Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

2013 article.

I have to pay more attention.

As long as it isn't the 20 foot drops that some creeks create, it should be manageable. Just have to go slow. Looks like a no go this weekend too much to do. I have a mid November trip planned but it is a scout thing. I think a spring trip is good depending on the weather.

 

Lots of progress is being made to restore routes of travel!

The team working on flood recovery at Death Valley National Park includes 140 people from 26 organizations, including national parks and related support offices, U.S. Park Police, U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Highways Administration, and Student Conservation Association.

Latest update:
http://www.nps.gov/deva/upload/Flood-Handout-Nov-6-2015.pdf

I read the full report on the damage to Scotties Castle. They are not done estimating the damages but we expect final restoration costs to be in the 10's of millions. So much destruction.

They say that the water flow in Grapevine Canyon was 10 orders greater than a 100 years flood.

My god... Wish I could have been there.
or:

 

^Damn that sucks.

 

I recall the tragedy of the graders misfortune. A case of making a bad choice after the dreaded double failure (flat tire, non op radio.)

Back in '09 I passed a woman operating a grader very near Post Office springs on Wingate road, just south of Ballarat.

I recall wanting to know more about the job.

I am always amazed when traveling thru Titus Canyon, it never ceases to impress. And the graders there definitely have their work cut out for them after each rainfall plus steep inclines. Really tricky spots in a few sections.

Last time I went thru, the sun set about half way thru the canyon. It was one of the only times I really wish I had some off-road lighting. Going thru the last section in darkness with the walls closing in, was quite the experience!

Going back to the idea of having a pass for more equipped vehicles on bad closed roads. I realize that unless there was a live active registration system, it would be a terrible idea for safety's sake. Convoys make things safer, but risk would be greatly elevated for solo travelers.

In all my solo back country travels in DV I have always encountered at least one traveler while traversing a trail, but the trails were open, too...

For safety I have my UHF/VHF 50 Watt radio, and lots of operating experience. I also carry a recent database extract of which amateur repeats are in the area AND how to access them. The thing is with DV, it's so vast and terrain so harsh, there is no guarantee that at any one time contact can be made.

Last year I set one of my tuners to scan while traveling and I heard all kinds of interesting traffic around furnace creek and got some Nevada traffic while up on chloride cliffs. I made contact and talked simplex to a pair of hams running up the 190. Very fun stuff.

For backup to radio, I carry a PLB, and it goes around my neck or pack while hiking in wilderness.

 

Sounds much like a Federal excuse to have a boondoggle.

 

I have used the InReach when I chased for Toyota at last year's Baja 1000 (when we won in the Tundra ). My experience with them was great... as long as someone is monitoring on the other end. A great combo with a Sat Phone but great by itself if you are backpacking, hiking, burying a dead body, etc.

 

NP

 

lol Paul. Not all government spending is bad. Their gas line, water systems, electrical systems all destroyed. Like a hurricane. What should they use to fix it? Bubble gum and Band-Aids?

I'm okay with them fixing the castle. And I want it fixed ASAP. I want to take a tour with my kids there maybe next Feb. Although probably won't be fixed by then. They are saying closed for the foreseeable future...

 

Definitely worth a visit. I'm planning a trip for early April, and I'm hopeful all backcountry roads will be open by then. I've seen everything you can get to on pavement..

 

Heading to DV this weekend going to see what is passable in the back country. Might go look for the old crashed plane.

 

I am sure they will spend 5 times more than necessary so that their friends and motives are satisfied.

 

No it's a scout outing. Probably 6 vehicles, some new parents in their unused 4wd vehicles...heehee

 

A friend of mine was out in the sacred northwestern part of the park this past weekend and was lucky enough to get to see the missile launch and several meteors. Sadly I had to work.

 

Sounds fun! Get 'em some pinstripes. They'll love you forever.

 

It's funny how some don't understand the love of pinstripes. I don't like them but they are part of the entry fee for some of the nicest beauty this country has to offer.

 

QFT. I don't mind them on the truck body, but when I started to get them on my $2,400 shell I was like nooooooo! But that was a 3 years ago, and now shell is just another part of the truck.

 

I have a neighbor from Peru that has come over more than once to look at the truck. The first time he said to me, "That's a man's truck." I asked him what he meant and he said, "You use it like a truck as we did in our country and it has the stripes to prove it - not like a woman's truck." It made me chuckle.

 

That's awesome! Great way to connect with the neighbors. I bet Peru has some very interesting trails.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ7S7oACyio

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXLxszv9eCM