ETAV8R's build: Gini and some wanderings

Death Valley/Saline Valley January 2019
Another trip is in the books. I left the LA basin before noon and arrived in camp around 7pm. I took my time and made a couple stops. One being the Almond Wood Ranch in Lancaster. If you want quality firewood and are heading out in this region this is your place. This is the second time I've picked up firewood there and it is great. Long burning with hardly any of the crackling and sparks like store bought stuff.

I made it up to the North pass of Saline Valley Road just as the pink hues of sunset was taking place. This wasn't the first time I've come in under the cover of darkness. You know the old saying about doing things more often becoming more comfortable. I guess the same applies to these types of trips. Daytime is preferred and recommended.

When I arrived at the Palm Spring area it was somewhat busy but not as bad as it can get during peak times. I proceeded up the road past Palm Spring and found another campsite. As the springs have become more busy I've began to camp in this area in order to give myself space. Only issue is in regards to vehicles traveling to Steel Pass. It's not a big deal really but they do pass by whereas other campsites may be more removed from routes of transit.

The first evening was cool in the 40s, maybe high 30s at the coldest. I made a fire and enjoyed the solitude. The next two evenings would be very similar. Winds, which aren't to be mentioned in camp, were present but not the crazy stuff those of us who travel in this region know can happen. The new truck shell works fine at these temperatures. I got a new sleeping bag to try out on this trip and am very happy with it. The Klymit KSB 0 degree bag was on sale at Costco prior to the 31st so I took a chance. It's a keeper.

My first two nights were spent in one spot. I did move on Sunday after a large group of Landcruiser enthusiasts left the area just East of the Wizard Pool. After their departure on Sunday I went to a spot that I prefer in that area. One very interesting thing witnessed after the group left was during an afternoon soak. I had cleaned the pool earlier in the day. During the soak a woman who was there noticed an animal coming down from one of the palms. In my 9-10 years of visiting the springs I've never seen a ringtail cat. A friend has seen one in the Panamints and they are indigenous to the southwest US. It came down from one palm and then over to another where it climbed to the top. It was a super experience.

I only ventured out on one day with the goal of exploring some of the canyons at the base of the Inyos and some of the marsh area north of the salt lake. I checked out McElvoy but being alone it wasn't worth scrambling down to the wash to get to the first falls. It was cool to finally go see part of it. The next stop was Beverage. I've been there before. Since my first visit, seven years ago, it has degraded somewhat and there is now political graffiti. It is beyond me why people go so far to make a statement for one party or another with spray paint defacing historical property. A family lived there and raised their children there. Respect these places.

After Beverage I wanted to check out the marsh area and found myself on an old road which isn't supposed to be in use any longer. Needless to say the main road into the springs is the best method of transit. Once back at camp I shared what I'd seen with some regulars who have a great knowledge of the history of the valley and the springs. One being a camp host who was there long before the current host.

I left the next day after a sunrise soak in the Wizard Pool, breakfast, and saying my goodbyes to the people I'd made acquaintances with. The drive out North Pass was easy and I was on pavement in 1hr 20min. I'd prefer the road not be graded as frequently as it causes a false sense of security for those who drive vehicles which might not normally be found in such a remote place.

After making my way to Owens I did the usual stops at Schats, Mahogany Smoked Meats, and the Great Basin Bakery. I will share what was shared with me on this trip. If you're passing through Owens Valley the Mobile in Big Pine is cheaper than both the Shell and Chevron and also charges the same for cash and credit. Pretty cool if you ask me. Enjoy the pics...

 

From way back when I had the flippac and a winter trip to Butte Valley. My buddy was always doing videography...

 

Damn. This is my first time seeing anything like this and now I'm dying to set up my truck like this and do it. beautiful photos man.

 

Thank you.

 

As much as I've enjoyed my custom awning adventures with tarps of various shapes and styles I finally bit the bullet and bought a real "awning". After my new years trip to Saline and seeing the awning/room combos I thought about it quite a bit. I will most likely still bring my two Kelty tarps because of their flexibility.






Found a video of how to mount it on my EMT bars and with several trials and tribulations I finally got it mounted this evening. I'll test out the room tomorrow in the daytime. Here are a few pics and the video I used for the mounting process. I want to add that I didn't have to do any grinding since my bars are standard 1" EMT available at most hardware stores.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRq-EZsm_5o&t=412s

 

Very nice! I may end up doing the same in time.

