AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

Hiking Death Valley Part 2 - Room Canyon and...Water Crossings?
February 15, 2019.

The night passed much more peacefully than the one before and we slept extremely well on our new Exped Megamat Duo 10 - a great fit in the @cascadia tents Mt. Shasta, and significantly more comfortable than the foam mattress. Hoping for a dramatic sunrise, I was up early to explore camp.

​

​

In the end, given our location in the pass - there wasn't much color in the sky, the weather seemed to be holding and the temps were warmer than the day before, and I was happy to explore the hilly area around camp to see what secrets it held.

The area itself had a few different structures on it - the cabin of course, which we'd explored the evening before - but also a secondary building a little further up a wash, and a large concrete water storage tank on a hill to the north. Each offered splendid views back towards camp and down into the valley to the west.

​

​

​

As I explored some more, I was excited to come across the conical mill that had been mentioned in the cabin's history, and I enjoyed the few wildflowers also blooming in the same wash.

​

​

As I headed back towards camp, the sun was trying it's hardest to break through the clouds - unsuccessfully at our location, but with great zeal a little further west. What a morning!

​

And then, as I walked down a wash adjascent to the conical mill, I discovered a cave. Could this have been the location of the gold deposit that was found in the early 1900's? I'll perhaps never know, but I was still elated to be able to explore this cool little relic before heading back to camp past a rusted-out old car that had clearly seen better days!

​

​

​

​

Back in camp, everyone else was starting to stir and it was time to make breakfast and get our tents put away. Of course, I couldn't resist a few photos of the truck - especially given the relatively small amount of driving we'd be doing this trip, and the peeking out of the new ADS suspension that I'd recently installed.

​

​

As @mrs.turbodb made breakfast - cereal with fresh strawberries and dark chocolate granola bars, I looked around the cabin a bit more. The evening before we'd wondered over the "garden" out front, and as I once again tried to figure it out, it finally dawned on me what this was - it was a miniature golf course! Each can was a hole, some a bit more interesting to putt into than others. :biggrin:

​

​

With breakfast wrapped up and our equipment stowed, there was just one thing left to do before pulling out - sign the guest book. It was only after returning from the trip that I realized I should have checked the book for an entry or two from previous visits by my dad and uncle, since I knew that this southern end of Death Valley was one of their favorites!

​

We had only a couple miles of dirt to get back to Highway 178, but I took full advantage to stretch out the legs of the new suspension - this my first opportunity to do so since I'd completely the installation a few weeks earlier. Needless to say, I was impressed - it was significantly better (especially in the rear) than what I'd had installed previously, and of course it was nice to not have to worry about bottoming out the rear as we'd done so many times on the Mojave Road in December.

​

​

​

As we headed west, we reveled in the morning sun - we'd gotten a peak of it the evening before, but seeing Death Valley bathed in light, and snow on the top of Telescope Peak was more than we could resist. Even with a full day of hiking and exploration in front of us, we took the time to enjoy the moment.

​

​

​

Before long, we reached our first trailhead - like the previous day, a single unmarked waypoint designating a spot we were to pull over on the side of the road.

​

And, like the day before, we set out once again up a long alluvial fan towards our destination - Room Canyon - this time under sunny blue skies. Excited to see what this trail had in store, we were soon at the mouth of the canyon, it's walls rising up and beckoning us inside.

​

​

​

In preparation for all of our hikes, I'd mapped coordinates on Google Earth, and I had them downloaded onto my phone so I could be sure that we were headed the right direction - trail markers and footprints non-existent on these over-desert adventures. Unfortunately, on our Room Canyon hike, I completely forgot to take out my phone, and that meant that we entirely missed the pinnacles (some of the tallest in Death Valley) and side narrows loop portion of the hike - a bummer, but also a great reason to return!

Instead, we carried on towards the room, making our way through up the main narrows - over, under, and around large boulders that have fallen from the walls over the years.

​

​

​

​

Eventually I came to what I thought was the room - though at this point we'd been separated from each other - I'd slowed down to take photos - and I was exploring on my own for the time being. A grand opening in the canyon, the glow of the walls from the morning sun was gorgeous and as I made my way through, I came to a dry fall that would clearly need scaling. Aw shucks, right?

