Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

If you're heading to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forest and using Garmin nav, there's a good chance you'll be routed up Silver Canyon. For those who know, that is not something you'd drive a Camry on. So it's conceivable she was using some form of GPS and ended up where she did.

Regardless of what happened, it's a sad indication that for as advanced as we think we are, some lack the basic skill but continue on anyway thinking nothing bad will happen because technology.

 

Local new commercial just said her death is suspicious, but I won't likely stay up to watch the late news.

 

In other DV news...a cool report of hiking a road that doesn't exist anymore.
http://ghosttownexplorers.org/deathvalley/sanlucas/slc.htm#bm2

 

I dont go anywhere off road without this. If for anything, piece of mind.

Sad about the woman. I have been in DV in vehicles and an enduro bike, I drink water until Im almost puking in extreme hot conditions (thanks military)

 

Why we can't have nice things.
I wish nothing but the worst on people of this sort. There is so much desert to go tearing around in. Just leave the NP alone, but no they couldn't do that.
http://www.death-valley.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23029

 

Besides that there are almost always footprints from morons that walk on the wet playa as well. At least these morons drove on it dry and so it will take fewer seasons to disappear. The last airplane tracks out there took years to go away, but they were quite subtle after a few flood events. At least low altitude drug runs don't seem popular anymore. Or if they still are Racetrack is no longer a desirable landing site for them.

Personally I wish they'd stop maintaining Racetrack Rd. But that's pretty selfish on my part

 

X2

 

X3

 

Looks like Digonet has updated his previous version of this book but since I don't have it I'm not certain of what changes, if any, have taken place.

$16 Hiking Death Valley: A Guide to its Natural Wonders and Mining Past

https://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Death-Valley-Natural-Wonders/dp/0965917835/ref=cm_rdp_product

If anyone here is interested in his other books they are pretty cheap used on Amazon right now. Haven't checked ebay.

 

I have the new edition.

He deleted the short section on Saline and Eureka valleys since he has a whole new book on those areas which contain the hikes that were in the first edition. He added a whole section for the Owlshead Mountains in its place which has six new hikes in that area.

He also added some new hikes to the other sections. I haven't had a chance to note exactly what all the new hikes in the other sections are yet since my first edition is in a box somewhere that I haven't opened yet! Moonlight Canyon in the Grapevines is definitely new. Funeral Slot Canyon in the Funeral Mountains is also definitely new. More on Butte Valley and Ubehebe Crater as well. Whenever I find my old edition I'll post a list of the differences.

Anyway, definitely a good upgrade! I'll be getting a second copy to keep in the truck.

 

Thank you for the info. Sounds substantial if he deleted what was replicated in the Western DV volume. Arrrgh...gotta order it because I'm a DV junkie. I do wish the cover was brown/tan still. Made it easier to differentiate and pull from the shelf. Now all his books are blue.

 

Yeah, I actually really liked the aesthetics of the first edition cover design. NWDV, MNP and now the 2nd edition of DV all have rather washed out midday shots of hazy vistas or uninspired compositions. Given the amazing content inside the covers really are a let down. His maps, tables and general layout inside are really, really well done. The covers are really quite bad though. It is hard to believe they are done by the same person.

What I particularly liked about the 1st edition cover was that it was of an impressive canyon rather than an obvious vista and so it emphasized discovery and the hidden aspect of DV which I think his book brings out more than any other. The cover made you think, "oh, I want to find out where that is" rather than just presenting a bland view anyone driving through the park around lunchtime would see.

Anyway, with the new sucky cover design combined with the usual amazing content this becomes a set piece example in "don't judge a book by its cover".

 

Pics of the damage here...what a-holes
http://petapixel.com/2016/09/19/vandalism-iconic-racetrack-death-valley-national-park/

 

Very cool capture in Rainbow Canyon

 

Not surprisingly the Thunderbird pass was pretty weenie compared to the bog standard naval aviator passes... At least he got a little lower than the C-17

(Go Blue Angels)

 

Lol good thing a Marine pilot didn't come through and exceed all performance parameters and expectations.

The Thunderbird pilot had to focus on his intricate smoke system. He thought his aircraft was on fire.

Given enough goes around the pattern the C-17 would have gone lower than all of them.

 

Thunderbird pilot had to worry about his purse getting loose in the cockpit! LOL JK

 

Yes, this. The few times I've watched there for any length of time it seems to reliably be the marine pilots that get the lowest. Though I think the local China Lake test pilot wing (VX-31) gets extremely low as well given it is their back yard. The one day I bothered photographing it was a marine pilot that finally gave the lowest of low passes in the canyon that let me get this shot:



Oh, and I forgot to mention the C-17 passes in that video were quite cool. Had a nice low flyover on the top of Steel Pass earlier this year from a C-17.

 

Been going through this thread again and like the looks of this. Anyone use it with an android device? If so what are your thoughts? Does it cover Mojave too?