 

My truck is the sport. I have an LSD so no diff lock no 4x4. Do you think I can still safely camp out in Death Valley?

 

You can experience a lot that DV has to offer. Some internet forums argue that 4WD is not necessary but I go by the saying better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Be smart about when/where you travel and leave an itinerary with someone. If you haven't been on the DV thread here on TW it has a ton of information about the park and various adventures.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/death-valley-off-road-adventures.60777/

 

I figured if that one guy dragged an airstream out there without 4x4 then I could be alright. Also I got truckclaws Incase I get stuck.

 

And that guy failed to get it out and paid at least 3k to have it removed from south pass. A lackadaisical perspective is a good way to get into trouble.
Don't be that guy.

 

Awning is stout and I'm happy with it and the room attachment. I do need to move the awning aft so the opening on the truck side can allow room for the chuckbox to open. Not sure if it would be better to have the awning and room on the passenger side.

 

Currently enjoying Owens Valley

 

Quite the afternoon yesterday

 

This morning does not suck.

 

This picture kinda sums things up...I'll try to get a trip report out soon. Back from five days exploring Owens Valley and a short trip to the Lee Flat area of DV.

 

So here goes. I schedule my breaks from work during new moon conditions so I can see the most stars. Being that I'm currently in a two year nursing program I try to get out in nature as much as possible between semesters. IMHO the inter-semester breaks are too long. I got my vacation request approved and decided to head up to try my luck again at getting to Papoose Flats. I'd only been there once before with a group trip back when I was first starting off-roading. I don't call it overlanding. I'm not crossing a continent like Australia, sub-Saharan Africa, or a North-South trans Am trip. It's off-roacding and camping. Pretty simple.
Disclaimer, most of these pics are cell phone shots and all are not post processed. As a photographer all my life I find more and more the best pics are ones I don't feel free to share. They give away too much. Locations which haven't been overrun by ego feeding humans that I choose to protect just as best I can. I hope you enjoy regardless. Let's go!

The group I went with in the past didn't camp right at Papoose due to the belief of not having enough room. After this trip I know we would have fit in several sites. I left on Friday May 31st and got to Owens Valley in the afternoon. Stopped at Copper Top BBQ in Big Pine before peeling up the 168 and onto Death Valley Road. I tried to be the first to get to a geocache of sorts for a instagram guy who leaves stuff for others to find. The mug which had been there all week must have been found earlier that day. Oh well. From Saline Valley Road the skies were dark and virga was falling looking west towards the Inyo Crest.



The trip to the Flats wasn't too hard. There is one downhill section that has a little pucker factor but 4Lo and it's easy going. The skies were getting darker and upon arrival to the Flats I was actually getting sleet accumulation on the windshield. After a few minutes the precipitation passed. Time to set up camp. This trip was a shakedown on several aspects. First was my shower tube mounted on the truck. I had it on a previous trip but attempted to hand pump the pressure into it. This time I would hook up the compressor during showers and it worked great. Second was my new awning. It too worked great. Fared well in breezy conditions but not a Saline/Death Valley wind event. Those are major and known for destroying personal items. The third thing to get a shake down on this trip is the two recently purchased Solostove products. Initally I got the Campfire but when it arrived I decided to look into the larger Ranger. I used both of these at various times during this trip and they worked great.




The weather during this trip was really amazing and it was hard to not pick up the cameras in effort to attempt to capture the magnificent clouds and storm systems.


After two nights up on Papoose Flats it was time to head down into the valley for warmer and hopefully dryer conditions. After breakfast on the third day the rig was packed and wheels rolling. The goal was to complete the Andrews Mountain Loop. Last year I attempted it and was thwarted by a large water crossing. That was a solo trip and so was this one. If the channel I made in the depression worked last year the road would be passable for my level of risk. It was easy peasy and the adventure continued. Here's a comparison of the area noted from last year to this year.
Last year

This year


Even with the wet winter we've had in CA this section was passable.


Next stop was a spot I know north of Bishop. Spent one night there. The weather was so dynamic ending with a rainbow.







The following morning it was time for more adventure. First breakfast, then load up the rig and take a shower. Off to a spot in Death Valley I've named the Promontory. I suggest always taking roads you haven't driven before in order to discover new things. It has given me many more places to explore and enjoy the history left by forefathers.