​

​

Quick work made of the falls, I finally took out my phone to find that it was only here that I was actually entering the official room of the canyon, another sight to behold - though, in my humble opinion, not as nice as the previous grand opening...

​

​

At the end, I made quick work of another (taller) dry fall and explored a bit further up the canyon before turning back - convinced that the rest of the group wouldn't have made it this far so quickly and so that I must have unknowingly passed them at some point.

​

So I made my way back to the room, whistled to let the group know where I was, and then waited for them to make their way up canyon. Turns out they weren't far behind at this point, and my whistle alerted @mrs.turbodb that they were on the right track, and within a few minutes they joined me in the room.

It was time for some goofy photos.

​

​

We hung out for a while - enjoying the quiet solitude and good company in Room Canyon - before finally deciding that we should make our way back to the trucks. This was only our first - of at least three - hikes for the day! So it was that we tore ourselves away, first down the smaller of the two dry washes (which was still pretty big), and then out through the towering walls of the canyon. As often the case, I found myself rephotographing many of the same places, not wanting to miss anything!

​

​

​

Before long, the long alluvial fan was all that stood between us and the trucks, Telescope Peak and the Panamint Range towering above the valley floor in their snow-covered glory.

​

Room Canyon hadn't disappointed - it wasn't perhaps as spectacular as Kaleidoscope the day before, but it was pleasant and frankly a jewel to find so centrally within the valley and so close to the road. Back at the trucks, we decided to head to our next trailhead - one for Sidewinder Canyon - and then eat lunch before setting out. It was still quite early - well before noon - so everyone was totally fine with that plan.

​

To a person, I think we all had sandwiches and chips for lunch - though our sandwich and chip selections were varied in both preparation (Ben @m3bassman and Mikey @pizzaviolence had pre-assembled at home) and content (@mrs.turbodb and I had PB&J this day) and then we set off on what was the only "mainstream" canyon hike of the trip.

In fact, we hadn't planned to hike Sidewinder Canyon at all, but earlier in the day I had realized that I'd forgotten to download the coordinates for Room Canyon and so it was suggested that Sidewinder might be a good substitute - Diggonet's Hiking Death Valley suggesting that it was an experience like no other - six side slot canyons to explore along the length of the main wash.

Eager for such an experience, we headed up.

​

​

It wasn't long before we came to several of the slot canyons and ventured in, the walls tight around us - rocks balanced precariously above. Several sections even seemed to get folks jogging through - human nature edging out the logic that these rocks had been in place for hundreds or thousands of years!

​

​

We explored what we thought were three of the six side slot canyons, each one not quite as impressive as we'd expected, until we came to a side slot that seemed blocked by an enormous rock fall. Some poking around suggested that we might be able to make our way though the rocks, but we weren't sure and didn't have our guidebook handy at the time, so decided that we'd call it a hike and head back to the truck - perhaps the experience like no other that we'd read about was "like no other main attraction" in Death Valley, as opposed to the Canyons we'd found ourselves in earlier!

We'd later find out that only one of the side canyons we'd explored was one of the six major slots, and that we were in fact meant to climb through the rock fall that had turned us around in order to see the second (and most spectacular) slot.

That's just fine of course - yet another reason to go back - and as we headed back to the trucks, we spent some time chasing a few of these little guys - something I've loved to do as long as I can remember, and a skill I've honed over the years for no particular reason.

​

Now mid-afternoon, our next destination was in the far-southern reaches of the park - a good 90 minute drive from our current location. That was fine with us, and we ticked off the paved miles quickly, eventually reaching Harry Wade road - a first for all of us, I believe - where we aired down the tires for comfort, another 60 minutes or so to go before we reached Saratoga Springs.

​

​

Though a bit washboarded, Harry Wade road was in reasonably good condition, especially given the recent precipitation, and we made good time - as I recall, stopping only twice along the way.

The first stop was along the side of the road where we planned to return the next day in order to attempt our longest hike of the trip - the Smoke Tree Slots - but we're clearly getting a bit ahead of ourselves. Today, as we paused to look around, Ben couldn't resist his usual #instafabulousness and took full advantage of the empty road.

​

Zane @Speedytech7 and I of course gave him all kinds of flack for that move, not the least of which was doing our best to make him feel as un-special as possible by maneuvering our trucks into a similar position.

