Death Valley with the Tacoma - Thanksgiving weekend 2015

[Questor]

Hello All.

Over the four day Thanksgiving weekend, my girlfriend and I went out to Death Valley, just to get away from it all.
We planned to to to Saline Valley Hot Springs and just chill, and soak.
We packed up the Tacoma and hit the road.

A lot of other people had the same idea... They were loaded up with all their toys, and were headed out to the desert too.

Our drive was about 275 miles so we had plenty of windshield time.

The two GPS were in agreement...

The last bit of pavement before we got to the 70 miles of dirt to the Hot Springs.

The first part of Saline Valley road was in good condition.

The night before this area apparently got some snow.

A motorcyclist had the same idea as us.

We continued on...

But as we gained elevation, the snow became more prevalent.

But like any day after a storm, the weather was bright and clear.

It's hard to beat a scene like this.

Excellent road and great views.

The recent snow made for a unique experience.

The valley below.

We continued on...

Great views in every direction.

Our destination, the Hot Springs, are down in that valley below.

The final five miles off the Saline Valley road.

Stats when we reach the destination.

More to come.
Q~

 

[Questor]

We found a flat spot and parked the Tacoma.

We bundled up in our chairs, enjoyed a few beverages, and watched the sunset.

Once the sun set, the temperature dropped so we retreated to the rooftop "nest" and got cozy.

The next morning I got up early to watch the sunrise.

Camp was all set up... time to make coffee!

I put the solar panels out to run the Engel fridge so we could keep the food and beer cold.

This funny little bird came by to see what we were up to.

Mid day we took a short walk up the wash just to get a little bit of exercise.

But mostly we read, soaked in the hot springs, ate yummy food, and enjoyed our beverages in the emptiness.

Sunset watching spot.

That night it got cold too, so we snuggled up in the Nest and stayed cozy.

After three nights, we had to head home. We packed up camp and were ready to drive back home.

It's tough to leave a beautiful place like this.

The long empty roads back home.

Desert burro crossing?

Driving stats for the day.

I can't wait to go back.... perhaps when it's a bit warmer.

Q~

 

[SportsmanJake]

Thanks for sharing! I really want to go west...

 

[Maxcustody]

Great trip report and pictures!

 

[mph]

looks like a great time!

 

[mkitchen]

Looks like great trip

There is just something about DV that makes you want to come back. I am equally close to DV and the Grand Canyon but I much prefer DV, unless it is the middle of summer.
Thanks for a nice RR.
Mikey

 

[Byways]

I'll be the Taco was happy to get out of the driveway and into the wild!

Good job, Q!

 

[dirtlimo]

Awesome! Thank you for sharing!

 

[RandyP]

We're the three nights you spent in Saline valley Friday, Saturday and Sunday night? Great pics.

 

[EMrider]

I love that place. Thanks for the report.
R

 

[Dougnuts]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing. Do you have any pictures of the hot springs? What were the daytime temps down in the valley?

 

[Questor]

We're the three nights you spent in Saline valley Friday, Saturday and Sunday night? Great pics.

We were there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We left around 10am on Sunday.

Q~

 

[Questor]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing. Do you have any pictures of the hot springs? What were the daytime temps down in the valley?

I did not take any pictures of the hot springs. They were usually being enjoyed by naked people and I did not feel it to be appropriate. Daytime temps were in the high 60's and low 70's in the valley. At south pass it was below freezing.
Q~

 

[RandyP]

I was at Panamint Springs Resort Wednesday night thru Saturdaay. The temps were in the 60's daylight and 50's dark. I understand that there was a cold front that moved thru there Tuesday with high winds and extreme cold. I was lucky enough to miss that.

Were the warm springs crowded for Thanksgiving ?

 

[desertracer79]

I took a quick look for your rig on Saturday night but we pulled in kinda late. Looks like you had a great trip, ours too.

I put together a trip report here:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...est-section-of-Death-Valley-Thanksgiving-2015