Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Congratulations...mine is coming up this Halloween.

 

Getting married was easily the best decision of my adult life. I'm less than 20 years in -- so neither an expert nor a novice. But hot-damn, I really like being married.

Cheers to you both!

For the rest of you: We are hosting free stargazing sessions next weekend at Bryce Canyon, plus free astrophotography classes (registration required) if you want a bit of guidance photographing the heavens above. It is a super fun event. Here's a photo from last year:



We can't control the weather, but the skies are poised to be even better this year. The galaxy will loom higher at sunset, and thus far, wildfire smoke is blowing out of frame.

If you want to see and photograph our galaxy, to the maximal glory visible from our northern latitudes -- why not frame it against perhaps the finest landscape our national parks can offer: Bryce Canyon.

Update: I stand corrected. It's smokey as hell up here.

 

Yet Another Truck Fire

https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/tractor-trailer-fire-on-ca-190.htm

Few more photos: https://sierrawave.net/tractor-trailer-fire-on-ca-190-within-death-valley-national-park/

Also a single vehicle rollover fatality a few days before: https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/fatal-single-vehicle-rollover.htm

 

Sick! On our to do list!

 

Any idea where the rollover happened?
The first book I have about death valley mentioned the number one cause of death in the park is rollover accidents due to excessive speed. After reading that and driving around the park I did notice that the precautionary speed limits for turns are pretty accurate.

 

On 190 at Towne Pass. I’d have to guess brakes overheated. That or speed.

 

The press release says just east of the intersection with North Highway (aka Scotty’s Castle Road) so I assume on that big sweeping turn the 190 takes to head south. But that’s just a guess on my part since there have been previous accidents there.



The truck fire was on the Panamint side of Towne Pass.

 

I was thinking it must suck to be the investigating officer for these things. Investigate for ten minutes, cool down for an hour? On the other hand, imagine your post being someplace like DV?

 

Truck fires are always Towne Pass.

 

3-4 years ago heading east and south, having passed Crater, there was a CHP sedan with lights stopped next to a first-gen Tundra. Officer and a couple standing about, two chairs and cooler nearby. It looked like a R front suspension failure, and situation under control I kept going. Miles later on the straight stretch was a plume of dust approaching and as I passed it was a dual wheel Ford pulling a flatbed trailer...really slow on that awful washboard gravel. I guessed that'd been a 'Garmin' type emergency call.

 

Looking to run echo canyon out of Las Vegas sometime soon and one wanna go?