​

And so it was that as we were taking photos of the truck, Ben just happened to stumble upon a rubber dildo in the middle of the desert. Of course, thinking back on it now, perhaps we should have expected that he'd have been drawn to such a discovery. Just saying.

As we wondered among ourselves what would cause someone to leave such a possession in this place, Ben captured a most unfortunate photo of me attempting to stand it up so we could capture the moment for posterity - my attempt ultimately futile, the sand offering no support to balance the "erected" find.

​

We were soon on our way again, several suggestions now flying over the CB radio for possible trip names - "Dicking Around in Death Valley," "Trailhead to Trailhead," etc. - none of them appropriate for my clearly-better-than-that audiences.

It wasn't long until we made our second stop along Harry Wade road. This one wasn't so much a stop as it was a pause and momentary astonishment at the fact that there was running water in the Amargosa River as the road turned west. My understanding is that the riverbed is generally dry here, but clearly the rains from the week before had swelled it and its tributaries into a real, live creek. What a cool event to witness!

Leading the way, I eased through, unsure of what lay beneath the muddy surface, only to find that the deepest part of the crossing was less than 18" deep. In a similarly civilized fashion, Zane followed.

​

As we waited for Ben on the far side, we heard over the CB radio, "You guys are going to need to pull your trucks further forward." A clear sign that some skinny pedal was about to be unleashed. So, we pulled forward and waited. Engine rev-ing and some minor tire spin and Ben was off. The river here had split into two forks and he hit the first with gusto, water jettisoning from his wheel wells - and he was through!

​

​

Then, he hit the second, deeper crossing.

​

​

​

It was clearly the most fun Ben had had in his truck in quite some time. No doubt the result of some egging-on or ego to show off to his passenger. But it was fun, and we all got a good laugh before continuing south.

As we approached Saratoga Springs, we decided that we'd take a short detour from that destination (and what we thought would be a nearby camp site) and explore a bit just south of the the Owlshead Mountains (in the *****************). These mountains are primarily known for the scenic canyons found within the range, made primarily of decomposed granite, and due to their remote location are one of the least-traveled locations within the entire park.

Little did we know how lucky we'd be to have taken this detour. Sort of. I mean, except for the unlucky part where we had a truck malfunction. But again, I'm getting ahead of myself.

​

​

As we made our way into the hills, we eventually turned into a wash and behind down into a hidden valley, simply following tracks from visitors that were few and far between. And before us, the colors were suddenly amazing. I let out an audible "wow," over the CB - Ben and Zane still a ways back - and stopped to capture the situation.

​

​

We continued down into this valley and parked just as Ben finished his final approach - he and Mikey equally excited by what we'd discovered.

​

As we looked around, we all quickly - and simultaneously - realized that this was where we wanted to camp for the night. And that meant that we'd need to book it a bit to explore Saratoga Springs and still make it back here before dark. So we loaded up and headed back the way we'd come for about 30 seconds, until Ben came over the CB to say, "Uhh guys, we need to stop. I've got a brake problem - the pedal is going to the floor!"

A quick inspection showed that - somehow - the banjo bolt on the passenger front caliper was spewing brake fluid every time he pressed the pedal. Luckily, it was a simple matter of tightening the bolt a quarter turn to compress the crush washer just a little bit in order to re-seal the bolt and continue on.

​

​

Shortly, we found ourselves headed back toward Harry Wade Road and Saratoga Springs. It was getting to be early evening at this point, and I knew that we wouldn't get to explore the springs in quite the way I'd hoped when I was planning the trip. Still, I was excited to see what we could see, and even more excited for our camp site that evening.

​

​

As we neared the spring, we came upon a 2nd gen Tacoma stopped on the side of the road, it's reverse lights on. Turns out, it was a PreRunner, sporting some P-rated tires, whose driver had decided that the muddy road leading to the spring from the recent rain was not something he wanted to attempt in traction-less 2WD. We made sure he was alright and pulled around, the mud and water on the road no big deal for our trucks, and another reminder that we were here under special circumstances.

​

​

Exiting the trucks as the sun was getting low on the horizon, we set out for the springs and - hopefully - at least one of the nearby talc mines. First up were the springs. Home to a species of pupfish found nowhere else in the world, a sign at the end of the road warns visitors to stay out of the springs and on the trail. We were happy to oblige, the views from the trail breathtaking in their own right.

