The Good Times, Great Memories Tour - 2008
- Thread starter kcowyo
- Start date
kcowyo
ExPo Original
"I'm a thousand miles from nowhere,
Time don't matter to me.
'Cause I'm a thousand miles from nowhere,
And there's no place I wanna be."
- Dwight Yoakam
I must pay homage to Death Valley. There is nowhere else like this hot, barren and infinite place that makes me feel so insignificant, yet... vital.
I've been fortunate to visit Death Valley several times, always in November and this was our 3rd November trip in a row. Death Valley in November is ideal with tolerable temperatures, low traffic and stellar sunrises. Somehow the furthest reaches of Saline Valley had been omitted on my previous itineraries. This November in Death Valley, was to be all about Saline Valley and the hot spring pools. So let's go to Saline Valley....
Excerpt from Roger Mitchell's, Death Valley SUV Trails -
"An enormous region of more than four hundred square miles, the Saline Valley was added to the newly created Death Valley National Park with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act late in 1994. This vast area is rich in archaeological and historical resources, has some interesting geological features and contains some very important wildlife habitat. Running through this enclosed basin is a rough road, occasionally maintained by the County of Inyo. Along this thin strand of graded dirt, access can be made to old gold mines, salt mines, borax works, sand dunes, hot springs, well-watered canyons and salt marshes. The Saline Valley Road has a little something for everyone."
Approaching the hot springs -
We didn't make it to the hot springs that evening. We were racing through Lee Flats, passing the Joshua trees at last light. By the time we began our descent down Grapevine Canyon, I had the brights on. I passed the turn off for Lippencot Road in total darkness, the pile of rocks marking the turn were barely visible in my headlights. We crawled over a rock slide without so much as a single beam of moonlight to assist us. By this time, at a top speed of oh, say 9mph, I was wishing we had stopped at Vince's for the night....
Things I learned on this trip #6 -
Don't be lazy and not air down when you have 40+ miles of washboards to navigate. Even if it's late, even if you're in a hurry, even if it's getting dark, even if you know better... just air down. Take the extra 10 minutes and do it. Your kidneys and dental work will thank you.
We inadvertently found a trail, running parallel to the main road. It didn't lead anywhere, it just tied back up to the main road after a mile or so. By now we're pooped, shaken not stirred and wanting some sleep. Feeling a little guilty, but certain we would have no late night NPS visitors, I parked in a shallow turn out on that trail, popped open the tent and called it a night. The moon played peak-a-boo over the tops of the Inyo Mountains above us while we shivered ourselves to sleep.
Military jet over the Inyo Mountains. Lots of jets....
The next morning began early. Desperate to keep moving, we roll out of our commando campsite, leaving nothing more than a few footprints as evidence of our stay. The hot springs are easily visible in the daylight and we are just a few miles away. Bouncing along the soft sandy two track, we see other travellers heading into the area. A couple of hippies, dreadlocked and stoned pass by us. Their old slide-in camper, far too big for their pre-Tacoma, was barely hanging on for dear life. Those kids didn't care. Their only concern was running out of rolling papers.
We ran into another guy, travelling solo in an old International Harvester truck with a flatbed and a slide-on camper. He was from Montana, and would be spending the entire month of December at the hot springs. Lucky SOB... he was a regular at the springs and later gave Mia and I, a tour of warm springs and the pools. It became quite clear rather quickly that our destination attracted some different types of folks than you would find at say, a Four Seasons resort hotel. Whew!
Getting there, just a few more miles -
We pass the sign in the lead photo and snap some pics. More jets fly by, low and fast. They're disruptive but captivating. Kinda like my kids... And before we know it we are at the lower springs. An old school bus, fresh from Max Yeager's farm, painted like an acid trip and labeled as the 'Galactic Wizard', was parked front and center. Several other dreadlocked kids were standing around, nude of course, and kicking a hacky sack. I was a little disappointed with the quality of nude scenery to be quite honest. And juggling the hacky sack while naked, didn't make them anymore appealing IMO...
We found our spot another mile up the trail at Palm Springs. The palm trees stood out in stark contrast to the creosote bushes and rocks. I get us set up in a nice little spot with a perfect view of the Inyo's on one side and palm trees on the other. We would be having company later and I wanted an area with enough room for everyone but a short walk to the pools. I've barely gotten the tent up when she pulls out the chairs and falls asleep in the sun. Five minutes at the Saline Valley hot springs and she's already got it figured out.
I wonder if I can talk her into kicking around the hacky sack later?
First a soak in the sun, then in the pool -
I'm gonna like waking up to this....
firemansxterra
Adventurer
Very very nice pics and stories...Anytime that REK is quoted is an added bonus! Also is that a union sticker in the back window?
DarinM
Explorer
kcowyo said:
Another great read. Thanks for sharing your gift with words.
