My wife and I arrive in Ridgecrest for the "shelter" part of our trip. We chose one of the "posh" hotels the holy city of Ridgecrest has to offer.
January 16, 2010:
Our route takes us on SR-178 through Searles Valley and the towns of Argus and Trona. We stop to take a couple pictures.
The holy city of Trona.
My first, her second time.
Telescope Peak in the background.
The beauty of this place.
Volcanic and sedimentary formations.As we hook up on SR-190 and head east into the park, I am in awe of the geological formations as we drove. The desert had gone through a series of "seismic events" over the course of a few million years.
We arrive at Texas Springs near Furnace Creek. We are not alone. Being a Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday weekend, the Boy Scouts were out in numbers. Maybe it was a GOOD thing we didn't come out here New Year's Eve.
We set up camp at Site 35. Water spigot nearby. Picnic table. Campfire ring. Restrooms with flush toilets nearby. Cool temperatures. The joys of "roughing it" in the desert.
We brought one of our 4-person REI tents, and opted not to bring the Hobitat due to the possible strong winds this time of year according to sources who choose to remain anonymous.
We brought along the Coleman air mattress and "squeezed" it inside the tent. Ha! We will be sleeping like logs tonight!
After making our site "comfy" we headed out to Badwater Basin and Artist Drive. Having been to the top of Mt. Whitney (14,497 feet), the highest point in the continguous United States, we stood at the lowest point at Badwater Basin (282 feet below sea level). I checked my Garmin altimeter to see if it would register a "negative" reading. Sure enough, the reading showed "-275.)
Our first kiss below sea level.
Artist Drive.
Artists Palette.
Artists Palette.
Artists Palette.
Our shadows.
Artists Palette.
Mushroom Rock.
Nice smile!
A moment of Zen.
We're "drowning" in a Sea of Love!
Someday this peak will be bagged.
Natural Bridge.
Natural Bridge.
Fore!
I am not a golfer at the Devil's Golf Course.We decided to hoof it to Natural Bridge and the Gower Gulch Loop. We wanted to hike to Zabriskie Point, but due to the limited amount of daylight left and with the temperature dropping to the "chilly" point, we opted to take the loop. We didn't know it at the time but Gower Gulch has abandoned mines.
Golden Canyon
Golden Canyon
Golden Canyon.
Golden Canyon trail markers at the junction.
One of the many mine adits in Gower Gulch.
We both decided to jog the last 3/4 mile. It was the first time we had ever jogged "below sea level." Didn't feel any effects of "hyperoxia." But it was cool to jog below the level of the sea.
After settlling down for an hour, our camp neighbor from "Canadia" became concerned about the other neighbor on the other side of us not returning from a hike. We set out looking for him. Upon arriving at the parking lot, his car was not there...a good sign that he made it back safely. However, his whereabouts were still unknown.
Camplife.Our campfire dinner cuisine consisted of hot dogs and potato chips. That's organic hot dogs and potato chips!
January 17, 2010:
Alpenglow on 01-17-10.We arise early just before sunrise. It is cold. I check the Kestrel thermometer. It reads 34°.
We dine on bagels and jelly and sipping hot green tea while trying to get and stay warm. The tea to warm us is not working. It turns cold really, really fast.
We load up our gear and head out. Not to be denied, we stopped at the General Store to get our cup of hot coffee. There something about coffee and driving in the freezing desert that makes a person feel really warm inside. Not forgetting to mention the heater running at full blast!
We head north of the park towards Ubehebe Crater in hopes of hiking to the volcanic crater. As a last minute "contingent" we took a right onto Beatty Road and drive to the holy city of Beatty, Nevada. Realizing there "ain't much to do in Beatty" (no offense to Beattians) we did a 180 and stopped at the California-Nevada border for a photo op.
Smoochin' on the state line 01-17-10
Shivering at Hell's Gate. 01-17-10After stopping at Hell's Gate, we took Daylight Pass Road to Scotty's Castle Road and headed out to Ubehebe Crater and later stop at Scotty's Castle just to say "we were there."
Upon arriving at the ranger station, we were shocked to find that the road to the crater was closed! Note to self: Do your research.
Disappointed, we drove to Scotty's Castle. We had the whole place to ourselves except for a few of the park employees. Cold and windy we made our way around the complex. Very interesting to say the least.
Scotty's. 01-17-10
Scotty's 01-17-10
Solar-powered array. 01-17-10
Scotty's. 01-17-10
Scotty's grave 01-17-10
Scotty's grave 01-17-10
Scotty's grave 01-17-10
Scotty's grave 01-17-10
Been there, done that!To release some pent up energy, we hiked the 6-mile roundtrip Fall Canyon. What a butt kicker going up in the gravel. We only go as far as the first dry fall before turning around.
Not the Grand Canyon, but grand in its own special way.
The enormity of this canyon.
My gut is larger than the canyon! This, too, will pass!
Folds in the strata.
Fall Canyon
I can't get out!
We stop at Corkscrew Saloon to blow the froth off a pitcher of Mojave Red before heading back to camp. We spot one of our neighbors as she was sitting down with our other neighbor who was missing. Good to know he was safe.
We were tempted to order a basket of fries, but I reminded my wife about our, I mean, my New Year's resolution. A nice size basket of fries, but costs $6.95? I will pass, thank you very much.
Just so everyone knows, a gallon of 87 octane petrol goes for $3.529 per gallon.
Using a debit card? Gonna cost you 10 cents more per gallon. I hate these "scams." Damn banks. Okay, off my dais.
Our final campfire cuisine dinner consisted of chili dogs.
January 18, 2010:
Rain clouds.
The tallest dune.
We break camp and begin our return trip home. We witnessed a rare event in Death Valley: rain. Yes, rain. There were a few drops at Texas Springs as we left. It rained on us from Panamint Springs. What a sight to behold to see the curtains of falling rain pour down upon the desert floor. My first thoughts were: flash floods.
We head over the Panamint and Inyo Ranges. We drive through Keeler before stopping at the Visitor Center and then eat at the High Sierra Cafe in Lone Pine. Due to the low cloud cover and rain, we were unable to see Mt. Whitney.
During our drive home from Lone Pine, it rained the entire way. I have never witnessed rain in Owens Valley until today. Usually, we are there during the summer or fall, but never during the winter months.
Wherever I may roam...