​

​

Walking along the east side of the springs, we eventually crested a small hill as the sun was only a few minutes from the horizon. Ben, Mikey and Zane elected to stay there to enjoy the sunset over the springs, while @mrs.turbodb and I decided to push on the mile or so to the nearest talc mine in the Ibex Hills - hoping to make it before the sun set completely.

Picking up the pace, we made good time and arrived at the mine about 15 minutes later, just as the sun was starting it's descent below the horizon. I snapped a few photos from a distance, the warm orange glow lighting up the derelict remains of mine equipment and tailings splendidly on the mountain side before it dropped out of sight.

​

​

I was jogging up the hillside now, not wanting to waste a moment of light - enough of it still around for some nice photos. The mine was in surprisingly good condition, the ore shoot standing tall, and what looked to be the main mine shaft still open, though I'm not sure I'd want to climb down the ladder into it's depths!

​

​

A short distance away - some 150 yards or so - an explosives shack was built into the side of the mountain - it's door propped open, contents long gone. But behind it, the beginnings of a beautiful display of color in the sky over the valley.

​

With the mine explored and our light limited, we headed back toward the springs and our fellow adventurers as the sunset continued to play across the sky. The wind was picking up at this point as well - a harbinger for the night to come, but a quick pace was enough to keep us relatively warm as we made our way back, capturing the color over the Ibex range and Saratoga Springs as we went.

​

​

​

Back at the trucks, we were all excited for what we knew lay ahead - our camping location south of the Owlshead Mountains a lucky find that we hoped would not only be beautiful, but also keep us sheltered from some of the wind that we'd experienced throughout the entire trip.

We made our way back - a simple endeavor now that we knew exactly where we were headed - and within 30 minutes or so we found ourselves setting up camp and getting ready to prep dinner. Unfortunately however, it seemed that while our spot may have sheltered us slightly from the wind, there was still plenty of it - so we positioned ourselves to block as much as possible while cooking hamburgers on the grill and got dinner made as quickly as possible.

Then, just as we were sitting down to eat - mysterious rain! I say mysterious because - as we looked up into the sky - there weren't any significant clouds, and above us was the moon and several constellations. As we moved our chairs to a more sheltered area, we discussed the situation, determining that it must have been the strong wind blowing the rain quite some distance into our little valley.

Crazy!

We chatted into the evening as the wind continued to increase in strength around us. I fired up the ham radio and listened to the weather report - a strong wind warning was in affect until midnight, with 35- to 40-mph winds and 55- to 60-mph gusts! Campfire-less again, this made for a chilly situation - one that we remedied with many layers of clothing to keep ourselves toasty warm. Toasty enough that apparently I may have, allegedly, fallen asleep in the middle of the conversation, awaking to laughter when I failed to answer some question thrown my way.

Eventually, we called it a night and headed to our respective tents. As @mrs.turbodb and I climbed into ours, it was immediately clear that it was going to be a noisy night - the fabric of the tent straining as the wind continued to pick up. Luckily, we'd positioned the truck so that there was no risk of the tent folding up on us - but even with earplugs, the buffeting of the tent was enough to keep us wondering if we'd made a terrible mistake.

Eventually though, we fell asleep. That is, for a few short hours, when we were awoken by ... (and now we're getting ahead of ourselves again ).

 

That's probably a good tip. I've got about 60K on a set of Grabber AT2s and a couple of plugs.... One is new, but the other was old and was leaking. I put in a new plug, but some rubber cement with the plug might work better.

 

I too enjoy the take on that day, and how one of my blurred plates turned into dirt haha.

 

Love it dude! I exited Henry Wade but didnt know about Owl hole spring road. Def gonna go back soon and enter via henry wade then.

 

Yes, you did. And I'm just trying to keep you out of trouble... .

Dirt's the best for covering up a plate. Glad you enjoyed - it was fun to do it with ya!

Harry Wade road is definitely pretty cool - lots of stuff to explore down that way, and not many people make it down there I think. I'd love to hit up Saratoga Springs again for a more complete exploration - just ran out of time this time (as always, hahahaha)!

