Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Tons of off-roading.

 

I wonder how the kayaking is gonna be? It's already clouded over in Bishop. Rains supposed to start sometime after 5PM today.

 

Oh boy. Hoping it’s anything but wild weather.

 

Will Huell Howser be kayaking in Lake Manly?

 

Idk. Are you scattering his ashes?

He died maybe 10 years ago? Cancer of some kind.

 

seriously FLAT water. don't know anything about the two dudes, though the ranger makes me think Chevy Chase.
however the two rotomolded sit on top boats appear to be derivative designs from Mike Neckar of Necky Kayacks B.C. Canada

 

Huell Howser, on the left, hosted a show called California’s Gold. He’d go to places that were of some importance or maybe just faun facts and in his folksy style, tell people about them. He went to Yosemite and talked to people about the Fire Falls (from Glacier Point) including those who lit the fires and pushed them over after a verbal exchange from the valley floor.

Or one time, he was standing in the center median with a Caltrans guy talking about the center of California right there on 99.

He was a strange bird for sure but his shows always left you with something.

 

OK kind of an early day YOU-TOOBER. I spent many years without television and therefore missed out on American Culture. I do remember seeing FireFalls...thinking wow this is normal?
..I have not owned a TV since 1972..uh..still don't..but I'm watching U-Tube trying to catch up on world affairs, american culture and politics..very educational

 

Damn. Your library collection must be stacked by now. Nice work. I mean that sincerely. I haven't watched normal TV since the late 90's but I still own one for movies with the wife. Our library is doing pretty well. lol

 

..had to think about that while watering the garden. not that big of a reader. all those years could have been reading more books

 

A youtuber long before YT. Huell was such a positive in a world of negatives. He'd go places and create a wanderlust for people who may never of known the places he visited. His shows were great to have on during family time before these little screens dominated our lives.

https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/

His home was something that most desert rats would love to visit or live in.

https://www.desertsun.com/story/des...de-volcano-house-desert-masterpiece/91225446/

 

Mojave National Preserve Entirely Closed
Badwater Rd and North Highway closed in DVNP

For anyone planning storm chasing adventures be advised many locations are preemptively closing roads.

The entirety of Mojave NP is closed, meaning all roads paved or otherwise.

Campgrounds and Visitor Center closed in DV as well as both North Highway (i.e. road up to Scotty’s Castle) and Badwater Road.

 

We're headed to the high desert today, once in Mojave I'll do addition homework. Appears to be raining up there now with the big stuff coming this afternoon and evening.

 

From DV's Facebook Page...

**Hurricane Hilary Update**
As of 8:42 am, Sunday 8/20, flood water is already flowing across park roads. With heavy rain in the forecast, conditions are expected to get worse; roads will become impassable and the park will likely lose power, communications and potable water.
It is unlikely that emergency services such as medical, search and rescue and fire will be able to respond.
https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

 

CHP just closed 190 in Panamint Valley to the east over Towne Pass.

EDIT: More impactful both sides of I15 are shutdown in Barstow due to power lines coming down across the freeway.

EDIT 2: And now CT has 190 closed from 395 all the way to 127. So that’s pretty much all access to the park closed.

 

Gotta Love California, Hurricanes and Earthquakes all in the same day..

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwLlpkasci8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

From the CHP incident log it sounds like everything is now blocked. Towne pass had debris on it and they need to clear the 190 out to 127. The linked video seems to show why!

 

If it’s under a 6, does it even matter anymore?

Spoiler

I say that in jest. If you’ve never experienced a 6+, please avoid it. Would not recommend

 

His was a full on TV production. NPR underwrote it. He wrote a book which was interesting. He described his "production" as mostly just he and his camera guy would go out and shoot the stories then come back and put them together. Translation, the production value is medium but the information is fascinating.