I've moved around alot and it's really uncommon for me to get to see my friends (some of whom we have in common) as often as I would like to. It's good to be reminded to not take any of our time for granted.
Best regards...
Streakerfreak
Jan-Kee
I just caught up with this thread after being away. All I can say is WOW! Great thread KC!
kcowyo
ExPo Original
Thanks for all of the kind comments & compliments guys. :bowdown:
The Columbus definitely scored some points with me on this trip. Primarily was the additional 3mpg over what we get with the camper on the truck. Better visibility made slashing our way up interstates much easier too. I could see this set up as a desireable way to go if we didn't already have the FWC for the truck. However those two are made for each other, so the camper will be back on soon enough while the Columbus moves over to the Landcruiser. I'm confident those two will be made for each other as well.
I promised someone I would have this thread done by the end of the year but I also mentioned deadlines aren't my thing.... so I'm working on it.
:cow:
.
The Columbus definitely scored some points with me on this trip. Primarily was the additional 3mpg over what we get with the camper on the truck. Better visibility made slashing our way up interstates much easier too. I could see this set up as a desireable way to go if we didn't already have the FWC for the truck. However those two are made for each other, so the camper will be back on soon enough while the Columbus moves over to the Landcruiser. I'm confident those two will be made for each other as well.
I promised someone I would have this thread done by the end of the year but I also mentioned deadlines aren't my thing.... so I'm working on it.
:cow:
.
kcowyo
ExPo Original
"Oh the stories we could tell, if it weren't for the code of the road...."
- Garth Brooks
I was napping beside a beautiful woman under a palm tree, a drink in my hand with my feet in the sun, as close to peaceful as I may ever get when I first heard it.
A healthy rumble of some vehicle coming up the way. It had that ear catching tone, enough to make me pop my head up and look. It was rolling up through the valley floor in a cloud of dust and sounding boss. It's Louis and his quintessential LR Discovery. Right behind him is Linda and her palatial Tundra & Flip-Pac. The mid-week shenanigans were about to begin...
Something for everyone -
Sometimes you just get a good feeling about someone. They strike a chord with you and you just know, given the opportunity, you're gonna be pals. And it's worth every mile to get to see them. This is how it was meeting Louis & Linda. Formalities give way to familiarities, and we're toasting in no time like old friends. It's one of the great things about this forum.
Forget Facebook, this is Spacebook, and it's totally interactive. :friday:
Adventure ready -
We set up a great little party camp. As if still a holiday, in no time there is too much to eat and too much to drink set up on tables by the fire. Linda outdid herself on the provisions. My goodness what a spread.... shrimp, pasta, steaks, veggies, chips, dip.... It doesn't take long before Louis is mixing some of Lynchburg's finest. These two know how to do it up right.
Fit for a queen -
My memory is a little fuzzy and my notes are a little vague over the next couple of days... Or maybe I just made a lot of promises to Linda and Louis to keep my mouth shut. Hell, it's not like I could tell you most of it here anyway. This is a family forum. But some things shouldn't be forgotten. So in memory of priceless moments -
Things I learned on this trip #7 -
somebody in our group got tipsy & almost fell in the fire
somebody in our group wound up naked
somebody in our group was besmirched by a frog
Palm Springs in Saline Valley -
It's kinda difficult to take photos of the hot spring pools when they're full of naked people. Apparently the nudies think you're a pervert if you try.... Not that I could post them here anyway. So you'll have to take my word for it, the pools are there and they are spectacular. For Mia and myself, soaking in a hot spring pool out in some desert oasis (on a trip we planned, prepared for and executed together) was for us as a couple, one of those pivotal moments that we'll always remember.
Does that matter? Well it does in my book. And since this is my story, you'll just have to go with me on this. It was a good few days.
Wizard Pool under the palm trees -
We were joined on our last evening by Gavin/Fergie, who manned up and drove in the dark solo. He was in plenty of time for the antics and had a spot by the fire in no time. Unfortunately Trevor/Green Ganesha couldn't make it due to some vehicle issue. Given he's an Land Rover guy, I'm guessing it was electrical.... I know Linda was especially disappointed that Trevor, and maybe equally important - his infra-red grill, wouldn't be joining us. So we'll have to come back to Saline Valley, to meet Trevor sometime. We're ok with that.
Before Gavin is even done decorating the rocks with his dinner the next morning, we're packing up and putting everything is it's place. We'll be leaving the springs and driving east across the park before continuing into Nevada and then home. It's early and I want a whole day to get across Death Valley. We're torn between wanting to stay and needing to stay on schedule. We would have stayed longer if we could have, but there is more to see down the road.....
Thanks Louis & Linda & Gavin for the good times and great memories in Saline Valley -
Streakerfreak
Jan-Kee
The pace is actually kind of nice. Gives me something really nice to read every so often.