Yeah, you can always push the current plug into the tire and re-plug with cement. Did that to @mrs.turbodb's car tire and it seemed to work a champ.

 

Awesome Pics and story as usual.

 

All caught up on your magical meanderings in DV. Great stuff. I need to get over to the south and southeast parts of the park.

 

I enjoyed the pics of that sexy ADS suspension almost as much as the nature photos.

Thanks for the info on the ExPed, I have a Mt Bachelor and for some reason thought the mattress was 48" wide. Measured the platform last night, and it's actually 54" wide -- so that 51" mattress should fit great. Pretty pricey, but so is Physical Therapy.

 

looks like you found our trail buddy, lost around here



on our way to saratoga springs. man we looked for it for about 20 mins.

 

we forgot our overlandclown trail leader door magnet, so we had to improvise...

 

Thanks! Fun trip for sure. Next segment will be ready to post tomorrow, I think.

Hahahaha, the ADS is nice...but not without it's drawbacks - still some dialing in to do over the coming months to get it performing the way I want it to. The Exped is amazing - worth the expensive price IMO. Dare I put it in my "top 3 mods of all time?" Yep, I dare.

OMG, that's crazy. I mean, not that you guys had it - I'm sure that makes a ton of sense . But that we found it, and then you found my write-up on TW. How in the world did that happen? That's what I really want to know.

Explains why you'd have it for sure. Or at least why you'd claim to have it.

 

But is it an unusual sight?

As before mentioned in this thread, here's what we found on Father Crowley Point in Sept 2016.


Enlarge the photo and count them if you dare.

 

this party looked a lot cooler than mine

 

Well this thread took an interesting turn. Now I'm sad we didn't get to reunite you all with the lost member of your group

 

Interesting is one way of describing it I guess. Definitely a bit different than my usual, family-friendly content!

I should have suspected that you were involved in these shenanigans.

OK boys, lets...

​

 

Hiking Death Valley Part 3 - We Trek Miles Across the Desert
February 16, 2019.

Our sleep was short-lived, the wind continuing to pick up as the night wore on. In fact, this chapter technically starts on February 15th, since it was 11:45pm when we awoke to the most violent shaking of the tent I've ever experienced - significantly more violent than the night I spent with Monte @Blackdawg and Mike @Digiratus at the base of the Henry Mountains in Utah. I'd already gotten up once to secure the ladder, tying it to a full 5-gallon jerry can of water and the slider of the truck to ensure that the fold-out half of the tent wouldn't make a second attempt on our lives. But as the gusts continued to increase, I finally decided that we needed to move in order to ensure the survival of the tent itself - and so it was that at midnight, we climbed down out of our cozy den and moved the truck nearer the valley walls... hopefully into a bit more of a wind-shadow.

Earplugs back in and ladder re-secured, we climbed back into bed for what would continue to be a restless night of sleep. We found out the next morning that while everyone else had fared a bit better, even Zane @Speedytech7 had resorted to bungee cords to hold down two corners of his rain fly despite having Ben's @m3bassman truck and tent as a direct wind-block. And Mikey @pizzaviolence once again retreated to Ben's cab, the night much too violent for his hammock-strung-between-two-trucks setup.

As morning broke, things had calmed down significantly and - as I climbed out of the tent - it was going to be a gorgeous day, not a cloud in the sky and the sun just starting to pour down into our valley.

​

​

Having been in a bit of a rush the previous afternoon when we'd been here, and then having arrived after dark the evening before, I was keen to explore around camp and see what I could find. Ben was up as well, so we spent a bit of time looking around - the highlight of our search a gypsum mine that had been carved deep into one of the mountains - apparently used from 1909 to the 1950's by the Avawatz Salt & Gypsum Company. The shaft itself had been securely blocked by a large metal grate, but it seemed to still be in reasonably good shape for it's age - likely the result of relatively little human activity at the site!

​

​

​

I spent a bit more time wandering up a nearby wash and finding a good place to avail myself of the luggable loo as Ben made coffee and checked out his brakes- topping off his brake fluid after his little incident the day before. The warm, early morning light making for some sweet displays of color.

​

Still early, we all had quick breakfasts and got back on the road - our plan for the day simple: park somewhere on the side of Harry Wade Road and head due west, across the desert. Once we made it the 3.5 miles to the other side and the Owlshead Mountains, we then had another 5 miles of hiking three different slot canyons before making the return trek back across the desert to our trucks.