Precious history, please respect it and try to leave it better than you found it.


Mysterious and rarely seen, the devil horned Joshua Tree


And incredible weather and views. I've been on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, The White Rim, San Juans in Colorado, and many other locations. For me, the views from any corner of Death Valley seem to eclipse other locations











On the last day I stopped at a familiar haunt which drew me back only three days later.

The winter here in CA has been amazing in many ways. The desert is still blooming if you know where to look

To be continued...

 

Amazing photos!

 

Geometry and geology.

 

YEASSSSSSS! I liked your post 5-times.

 

Continuing from the June 11th post...

The Lee Flat area is renowned for the numbers of Joshua Trees and in early June it was very green with various types of desert vegetation. The temps were perfect. I wanted to get right back out there and that's exactly what I did. The first trip was Fri-Tues. I worked Wed/Thurs and headed back out Fri-Sun. Initially the plan was to camp at a different location but due to the wind I sought shelter at a cabin nearby. Recently a lot of work has gone into attempting to rid this particular cabin of mice and rodents. There are entries in the log including some by the NPS. Nice to see them involved in a positive fashion. Preserving the history that is out there. The cabin is in much better condition than I've seen in my decade of traveling Death Valley. I would sleep inside if it were cold or really windy outside...or if I couldn't level my truck. This would be a long endeavor unto itself. The area does have some areas to park a vehicle but unfortunately none are very flat. I like to have my truck facing the direction of travel to leave a site. Needless to say, it took a while.


Coffee and the colors


It was nice to finish this book at this location. Some of the areas noted in the book are visible from Lee Flat.


Evening is on the way, long shadows.




The next day it was time to take a short hike to the other nearby cabin. This is the first time I'd been to this one and it was in good shape but much smaller than the one I was camped at. Later in the day I saw a white truck heading up to it. On the way back to camp I took the road instead of hiking trail. Lots of interesting flora and proof of fauna in the area, even a bit off scat. I'm guessing bobcat. This area is mountain lion and bobcat territory. Any scatologists feel free to share your ideas of what laid it down. Sorry, nothing provided for scale.















I don't mind taking my time when departing an area. It gives me time to let the LA traffic settle down by the time I get there. On the way out of Lee Flat I decided to check out a different road. There were old ore processing vats and 50gal drums. The road takes a turn to the Northeast and travels further in a wash. Obvious proof of old mining activities are noted. The main mine at the end is quite interesting. I don't go into mines often for good reason. This one was interesting enough to get a few pics not far from the entrance. The first posted lode claim assessment for the "CQ" mine is from 1969 and the last I saw was from 1992. Very interesting that the next due assessment is 1993. Death Valley became a park in 1994. I did a brief online search for Homer Steuck from San Diego but not much comes up. Not sure what material he was mining but he did visit often. It's nice that there aren't signs of any recent human visitation in the form of vandalism.
edit: Answer to the "CQ" is Copper Queen. Noted on p.468 of Digonnet's Hiking Western Death Valley is a single paragraph dedicated to this mine.















Once back on Hwy 190 I decided to head down to Panamint Springs. Pizza here is pretty good but not ground breaking. I stopped at another cabin in Panamint Valley but didn't take any pics. WTH?

A very green Rainbow Canyon




With plenty of time left in the day I decided to finally head up near Indian Ranch. This area is private property and I don't suggest tresspassing. I've read history shared by those who were lucky enough to live (some permanent, some weekend/vacation) at this desert paradise. Sadly this area isn't accessible but the memories of what was are quite grand. The sad history of Indian Ranch ended in what some consider karma.
Indian Ranch gate...shotgun enforcement


One home and the old clubhouse


Following the stop at Indian Ranch I took the road down to Ballarat. The book Silver Stampede seen earlier in this post covers the history of Panamint City. Unfortunately people can no longer drive to this amazing part of California History due to closures from narrow minded selfish political goals. At one time even Harley Davidson motorcycles could be driven to Panamint City as seen in the movie "The Glory Stompers" starring Dennis Hopper. Parts of Panamint Valley are still in private holdings and one property owner has actually started online reservations for dark sky viewing/camping. Kinda interesting. Anyone can probably drive 100 meters from the reservation site and camp. If you do this please consult maps and ensure you're on BLM land. Leave it better than you found it.

Dark sky camping






Love the new to me gold bars on the sign.