Spring 98 Desert Trip - DEATH VALLEY
Trip Overview: This was the annual Mt. Vaca Radio Club Spring desert caravan and camping trip from Sacramento to Death Valley National Park, Saturday, April 4 through Wednesday, April 8. The Wagonmaster was Lew, WA6ESA. The report and photos are by Les, W6TEE.
| Participants - The
following took part:
Lew Barnard, WA6ESA, and Adrianne, WA6CNE Les Cobb, W6TEE, and son Matthew, KF6FIQ Jim Collier, WB6ZII, and Marsha, KD6TTS Vern McGlynn, W3DLY, and Trish, WA3GKT Doug Spaulding, N6XKL, and Joanne, KF6GXK Guests, Bill and Cathy |
Vehicles:
Jeep Wrangler Chev 1500 4X4 PU Chev 2500 4X4 PU Jeep Cherokee Ford Explorer |
RVs:
Chalet pop-up Jayco tent tlr 21' Aristocrat 24' Jamee MH |
Departure: Everyone but Jim and
Marsha, Vern and Trish, met Lew and Adrianne for breakfast at 8 AM Saturday
at Lyons Restaurant, at the Elk Grove exit on Hwy 99. We left about 9 AM and
traveled down Hwy 99 through Bakersfield to avoid snow in the Sierras. The
group used 147.555 MHz FM simplex. Jim and Marsha left Auburn later, and
traveled over I-80 and down Hwy 395. Vern and Trish live in Lake Havasu and
arrived on Sunday.
We spent Saturday night at the Boulder Creek RV Park, near Lone Pine, where
we camped last year with rave reviews. Those with trailers enjoyed hookup
sites, and those tenting shared a site. After we set up camp, we had a
"housewarming" in Lew and Adrianne's new Chalet pop-up trailer
(photo).
On Sunday, we got groceries and gas in Lone Pine, and moved camp to Panamint
Springs. We didn't expect to be able to get into the hookup sites there,
but they were available for everyone that wanted them. Jim and Marsha left
their trailer at Boulder Creek and drove each day.
After setting up camp again, the group drove to the Visitor's Center at
Furnace Creek and had a picnic lunch, then drove to Scotty's Castle for the
tour. Les stayed near Furnace Creek and guided Vern and Trish's arrival that
afternoon. (photo - Les, Adrianne, Lew, Trish, Vern)
Monday, we hiked to see the pictographs (photo) in Greenwater Canyon. It
took a few hours to hike in, explore, view the pictographs, have lunch, and
hike out. (photo, clockwise - Marsha, Bill, Jim, Matthew, Lew, Adrianne,
Joanne, Cathy, Doug)
On Tuesday, we drove to Beatty and Rhyolite (photo) where we toured the
Bottle House. We intended to drive through Titus Canyon, but it was closed.
Instead, we drove to the Chloride Cliffs, with some 4WD. After a picnic
lunch there, we drove to the lower end of Titus Canyon (photo), and hiked in
a short distance for the benefit of those that hadn't seen it. Lew and
Adrianne, and Jim and Marsha hiked Mosaic Canyon on the return trip.
We all returned home on Wednesday via Hwy 395, after breakfast in Lone Pine, except for Vern and Trish, who went home to Lake Havasu City via Barstow.
WWW: The official Death Valley web
page is at http://www.nps.gov/deva/.
There is a home-grown page at
http://www.ridgecrest.ca.us/~matmus/DeathV.html
that goes into more detail and includes the latest weather related problems,
wildflowers (photo), etc.
Maps: Death Valley and Lake Mead,
CSAA map (shows Owens Valley and new Death Valley boundaries). Guide to
Death Valley, and Guide to Eastern Sierra, Auto Club of So. Cal. maps
(E.Sierra available only at their offices). No. California, So. California,
Atlases by Delorme.