Five SoCal trucks in Death Valley

[stioc]

Our trucks at the Eureka Dunes​

I'll start with my trip report and I'm sure others will share their's.

Thursday:
So the much awaited Thu afternoon finally arrives. The gf and I pack a few last min items and hit the highway full of excitement and anticipation of exploring DV. I've done DV once before on a sport bike but that's a very different experience than an offroading trip:

After five hours or so we arrive in DV. We topped up in Olancha and filled our 8gals fuel cans. We're also carrying 9gals of water on top of the standard camping gear, food etc. Curiosity got the best of me and I made a quick stop at a Cat Scales along the way to weigh my truck. The report card is in and it says 5260lbs. Just barely within GVWR but almost 1000lbs over the listed curb weight. Onward with the pics:

We were staying at PSR this evening. The temps were perfect as we enjoyed a nice dinner on the patio of the PSR restaurant. The gas was $6.50/gal here, still cheaper than many countries but we were glad we filled up in Olancha thanks to the tips from other ExPo members! We grabbed an ice cream bar for dessert and hit the bed after a nice hot shower.

Friday:

We left PSR at about 8AM to meet up with the rest of the gang at Wildrose campground. The gang was dlichterman (Tundra), Captm (Tacoma+Flipac) and lbrito (Rubi UL+M416). We arrived at Wildrose, said our hellos and while Captm was breaking down camp the rest of us decided to go see the Kilns which dllictherman and Captm already explored the previous day:

The Kilns were nice, there's a great view of the valley from behind the Kilns. As I got back to my truck I noticed water dripping from the front bumper...then my heart jumped to my throat, oh s#^t! that's coolant. Did I put a hole in my radiator? I popped the hood and sure enough it was coolant as much as I wanted it to be the windshield wiper fluid By this time others came up and I think everyone had that 'are you f'n serious rightnow??' look. I muttered the ugly words of realization 'welp, looks like our trip is over' and the look on my gf's face was like she just saw a ghost. I decided to let the car cool off and coast down the steep decend back to the Wildrose campground and see what we'll do. May be I limp it to Stovepipe wells where we were headed to pick up our park passes etc. Well turns out that perhaps the radiator cap is bad and not holding enough pressure. I also removed the aux lights from the bumper as they do block some air flow. Looks like we'll be able to make the trip nursing the truck by turning on the heater full-blast as soon as the ScanGuage tells me the water temp is going north of 197deg. A few times even with the heater on full blast the water temps stayed at 202degs but we didn't have the boil-over like at the Kilns.

On the way to Stovepipe we took a detour to:

Next we picked up our passes at Stovepipe, then headed over to the dunes just about a mile or so up the street for a quick lunch. At lunch we realized we made a pretty good time and decided to do Titus Canyon on Fri instead of Sat and this way those that were heading home Sun could also see the Eureka Dunes and then we'll all head home together instead of Mon. Perfect! So we ran over to Beatty to top up. I picked up a gal of coolant just to be on the safe side and then it was Titus Canyon.

We saw a Prius along the way which was begging for mercy- I'm all for exploring and I think Titus Canyon is very doable in just about anything with a bit of ground clearance and the right tires but the media is full of proof how some people get in over their heads, some live to tell about it and unfortunately some don't.

After Titus Canyon we headed over to the Mesquite campground for the night. We made camp, dinner, built a fire, watched the stars, roasted cinnabons and went to bed. The next morning wolverine350 found us (thanks to dlitcherman's spotwalla tracking and some good CSI work by wolverine350). I realized how over the years I've met so many people here on ExPo and everyone without exception has been so friendly, helpful and this group was no different. We instantly felt like we knew eachother for a long time, some ribbing, some jokes, some 'my truck's better than your's' but always respectful.

 

[stioc]

Saturday:

I know most of you guys just want to see the pics so I'll keep the ramblings to a minimum since the scene is now set and let the pics do most of the talking.

Scotty's castle:

Ubehebe Crater:

Tea Kettle junction:

The Racetrack:

Lippincott:

Lower Warm Springs:

 

[stioc]

Sunday:

Final day, through Steel Pass down to the Eureka Dunes and then a red eye flight home!

 

[EMrider]

Thanks for taking the time to share pics and details.

I am heading to DV on Thursday and have a very similar route planned.

R

 

[PowerWagner]

Great pics - thanks for posting up.

 

[doug720]

Looks like a great trip, Thanks.

