t-rex grrr
Adventurer
During President’s Day Weekend, some buddies and I ventured out to explore Death Valley. This is the second time we’ve been, so some of us had ideas of what we wanted to see, but none of us had a full plan…and it was great. No schedule to stick to and no rush made for a more relaxing experience.
So the trip began on Friday afternoon when three of my friends headed down to Lone Pine from the Bay Area to camp for a night. I had a prior engagement and was not able to leave the Bay until closer to 9PM, which meant I didn’t get into Lone Pine until close to 4AM. A couple of breaks helped me get through the drive, but I would prefer and suggest not driving that late at night.
After a couple hours of sleep, I woke up to greet my friends and to catch up all during my favorite part of camping, breakfast. Once we were done, we headed to the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center to get our entrance fees, then we were off.
Areas that we stopped at are as followed:
Ballarat
Had a taste of some amazingly smooth moonshine, but who knows what it was made of…or if it was even made by the gentleman selling it.
Lunch at Wingate Rd and Coyote Canyon
As we were enjoying our lunch, there was a lot of traffic coming down, but not many people going up. Once we entered the canyon, we didn’t see anyone.
Barker Ranch
Cool place to visit, but sad that vandals had to burn it down. If you ever decide to visit it, check out this video of what it actually looked like in it’s prime.
Mengel Pass
I had the most fun driving on this section of the trip. It was challenging, but difficult, and it was a great change of pace from the standard desert terrain.
Russell's Camp
We actually arrived as the sun was going down and were surprised that it was unclaimed. For those that haven’t been, there’s actually a flat area to park in next to the main house. We were able to squeeze in four trucks, and one of them had a RTT to extend out. As for everything else, there’s a lot of rat poop inside the buildings, but it’s shelter in the desert, so what do you expect.
Warm Springs Road to West Side Road
From Russell’s, we continued down this path and checked out some mines along the way.
West Side Road to Badwater Road
Nothing special about this terrain, but unfortunately this is where we discovered that one of my buddies had a leak in his power steering line and his reservoir was almost empty. Luckily we were close to Furnace Creek, so we headed to the gas station, found some power steering fluid, plugged the leak, and made our way out to Titus Canyon in time to enjoy the drive with enough daylight.
Titus Canyon Road
Another great trail with some spectacular views. Take your time and enjoy the drive and views.
For those that have never been to Death Valley, watch out for nails, especially around ghost towns, or makeshift buildings. You’ll be surprised at how many you can find.
Happy trailing and camping!
So the trip began on Friday afternoon when three of my friends headed down to Lone Pine from the Bay Area to camp for a night. I had a prior engagement and was not able to leave the Bay until closer to 9PM, which meant I didn’t get into Lone Pine until close to 4AM. A couple of breaks helped me get through the drive, but I would prefer and suggest not driving that late at night.
After a couple hours of sleep, I woke up to greet my friends and to catch up all during my favorite part of camping, breakfast. Once we were done, we headed to the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center to get our entrance fees, then we were off.
Areas that we stopped at are as followed:
Ballarat
Had a taste of some amazingly smooth moonshine, but who knows what it was made of…or if it was even made by the gentleman selling it.
Lunch at Wingate Rd and Coyote Canyon
As we were enjoying our lunch, there was a lot of traffic coming down, but not many people going up. Once we entered the canyon, we didn’t see anyone.
Barker Ranch
Cool place to visit, but sad that vandals had to burn it down. If you ever decide to visit it, check out this video of what it actually looked like in it’s prime.
Mengel Pass
I had the most fun driving on this section of the trip. It was challenging, but difficult, and it was a great change of pace from the standard desert terrain.
Russell's Camp
We actually arrived as the sun was going down and were surprised that it was unclaimed. For those that haven’t been, there’s actually a flat area to park in next to the main house. We were able to squeeze in four trucks, and one of them had a RTT to extend out. As for everything else, there’s a lot of rat poop inside the buildings, but it’s shelter in the desert, so what do you expect.
Warm Springs Road to West Side Road
From Russell’s, we continued down this path and checked out some mines along the way.
West Side Road to Badwater Road
Nothing special about this terrain, but unfortunately this is where we discovered that one of my buddies had a leak in his power steering line and his reservoir was almost empty. Luckily we were close to Furnace Creek, so we headed to the gas station, found some power steering fluid, plugged the leak, and made our way out to Titus Canyon in time to enjoy the drive with enough daylight.
Titus Canyon Road
Another great trail with some spectacular views. Take your time and enjoy the drive and views.
For those that have never been to Death Valley, watch out for nails, especially around ghost towns, or makeshift buildings. You’ll be surprised at how many you can find.
Happy trailing and camping!