I mean, how hard could it be, right?

At any rate, I'm getting ahead of myself, since the trip out to the valley was spectacular in itself.

​

​

​

​

Having taken a different route out of camp than we had in, we found ourselves slightly further north on Harry Wade Road, but still about an hour south of our "side of the road" trail head. It was a beautiful day, and we all enjoyed the easy, secluded drive north - once again encountering the Amargosa River in it's flowing glory.

And once again, I made my way through with as little fanfare as possible - cognizant of the mud that could end up in my bed and all over the tent if I went too fast.

​

Ben - after letting us know over the CB that he was going to "take it easy" today, apparently meant that he was going to try to destroy his truck - which is exactly what it sounded like he'd done as he pulled out of the wash. Luckily for him - and to all of our surprise - he'd managed to "fold out" his wheel well liners on both sides, and they were making quite the ruckus.

​

​

​

Liners folded back into place (and secured only by "hope?"), we were once again on our way and it wasn't long before we arrived at our destination, technically known as: some spot along the road. We pulled off as far as we could - careful to stay within the grading berms - and prepped ourselves for the journey ahead. Lunches were made, water bottles filled. And then, we set off across the desert. Truth be told, it didn't look that far to the other side.

​

​

It turns out - like driving distances in Death Valley - hiking distances are also deceptive. It was in fact, that far to the other side of the valley, and in fact, the other side of the valley was simply the beginning of a long alluvial fan up the Owlshead Mountains. Perhaps 60% of the way across, we also encountered the same river we'd crossed in the trucks - now, our turn to stick our feet in water that few ever get to experience. It was cold!

​

As we continued up the alluvial fan - now nearly an hour after we'd started and not yet to the first slot canyon, we turned and looked for the trucks. Yep, there they were - three little ants crossing the valley, only just visible to the naked eye.

​

The trucks are in the very center of this photo. Seriously.

Here's the center, zoomed in with a mountain for reference. Trucks.​

Eventually, we reached the first of the Smoke Tree Slot Canyons. Named for a few Smoke Trees that happen to grow at the mouths of the area, these slots were discovered and hiked for the first time in early January, 2016. As such, we were excited to be some of the first to experience the secrets they held as we finally approached the entrance to Slot #1.

​

​

As we made our way further up, the canyon split - to the left, the main canyon and to the right, a side slot - which we'd soon find was the real gem of the two.

​

Not knowing what to expect, we decided to do the slide slot first, entering and immediately realizing that we were in a special place. So narrow was this side slot that we all had to remove our packs and turn sideways just to make it around some of the turns.

​

​

​

At the end, a small room and a 50-foot-tall dry fall. Naturally, impossible for me to resist climbing up into as @mrs.turbodb took a dozen photos trying to get just the right exposure.

​

Relatively short, we headed back out and decided that we'd explore the main fork of Slot #1 before eating lunch and continuing on our way. Really this meant that we had to walk about 50-feet, where the main slot ended in another equally impressive dry fall (which you can see in the photo of us eating lunch).

​

Lunch was a fun affair - we were all hungry and whenever you eat lunch in a place like this, it's special. We shared food and laughs as we rested our legs and recharged our bodies from the hike across the valley before getting everything packed up again for the push to the next slot canyon. This push first entailed skirting up and around to the top of Slot #1, where we could not only look back down, but inch right up to the edge of the dry fall.

​

​

Then, we headed up the wash - the connector to Slot #2. While the wash wasn't a slot at this point, it was still quite beautiful - a fact that resulted in us following it for a bit too long and ultimately having to scramble up the side in a non-ideal location in order to get back on track. Worth it? Yes, definitely.

​

​

As we crested the side of the wash, we could once again see out and across the southern end of Death Valley - the weather sunny with a bit of breeze, and 63ºF - perfect!

​

And we got a glimpse of the namesake of the mountains in which we were climbing - the Owl's Heads, lined up in neat rows.

​

More rock scrambles, with lots of GPS tracking, eventually got us to the start of our next squeezy situation at the top of Slot #2. I don't know that I've ever explored a slot canyon in the "downhill" direction, but I wonder if that's actually a better way to go - after all, it is the direction the water took in order to create these wonders.