Doug

 

[mph]

Awesome...looks like a grand time!

 

[ryandavenport]

Awesome pictures! I am glad that I came upon this thread. The other night I was watching either 20/20 or Dateline, and it was talking about people who trust their GPS. There was a woman on there that got lost in the area where you guys took the pictures because she headed over from Scotty's to the racetrack in a Hyundai and ran out of gas after getting lost.

 

[txfactor76]

great write-up and excellent pics. thanks for sharing!

 

[ETAV8R]

AWESOME!
Thanks for the pics and report. How were the temps at the springs? I've been watching and it seems warmer than expected but I always take forecasts with a grain of salt. I know it is being picky but your photos are out of order-Lippencott after the racetrack? LOL You're gonna confuse someone and they will get lost.
:coffeedrink:
We head out tomorrow morning for our trek to the springs. The picture you posted of someone of the fairer sex enjoying a soak is actually Volcano Pool at Palm Spring. The lower springs are where most people go and are a short bit west towards Saline Valley.

 

[nwoods]

. I know it is being picky but your photos are out of order-Lippencott after the racetrack? LOL You're gonna confuse someone and they will get lost.
:coffeedrink:

??? The photos of Lippencott show them going down it, so yeah, I think they did Scotty's, then the Crater, then Tea Kettle, then Racetrack, then Lippencott, then north to the Springs?

 

[ETAV8R]

I meant Racetrack after Lippencott...had a moment I guess.
Photos show Lippencott, Teakettle, The Racetrack, then the springs. Not a big deal really but it is out of order unless they went back via South Pass-Hunter Mountain-Hidden Valley-Teakettle-Racetrack again-Lippencott again-then to the springs. No biggie. Most people do their homework and read maps before venturing out to these places...most.

 

[stioc]

Nope, Erik's right. I gotta fix the 5 pics under Lippincott. They should be after Racetrack. Thanks fir pointing it out. I will fix it when I'm bak at the computer.

The weather was superb, we had some cloud cover so it didn't feel as warm as it could have been. However the wind at Warm Springs was nuts and didn't let up. None of us got much sleep. We were surprised that our tents didn't shred to pieces.

Oh and the pool pic is my gf. She was in her bathing suit as well as the rest of our group but certainly not most others there. Yet I saw several brave people had brought their young kids with them.

 

[ETAV8R]

...

The weather was superb, we had some cloud cover so it didn't feel as warm as it could have been. However the wind at Warm Springs was nuts and didn't let up. None of us got much sleep. We were surprised that our tents didn't shred to pieces.

Oh and the pool pic is my gf. She was in her bathing suit as well as the rest of our group but certainly not most others there. Yet I saw several brave people had brought their young kids with them.

My wording in my initial reply was a$$backwards.
Thank for the intel on the weather. Yes the "W" thing happens at the springs sometimes. Unless you're sleeping in a hardside, SUV, or a pickup with a shell it can be bothersome to say the least. With the flippac the roof vent flaps like no ones business. Gotta put earplugs in and with sand hitting the tent it can sound like rain. I've had more stays there with minimal "W" but have experienced all that can blow through the pass to and from the valley. But in the end it is worth it. We usually suit up at the springs too although I would say the majority go nude. Sometimes that can be a good thing and sometimes not.

 

[dlichterman]

Ok....so I processed all my pictures before unloading the truck. I'll probably just leave it till this upcoming weekend anyways.

It all began on Sunday when I started by packing up my truck. Yes, I was the Exxon Valdez for this trip plus I had the turning radius for it.

After meeting up with Captm we made our way towards the Trona Pinnacles. Very strange formations similar to Mono lake.

We then headed up to Wildrose and the kilns, then finally on to our campsite for the night at Mahogany Flats. Had a beautiful view from the top.

The next day we woke up and just enjoyed the view. I took off by myself as I had a night at Stovepipe planned and I wanted to see some of the attractions down in the valley. You can see those pictures on my flickr. The next day we met up at the Wildrose campground and headed up to the kilns.

At this point we all had the "******" face as Russell states as we looked over the truck. After his truck cooled down we headed back down the hill and on to Aguereberry point. The views were fantastic, and we even saw some big horn sheep!

After lunch at the dunes near Stovepipe, we headed to Beatty for gas and then into Titus Canyon. The pictures really don't do it justice. Afterward we raced to the Mesquite Springs campground to get the last bit of sunlight as we set up camp.