Because the cab of my pickup smelled like the honey-bucket wagon or truck I passed while making a circuit of the camp sites at Red Rock State Park I decided I didn't like the smell since it was also evident while I was taking photos; and, as mentioned in the previous post, $25 is too much for a site which does not have at least partial hookups (electricity or electricity & water).
Hence, I decided to drive on to Death Valley N.P. and its Wildrose campground, which charges the best possible price for no hookups -- $0.00. While I had originally planned to take SR178 from Ridgecrest and Trona, another look at a map convinced me that SR190 from Olancha was the shortest route to the center of Death Valley -- at least from the west.
While it was after sundown (which comes early this time of years on the east side of the Sierras), there was still time to take the photo to the right of Panamint Valley and the Panamit Range (of mountains).
The second photo was taken to the right of the first and shows the west side of the Panamint Range, with snow on several peaks, including snow-capped Telescope Pk (11,049'), the highest point in Death Valley.
It was nearly dark as I reached Panamint Springs; as I idled past the store the fellow sitting on the front porch had a beard about as white as mine, but his somewhat-newish hat did not have the character mine has -- so I keep going looking for a sign to the Wildrose Campground.
SR190 is extremely straight across the northern end of Panamit Valley; indeed, while descending to Panamit Springs I could see the headlights of cars which were likely 15-20 miles away. Never did find a sign for the turnoff to the Wildrose Campground so I obeyed the sign which said to park off of the pavement and parked in a dirt & gravel, "vista-like" spot about 3-4 miles up the west side of the Panamint Range. While it wasn't very level, I was able to maneuver so that the refrigerator was generally level from left to right, though not from front to rear. It ran well (which it ought to after the time & money I spent to get the thing running on LP-gas).
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While I was concerned that some park ranger might wake me up in the morning, I actually slept better after I turned the alarm off -- though as traffic picked up after 0800 I got up. Opened the curtains on the left side of the camper since that side was towards the sun. When I opened the curtains next to the dinette table on the right side of the camper I got the view of the Panamit Valley and Panamit Springs -- the obvious green around the store, gas station, etc., where there is enough water for trees to grow.
This second shot is to the right of the first and shows the northern end of Panamint Valley, some of which is below sea level since there's a sign near the Panamint Springs Store which gives the elevation as 000 feet.
The third picture was taken from in back of the camper; in fact, you can see the shadow of it in the right foreground. Note that the Pananmit Range was at the bottom of a lake, perhaps Lake Manley [named after one of those who escaped what another member of the party labeled "Death Valley" since one of the 49ers died and was buried there]. But there has also been a great deal of uplifting from geological forces. Note that most layers run from upper-left to lower-right.
There was no spot on the right side of the road at Towne Pass, which, if memory serves, was c4,500'; but the photo to the right was taken as I descended into the main part of Death Valley where Stovepipe Wells, Furnace Creek, and Badwater are located.
As I got closer to Stovepipe Wells Death Valley itself became clearer -- and not just a patch of tan sand in the distance.
The gas station at Stovepipe Wells was shut down and the woman who apparently managed it said it wouldn't re-open for c90 minutes; Tom Stienstra recommended buying gas at Stovepipe Wells rather than at Furnace Crk since the latter gas station charges higher prices. After stopping at the Park Service Ranger Station and presenting my Golden Age Pass, which allows free entry to all National Parks, Monuments, Historic Sites as well as some discounts when staying in campgrounds operated by the park service, US Forest Service, & Bureau of Land Management, I continued south toward Furnace Creek. Passed the Mesquite Sand Dunes, which, while fairly large, are smaller than those in Nevada along US95 in the Armagosa Desert, the next valley to the east of Death Valley.
And here's a glimpse of one of the most notable features of Death Valley N.P., the Badwater Basin -- which alternates between a shallow catch-basin with a slight bit of water and a salt plane with very little water.
It unfortunate that the two most avid golfers in the family, the late Toby Lemmon and my brother-in-law Phil DiGirolamo, never got a chance to play what is billed as the lowest golf course in the world. As you can see in the photo to the right, the Furnace Creek Golf Course is at 214 feet below sea level. There are no regularly-scheduled flights to Death Valley; in fact, I don't believe there are any air strips for general aviation planes either. I saw a little-used air strip at Shoshone after I exited the park. And Las Vegas is likely the closest airport with regularly-scheduled flights.
Th 10 Feb Actual Route: Stovepipe Wells, Furnace Crk, Badwater, Jubilee Pass, Shoshone, & Tecopa Hot Springs
F 11 Feb Actual Route: Tecopa Hot Sprs - Shoshone - Pahrump - Las Vegas - Laughlin - Kingman
Sa 12 Feb Actual Route: Kingman - Wickenburg - Gila Bend - Ajo Hts RV Park
Su 13 Feb Actual Route: Ajo - Why - Organ Pipe Catcus N.M - Why - Sell - Tucson
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