Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

I found it on

$230 HCALORY 12V Portable Diesel Heater, 2024 upgrade Toolbox 2 Diesel Air Heater 8KW 6L All-in-One Parking Heater with APP Control Work at Altitude Max 20000 ft for Car Trucks RV and camper

Amazon. Compared to what I bought, it's nice that it's self contained and carries 6L of fuel. I have seen them slung under tents (with exhaust carried away from the tent) or on the rack. They're a bit noisy so farther away is better.

 

After spending the past couple hours down the Chinese diesel heater rabbit hole, I'm pretty convinced that I can get away with something smaller and hard mount it between the bed and bedside.

But not today!

 

I did something similar just about 1 year ago now:

Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Incredibly convenient. It is always ready to go. A single press of a button and in 5 minutes I am getting warmed up.

It did require a significant modification ('giant' hole in my bedside), but for a literal house on wheels it was an easy choice for me.

Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

100% worth it.

 

I also run it in my trailer for work, I like it better than my trailer heater..

$230 HCALORY 12V Portable Diesel Heater, 2024 upgrade Toolbox 2 Diesel Air Heater 8KW 6L All-in-One Parking Heater with APP Control Work at Altitude Max 20000 ft for Car Trucks RV and camper

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D45L4C48

 

I have a nice warm bag and that's done very well. I know how my heater works but I haven't really used it much just because it's more shit to pack.

 

I've had a 2kw model half-installed in the bedside for years. Ducting and wiring run, but no diesel tank yet. Never got around to actually finishing it!

The realization that I can sleep comfortably in the cab took the wind out of the sails for me. For camping near others, like in a campground, the parking heater would be fantastic. But on the rare occasion I get too cold and need to warm up before bed, I just idle the engine and sit in the cab. A better man would dress appropriately and have better gear, of course, but I'm not a better man.

 

Thought I'd toss this in here after @ian408 commented on it in a trip report. Found a nice private view of Telescope Peak for the night on a recent visit.

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I also really enjoyed this view of the southern tip of the foldy-Cottonwoods (with the Panamints rising behind them).

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West Side Road Reopens

At long last the northern end of West Side Road reopened today:

https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/west-side-road.htm

 

Got a little chuckle out of this. Was reading a recommendation the other day about this route thinking to myself "it's closed". And here we are!

 

Ivanpah Eyesore To Close

Slightly off topic, but the DV thread is sometimes a generic "things in the Mojave thread", so I'll plunk this here. Folks in the So Cal area quite possibly already saw this in local news.

https://apnews.com/article/californ...oises-mojave-6d91c36a1ff608861d5620e715e1141c

At least two of the three towers at Ivanpah will stop operating in 2026. Likely the third will at some point in the near term as well. Reason is simply that it isn't cost effective given the low price of photovoltaics these days. Concentrated solar, when originally developed, appeared to potentially be competitive and worth exploring. In the end concentrated solar was less efficient than expected while photovoltaics became much cheaper than expected.

Decommissioning details not available as yet, some mention of potentially reusing the area for photovoltaics. I would hope the disturbed area would be repurposed for photovoltaics rather than disturbing some new part of the desert. Large photovoltaic arrays have their own issues of course, but they aren't quite the view shed disaster that the blinding Ivanpah towers were!

 

Personally, I celebrated when I heard the news. I would hope they return the area to the tortoise habitat it once was and stop with the wasteful spending.

 

Last night wasn't too bad.

 

Looks like you'll need to start a Mojave thread...Just got this today at the Eastern Sierra visitors center.

 

This is welcome news Ken, thanks.

 

While they eyesore of Ivanah and the closing is a good thing this will never be turned back into it's natural desert environment. Hopefully they'll build regular solar plant on that land and quit expanding the solar on the race side of the freeway.

 

The key would be to make it a national monument.

 

It's a good idea, so now there is one: Mojave Preserve (and Desert) Off-Road Adventures | Tacoma World

And that's a great book. I highly recommend all of it, but a few personal favorites that I think you'd enjoy:

• Cowhole Mountain (and the nearby Little Cowhole Mountain)
• Alaska Hill
• New Trail Canyon
• Carruthers Canyon (maybe not so much, anymore)

 

Not really a DV or even 395 kinda thing but I figured most would appreciate it.

I've always been interested in fire lookouts since visiting one. I applied a couple of times but as you know, most of these kinds of gigs are pretty difficult to get--so many apply for so few positions. And once you have the gig, it may be yours for as long as you're able. And with the need for lookouts (or maybe the desire to even support them) wanning, not many of the hundreds built in the 40's/50's remain. Even fewer are staffed. I read about a guy who wrote a book,

$11 Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout

Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout. Others have documented their own journeys at the lookouts--some quite fascinating. The work requires more of an attention to detail and documenting observations than you might imagine but it is perfect for those who like the solitude mixed with an occasional visitor. Most use their time to make repairs or upgrades to the cabs of the lookouts, take photographs, write, etc.

This morning, I came across this video which talks briefly about why there are lookouts today. There's an informal interview with a lookout in the PNW. Pretty good.

https://youtu.be/mtfEtIs_4DQ

We now return you to Death Valley content but for curiosity's sake, I did look to see whether a fire lookout existed in DVNP. Google AI says

Those of you more curious will note none of them is in DV or even California for that matter

 

Got a perspective on the Grandstand that isn't often captured. Are those ants out there, wandering a lunar landscape?

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And, a morning in Saline at the bottom of Lippincott.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bCbDLjA4DY

 

Is that from up on Ubehebe Peak?