Not as narrow as Side Slot #1, Slot #2 was cool in it's own right - much longer than any of the slots we'd previously explored on this trip. To try and capture the scale of the canyon, I tried having @mrs.turbodb stand several hundred feet downstream, the sun illuminating her through the waves in the wall.

​

​

​

But, though longer than the other slots; like the others, it was not long enough - and before long we found ourselves at the mouth of the wash, a namesake Smoke Tree guarding the entrance.

​

It was here that we decided it was time to head back to the trucks. The remaining Slot #3 would nearly double the length of our hike, and we'd done quite a bit of hiking in the last three days. The fact that we had 3.5 miles just to get back to the trucks sealed the deal for much of the group and as usual, I was happy to leave a canyon unexplored... perfect fodder for a return trip!

​

Eventually, as the moon rose, the trucks grew larger in the distance.

​

Back at the trucks, everyone was happy to sit down and shed the packs we'd just hauled across Death Valley. It was mid-afternoon and we had a two hour drive to camp - our plan, for the moment, to explore Echo Canyon for the perfect spot. And so it was that we drove for a whole 2 minutes before Ben came over the CB radio, "Uhh guys... I've got a battery issue."

​

As he raced towards Zane and me, his voltage was dropping fast - 12.5V, 12.1V, 11.7V, 11.0V - he wasn't sure what was wrong, but it was clear that his alternator wasn't doing it's job. He soon skidded to a stop and wondered if turning off the truck and restarting it would solve his problem - perhaps he just needed to "kick" his alternator.

Nope, that wasn't it. His alternator had gone .

Luckily Zane had a spare with him. Only problem was, Zane's got the 2.7L engine and Ben's got the 3.4L V6. Zane grabbed his newly rebuilt Jaguar replacement anyway as we started tearing out Ben's alternator - Mikey and @mrs.turbodb napping in their respective trucks. :rolf:

​

​

Oh, and Zane and I had parked side-by-side when we were waiting for Ben. We were pretty sure that wasn't going to pose a problem, so we just let it be.

​

Getting a 5VZFE alternator out is a pretty simple operation, so within a few minutes we were comparing housings to see if we could make Zane's replacement fit in Ben's truck. It was clear that we couldn't and so we started talking about alternatives - the best one we could come up with being a few repeated battery swaps, using my and Zane's alternators to charge Ben's battery as we made our way north and he destroyed ours.

But then, Zane had an idea. "Hey Ben, when was the last time you replaced the brushes in your alternator?" he asked. "I don't know - I've been meaning to do it for years, but never got around to it." the perhaps predictable response. And with that, we started disassembling the alternators just enough to get at the brushes - luckily, interchangeable between the two.

And as we pulled out Ben's brushes, it was immediately clear where the problem was.

​

His brushes were so worn that they no longer contacted the commutator bars on the armature, thus there was no longer any power being sent to the battery. Quite the recovery from an otherwise bad situation on Zane's part!

We got everything put back together and the alternator reinstalled in Ben's truck over about one hour's time, and then we were on our way north - our destination no longer Echo Canyon - we didn't have time for that, but instead, Hole in the Wall.

Sunset on the way was spectacular as ever, the light illuminating the sky as well as reflecting off the water and salt in Badwater Basin, and we paused momentarily to take it in.

​

As we knew we would, we reached camp in the dark and set about deploying tents and cooking dinners in a much more sheltered location than the night before - a lesson we wouldn't soon forget. As we ate dinner and discussed the day and trip, there was a bit of melancholy not present the previous evenings - we knew this was our last meal as a group and that tomorrow we'd be parting ways. In fact, the plan was for two trucks - mine and Ben's - to break camp very early the next morning - heading north in an attempt to make it home in a single shot.

​

And so it was that we eventually called it a night and climbed into our cozy hides. An amazingly different trip mostly behind us - an experience that I'd definitely love to repeat.

- - - - -​

A Deer Destroy's the Hellas - and We Destroy a Deer - on the Long Drive Home
February 17, 2019.

The next morning we were up bright and early as planned - one benefit of the early departure was that sunrise was definitely something we'd get to experience. Just as I climbed out of the tent, the sky began to light up, the clouds a perfect canvas for the sun, as it rose on the horizon.

