your ass down Badwater Road as early as possible. There are a lot of short stops along the way and it can get crowded, so knock off the short stops early and then get yourself into less visited canyons later in the day. Devil's Golf Course is a quick look, early in the morning Badwater might not be overrun and worth a quick stop - don't bother walking out or anything at this point in my opinion.
• Pick a hike south on Badwater - Depending on how far south you want to go there are some good hikes. Sidewinder Canyon is definitely on the map these days, so don't expect to have it at all to yourself. But with an early start it shouldn't be too bad. Natural Bridge canyon is a little overrated in my opinion, and also gets crowds, but it is an easy one except for being a gravel wash. If you are looking for a bit more off the beaten path and don't mind more of an approach hike then go for Room Canyon. PM me for details on Room Canyon if you want to do that one.
• Artists Canyon Drive - This will be a mob scene no matter what you do, but it is all in shadow in the morning so save for the afternoon on the way back north up Badwater. The first turn off has a short walk to a view point of the colorful Black Mountains. The actual "Artists Palette" parking lot is a zoo, but you can park along the road before it and then walk up to the ridge overlooking the formation for as good or better a view.
• My Favorite Hike - PM for this, my most recent post in this thread are photos from it. I'd say this is a must do if you and your family don't mind a little bit of scrambling in a few spots. Save time and a little bit of energy.
• That's a full day but... - If you've still got daylight and are just looking to drive and gawk then do Twenty Mule Team Drive for some badlands. A longer drive is Dante's View, but that can be closed in winter due to ice.
• Sunset - If you aren't dead tired and want a "zen" moment then walk out onto the salt pan a bit before sunset, stay out there until at least twenty minutes after sunset. This is the magic hour in the valley. It might not be 10 year old boy compatible though (too boring). Be cautious where you do this, what looks like solid salt pan can actually be a mud trap.

Other Days

• You have too many options at this point - Quick summaries below, each bullet is a day itself!
• Panamints - Drive the sights of Emigrant Canyon road. Include Telephone Canyon Road for some rougher road fun and sites. This is all a surprising amount of driving, and in the winter might be surprisingly cold as well, but in the spring is a good way of getting out of some heat. Great if you are starting from Stovepipe. If you are getting an early jump on the day stop at Mosaic Canyon by Stovepipe to check out the very early part of that canyon, no need to go too far past the "mosaics" and marble sections.
• Rhyolite and North Highway - Titus Canyon Road is a classic, but probably closed for a good long while still. Nonetheless, there is still a good day here and you have some flexibility in the order if you aren't able to drive down Titus (otherwise the one-way aspect of Titus kind of guides your itinerary). Rhyolite and Keane Wonder Mine are one spur, you can also do Chloride Cliffs but that can be slower and nastier driving than expected. North Highway is the other spur getting you up to Ubehebe Crater and the mouth of Titus. With Titus Canyon Road closed you can still do a really enjoyable walk up the best part of Titus and not worry about getting run over by anyone. Scotty's Castle is still closed of course, but that just means fewer people up North Highway. There are other canyon's you can hike from the Titus parking lot as well if the family feels like a bigger hike day.
• Eureka and more - This is really out of the way unless you are going to head up 395N to get home over the Sierra somehow. But if you need to head north anyway, then a stop by Eureka Dunes is well worth it. There is a lot in the NW of the park and you can easily spend a full week on some of the road loops up in this area. I wouldn't recommend for a first short visit, but just mention it if your itinerary involves a north exit anyway.

There are lots of other options of course, but that's a quick list of the more "family compatible" stuff. Be ready to adapt - some people pack an enormous amount of stuff into a day and are happy to run themselves ragged, whereas others prefer a more contemplative pace.

 

Dang, that's nice. That first day is a FULL day!

@socar - the two things I'd add as part of "other days" are as follows:

• Head into Butte Valley from Badwater/West Side Road/Warm Springs Road. It's not a difficult trail (surely, easier than coming from Panamint Valley via Goler Wash) and Butte Valley in the morning is a special place.
• If you must visit in the warm months, a good day can be spent at elevation by starting at Mahogany Flat Campground and then doing the hike to Telescope Peak. It's 12 miles roundtrip, but can be done without too much difficulty in a day, even for a 10-year old, I'd say. Well-travelled, and views for days the entire way.

And I'd recommend getting both of Digonnet's books, there's no better reference and they are nicely broken up by "area" in the park so you don't have too much driving in a day.

• Hiking Death Valley - Michel Digonnet
• Hiking Western Death Valley National Park - Michel Digonnet

 

Yep! Fair warning there! The drive down and back up Badwater with two hikes is by itself about as much as I'd plan for myself. And if feeling lazier I might skip one of the hikes and substitute Twenty Mule Team and maybe something else easy around Furnace Creek. The most common DV mistake is to try to pack too much in!

Both solid recommendations, but be advised that Telescope would potentially be punishing if not altitude acclimated. The last bit is reasonably steep and above 10,000 ft. That can be really hard on some folks who might sail through a similar hike down lower. Unless you know your 10 year old is already a hiking trooper and reacts well to altitude then Wildrose Peak just down the road is probably a lower risk introductory desert peak. Start it early in the morning if it is going to be a warm day. It doesn't have the continuous views that Telescope does, but it is a much more manageable hike for most. That said, since Telescope has views the whole way you can always bail around Arcane Meadows and still have had a really nice hike. Don't try Telescope in the spring - it can be very icy and your time would be better spent at lower elevations that time of year. But summer temps make it feel an oasis of comfort!