Off Roading 4 Wheeling in Death Valley

[Forrest]

Came across this little character ... I threw a quarter down for perspective. It's near the tail.

 

[CFast]

I killed six of those little *******s 2 months ago moving a trash pile at my dad's near the foothills by Visalia. Sure makes your hair stand up.

 

[Doubleclutch]

Hey Forrest- just got back from DVNP. LOTS of flowers... and of course, stupid people standing in the middle of a big field filled with flowers. Wonder how many of your little buddies were amongst them???

Greg

 

[Forrest]

:-laf



This little guy was out & about around noon! Sure nuff ... all those folks standing out there were being watched.



We didn't get over into the Stovepipe Wells/Furnace Creek Valley, but you're right, tons of wild flowers.



I took layers of butterfly juice off the windshield too. All that water over in the Owens valley & around ... sheesh.

 

[_Hyde]

That's a bullet magnet in Texas. Unless you live in the great Sweetwater metro area. Heard about a guy that killed a pretty large timber rattler in E. Texas several years ago. Had his picture made with it and that made it in to the local paper. Too bad they were on the endangered list then.

 

[jrobinson2]

I was in death valley a few weeks ago, sort of surprised me to see people canoeing on the valley floor I read somewear that the lake was over 120 square miles!



Jared

 

[Doubleclutch]

JR- did you "KORE" any of the roads while you were there? I was having a little fun on the Darwin Wash road until I realized that 1/2... uh 3/4 of LA was sniffing flowers and there was TRAFFIC (at . 00000001 mach). Took too much fun out when even the nasty roads had people on them.

Greg

 

[Forrest]

Doubleclutch ... we just left the Darwin wash road. Only ran into 2 people in the wash. We did the springs & hiked to the upper part of the falls, then headed down to Panamint Springs. This was on the road down to the valley. This shot was just before the rattler.

 

[Doubleclutch]

Forrest- that's what I was expecting to find. Glad you had a good transit. Special place indeed! In '74 my geology class took school busses down wash from Darwin to Panamint, camping along the way. Didn't see any yellow paint along the way did ya? Is there still wild celery at the falls?

Greg

 

[jrobinson2]

JR- did you "KORE" any of the roads while you were there? I was having a little fun on the Darwin Wash road until I realized that 1/2... uh 3/4 of LA was sniffing flowers and there was TRAFFIC (at . 00000001 mach). Took too much fun out when even the nasty roads had people on them.

Greg

I'm fairly close to Death valley, 2 hours to the park and 3 hours to Furnace creek, I try to get up there 4 or 5 times a year

About 6 weeks ago I was up the Butte valley road looking at relics and tested things out coming down , I passed at least 1/2 dozen rigs on west side road before butte canyon and four or five more after that up in the canyon so about the time you get up to speed its time to slow down, lots of people out taking pictures of flowers and I'm sure they didn't come to get dusted by some lunatic in a noisy truck so I just chilled most of the trip, this last trip was the saturday of easter weekend with my brothers family and the place was packed.



Jared

 

[Doubleclutch]

It was the Racetrack road that got me talking to Kent two years ago. 26 miles of really nasty stuff... each way I guess we'll have to wait for all the flowers to die off and reclaim the park. The drive from Teakettle Junction over Hunter Mountain to Saline Valley was a beautiful drive, uh, in 1977. Would like to travel it again before I croak.

Greg

 

[GBaines]

Hunter Mountain 05

If you wanted to try the Hunter Mountain road this year you would have had to build a lot of road for yourself. The snow wasn't too deep but the runoff was causing lots of 2ft. deep ruts in the tract of some smaller vehicles that went through a day or two before we got there. We decided the flowers were too beautiful to spend the time rebuilding the road.

 

[Forrest]

btw . . y'all been to this forum?



http://www.death-valley.us/forums.html

 

[BHunt]

Hunter Mountain

If you wanted to try the Hunter Mountain road this year you would have had to build a lot of road for yourself. The snow wasn't too deep but the runoff was causing lots of 2ft. deep ruts in the tract of some smaller vehicles that went through a day or two before we got there. We decided the flowers were too beautiful to spend the time rebuilding the road.

We just came back and after going down Lippencott Rd, we doubled back on Hunter mountain. Did not know it was "impassable" until we got back to camp and saw it listed on the bad road list. Only one place we had to drop rocks into the ruts to get through. Here is the spot.

 

[Doubleclutch]

BHunt... you made it through the the Lippencott mine road from the Racetrack??? My knowledge of that road was that the L. mine folks asked AAA to have road removed from map to keep traffic down, and road deteriorated. In my '77 trip, a geew-gawed Ford 4x4 blew down that road about 1300 while I was having lunch. Took FJ40 out Hunter Mt. Rd doing a little exploring. Only ONE set of tire tracks on a pristine road... VW van Got to the Saline Valley junction about dusk to see a PERSON jumping up and down- between the two dirt wheel tracks- the Ford guy- flagging me down. Lippencott road had him unable to turn around, wife pushing rocks off the road, and he wanted to know where the asphalt was. Good Job!

Greg

 

[BHunt]

BHunt... you made it through the the Lippencott mine road from the Racetrack??? My knowledge of that road was that the L. mine folks asked AAA to have road removed from map to keep traffic down, and road deteriorated. In my '77 trip, a geew-gawed Ford 4x4 blew down that road about 1300 while I was having lunch. Took FJ40 out Hunter Mt. Rd doing a little exploring. Only ONE set of tire tracks on a pristine road... VW van Got to the Saline Valley junction about dusk to see a PERSON jumping up and down- between the two dirt wheel tracks- the Ford guy- flagging me down. Lippencott road had him unable to turn around, wife pushing rocks off the road, and he wanted to know where the asphalt was. Good Job!

Greg

Thanks Greg,

My buddy Scott tried Lippencott about 5 years ago, and since he was going solo he chose not to risk it. He has been waiting for a chance to go again. This picture is of a very OLD sign I found on Lippencott that says National Monument, not National Park. Also another of the road down the side of the mountain. And the rear of my CTD looking back at the road.