​

Ben was soon up as well, and a chorus of shutter clicks was all you could hear in that part of the valley for the next several minutes as the clouds transitioned from pinks and purples to a bright orange above our heads.

​

​

But we couldn't hang out forever - we had places to be and roads to travel, so we tore ourselves away from the sunrise and packed up our tents and a few remaining camp items before heading out, back towards the Hole in the Wall. Of course, we'd missed the namesake of the trail the evening before, and so we were sure to stop on our way out to capture the view - in all honestly, probably better in the morning than evening since you get to see Death Valley in the background when you're shooting from east-to-west!

​

​

Now just after 7:00am, we hopped back in the trucks and made our way down the trail and past nearly a dozen camp sites where folks had spent the night. Some were sedans and some were outfitted trucks, but nearly to a tee, all heads turned as we flew by - our suspension soaking up the relatively small bumps that the wash had to offer - it was a blast. Oh, and the closer we got to the trailhead, the more we could see - Telescope Peak still towering in the distance, it's white coat gleaming above all else.

​

​

​

Too soon we reached the end of the dirt and it was time to air up. We hadn't traveled all that many dirt miles on this trip, but those we had were fun, and the intervening hikes more than made up for it if you ask me.

​

As we turned north, a quick stop at Furnace Creek to pay our park fees and another in Beatty for fuel were all that stood between us and a loooooooong drive home.

​

Some 12 hours for Ben and Mikey, and 20 hours for @mrs.turbodb and me, I asked Ben to lead this part of the trip - I knew that his speeds would be more conducive to a quicker arrival than mine, and in the back of my mind I knew that every 10-mph increase in speed would cut nearly three hours off our overall travel time.

And so north we went. We paused only for bathroom breaks and quick bites to eat.

​

​

​

Then, as we were pulling out of a refueling stop in Winnemucca, NV, I heard a clunking. I wasn't sure what it was, but I mentioned to Ben over the CB that I wanted to check it out - it was probably just something in the bed rattling around, but better safe than sorry. And boy, was I glad that I took a quick look around - because I have a feeling that a few more miles were all I had before this situation became one that was much worse.

​

A quick tap with a hammer and a new washer and nut - which I'd picked up when I'd done the rear shock relocate, just for such a situation - and we were back on the road. At this point it wasn't long before we were parting ways - Ben and Mikey heading east to Boise and @mrs.turbodb and me continuing north and west to Burns, OR and then late into the night.

​

Most of that drive was uneventful, but about 30 minutes before we got to Burns, we spotted a deer on the side of the road. It was bouncing along at full speed next to us for about two seconds as I applied the brakes, knowing too well what was about to transpire. And then, unfortunately for all of us, it made a sharp left turn in front of us - it's small frame no match for the @relentlessfab bumper on the front of the truck.

Luckily for us, the deer went under - rather than over - the truck as we hit it square on with the center of the bumper - the strongest part by design, housing the winch and supported by the skid plate and all three hoops. In the end, a thorough inspection revealing that the only damage to the truck were the Hellas, which were decimated by the impact.

​

We arrived home at 3:00am - a long, 20-hour drive capping off an absolutely amazing trip. Hiking, wherever it may be, is definitely something I want to start doing more of on these adventures!

- - - - -​

Thanks for reading. If you want more, check out more stories of fun over at
adventuretaco.com​

and you can always leave your email if you want notifications of new trips​

​

 

OK, way to go guys, muck up one of the best TW threads with a bunch of dicks. I guess I shouldn't expect less from TW.

Anyway, after ordering that ExPed I am confused. Current specs on the CVT Mt. Bachelor say it is 48" x 48" folded up, but I clearly measured 54". Sure hope it fits . . .

 

It's all good man. Sure, it's not the content I would have posted, but it is pretty amazing that two groups of people here on TW not only found each other's stuff, but then also found the write-up and made the connection.

Plus, I post enough that it's going to be lost in the bowels of the thread in no time .

At any rate, don't let it bother ya too much, and enjoy part 3 of the Hiking Death Valley trip, a two-day affair entitled:

We Trek Miles Across the Desert and
A Deer Destroy's the Hellas - and We Destroy a Deer - on the Long Drive Home

​