Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

As someone who is usually three time zones ahead when I’m in DV I’ve seen many a sunrise from full darkness. It is definitely a whole different thing from sunset. And as far as stargazing goes it is also of course a whole different sky as far as what is up then. A rising waning crescent just before sunrise adds even more!

 

Ugh, I hate seeing that the AQI in DV is still so bad. Is most of that still coming from the Creek Fire and blowing east?

With temps cooling down there, I'm hoping to make it down a few times, but of course, I'd like it to be clear when I'm there.

 

The Creek fire has been devastating for air quality down the Owens and thru DV. I dropped over Conway summit last monday from pretty clear sky and saw the thick smoky cloud suffocating the Mammoth Lakes area. uhhgg, I'd spent the last two months in filthy AQI conditions, and getting out was imperative. I drove thru the Mammoth area and it was thick opaque stink, and fortunately clearing to just hazy going down Owens. SV had a definite hazy glare to it viewing from the south. upper elevations permitted 'clear' star gazing, but horizonal views in all directions had a rich haze. Once I dropped off from Homestake into the deeper SV haze I was kind of used to it, but the high low elevation heat was a bit more than I like, tho the warm Palm shower was totally great. Watched stars that evening, slept a few hours, and was up and rolling at 4am. Went up 6 to 120 to avoid Mammoth. Mono Lake was beautifully clear, calm, and perfect temp for a leisurely break.
yeh..so..@turbodb..hopefully the smoky haze goes away this year..

 

about when in November?

 

I've been watching the GOES images daily to see the flow of smoke from the fire. Some days are better than others.

This was the view coming down 168 from the Whites and down in Owens heading south on 395 Saturday evening...




And the stump of the Roosevelt Tree taken on the way in on Wednesday

 

not as clear as i was hoping, but not changing my plan.
heading to DV thursday am...

 

Things change daily and I'd hope my pics don't dissuade your trip.

 

nothing is stopping this trip...haven't been out since june!

 

What is your itinerary? Dates/locations?

 

thinking 22nd & 23rd nelson range / cerro gordo...24th & 25th down to the argus range

 

Ah Thanksgiving week. Usually pretty busy out there. Not sure if PSR will be doing Thanksgiving dinner this year due to the rona.

 

october!....leaving this thursday am....
was out there last thanksgiving tho. as i like to be remote...no crowding problems for me

 

Good luck on your trip Sir! Pics please!!

 

Ah I hope it's a good trip. Smoke is the only issue right now. Looking forward to the post trip report.

 

Did Rogers Pk. Doesn’t count though. It was for work.

 

Counts in my book. Any pics? Did you experience any bees or sand wasps there?

 

No, no bees, etc. I can’t find any pics. It was a few phones ago. I guess the pics didn’t transfer. There were some interesting dome like “kiln” structures where I guess they made charcoal back in the day at the bottom of the road. Pretty cool. Also, it was warm and sunny at the bottom of the trail and snowing at the top. Pretty interesting place.

 

19th-22nd.

 

Sorry thought this was recent. Monkeyproof and I were in different parts of the Panamints earlier this month with different types of bees/wasps encountered. Sounds like you were at the Wildrose Kilns which were created by George Hearst (father of W.R. Hearst) to make charcoal for his mine across the valley.