Death Valley 2008

Death Valley Trip Report

Pat and Donna met Ron and Janet Finger with their new “condo on wheels” in tow and Tom Flood at Miller Road at Love’s gas station.  The trip to Death Valley was uneventful but many stops were made since Ron’s Toyota was consuming a lot of fuel. We arrived in Death Valley just before dark. At the Furnace Creek Campground we met up with Tom’s bother, Willey and nephew, Carl. Also, already at the campground were Bronco Jack and Debbie. When we checked in at the visitors center we discovered there would be a presentation that evening on light pollution. Pat and Donna decided to attend while the others socialized at the campground. After the presentation there was a display and viewing of the stars through a group of telescopes located at the local airport.

The next morning we got a late start. I planned on making a big loop around the park. We stopped at a talc mine and had lunch. We saw lots of mining equipment and some old homesteads. There were wild burrows along the trail. A few hours after the sun went down, we finally hit the pavement to return to the campsite for dinner. It was a long day so we all hit the hay early.

The following morning we headed north to Titus canyon where you could only go one way due to it‘s narrowness. We then headed further north to Scotty’s Castle and had lunch. From there the group split up. Half of the group did the tour at Scotty’s Castle and the other half went to the Race Track. Tom, Willey, Carl, Pat and Donna went to the race track on the worst washboard road in history. Seeing the way the rocks made tracks on the ground was amazing. They sometimes even headed in two opposite directions from the same point. Along the way we took pictures of Tea Kettle Junction with many different types of tea kettles hanging and signed by the travelers who had left them. On the way, the group also viewed the volcanic crater, Ubehebe Crater. Ron, Jan, Jack and Debbie stayed behind to tour the castle learning the rich history of the area and the people. The tours lasted several hours. They then headed back to camp for some R and R. The race track group headed back to camp trying to hear snippets of the Super Bowl Game. Some of the group had dinner and played cards. Then off to bed for all.                                          

      Scotty's Castle

     Rolling Condo                                                                  

Race Track                            Tea Kettle Junction

The next morning the groups packed up and some visited the Furnace Creek Visitor Center again. Some purchased souvenirs to take back with them. Then off to Zabriskies Point lookout to take a few more pictures before hitting the road back home.

Thanks to everyone who went on the trip. Hopefully the group will go to Death Valley again since it has so much to offer.

Patrick and Donna

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