Death Valley - April 1997


Death Valley - April 1997

This trip was not about doing the impossible with an optimally setup
vehicle. My buddy, Mike, drives a '90 shortbed pickup with a V6 and AC.
I drive an '83 shortbed pickup, neither of us have lockers or winches,
nor are we likely to get too involved with upgrades that would allow us
to go up waterfalls and over deep cracks in the ground. We both drive 
the trucks to work everyday, and depend on them to keep us on the road.
We drive these trucks because they are reliable, and they can take us 
places that get us away from lines and crowds, and the other annoyances
of everyday life in the city. We started this trip last January, soon
after I had bought my first pickup. Mike has always driven trucks, but
never had a 4x4 before his Toy. We both rode in my truck last year, and
got about half way through the trip when my electronic ignition module
went out 30 miles down a dirt road with no-one in sight. Our rescue by
friendly students is another story, the lesson we learned was not to go
too far out there without a support plan. Since then, I have replaced
the engine and a lot of other parts in my truck, and Mike bought his 
first 4x4. This year we decided to finish the trip, and take both trucks
to increase our odds. The map I found the most useful is the Tom Harrison
"Recreation Map of Deth Valley National Park", 1994.

Saturday:
We left Santa Cruz at about 1:00 on Saturday, after packing up and dealing
with the kids. We got to Mojave about 7:00 where we bought our ice and
groceries and headed up Hiway 14 to Red Rock Canyon State Park to camp
for the night. In January, you can get a campsite on a Saturday night,
we found that in April, you can't. The ranger told us about some open
BLM land up the road where we could dry-camp anywhere we wanted. We were
prepared for that, I had a 5 gallon can of water, and Mike brought another
2 gallons. We had all the camping stuff we needed to pull off the road
and setup anywhere, so the BLM land was ideal. The Dove Springs BLM area
is reached by turning west off Hiway 14 on the paved road leading to the
state campground. You pass the left turn into the campground and continue
about 3/4 mile to where constuction has closed the paved road. Turn left
on the dirt road, go up another 3/4 mile to cross a cattle guard, and you
are in the open area. We found a flat spot with a fire ring, parked the
trucks as a wind break, and got out the firewood, folding chairs and beer
and relaxed. We put down a tarp and cots and slept under the stars. In the
morning we could see that the area was well used by off roaders with
motorcycle and quads, it looked like a destination in itself. We packed
up and headed on.

Sunday:
We headed up Hiway 14 to the turnoff to Inyokern on Hiway 178. We gassed 
up and headed on through Ridgecrest where I noted car rental agencies, 
junkyards, and even a Toyota dealer. (These can be valuable in times of 
need.) We went on through Trona, which has the last gas before the turnoff. 
About 85 miles past Red Rock Canyon, the turnoff of Hiway 178 to Ballart 
is the start of the dirt roads. Three miles east is Ballarat, a mostly 
abandoned ghost town. It is private property, and manned by the Mayor, who 
runs a general store where we stopped and bought some souvenirs. This guy 
is one of the hard-core desert residents who do what they can to maintain 
facilities in the desert for the rest of us. It's worth stopping in and 
talking to the guy. He asked where we were going, and told us a group of 
j**pers had come through and camped up the road. They had left a base camp 
on the main road and proceeded up through Surprise Canyon on Saturday, and 
were due out that day (Sunday.) Mike and I had seen the article in Petersen's
4 Wheel Mag from March of 96 and were interested in seeing what can be
considered the "World's Toughest Trail" even if we were not interested in
driving it. So we went north on Indian Ranch Road up to the Surprise
Canyon turnoff and went up to a nice shady spot where we stopped for
lunch (5 miles from Ballarat). After lunch we walked up the creek/road
and soon heard the roar of engines up the canyon. Surprise Canyon is
typical of a lot of the canyons in the mountains of the area, very narrow
and windy at the bottom, then they open up at higher elevations to wide
valleys with steep walls. 

The entrance to the technical section of the Surpise Canyon Road is a
solid rock waterfall about 5 feet high and nearly vertical. This leads
into the gauntlet, a section of solid rock track that tests the traction
and articulation of anything driven up it. When we got there, about 8-10
j**ps from the Canyon City 4x4's were already down. The only vehicles left
to come over the wall were an old green Bronco, and a red Toy pickup. We
kept out of the way, but got close enough to watch. The guy doing the
spotting looked the the same guy as in the magazine article pictures,
and he seemed to know where the tires needed to be. I noticed none of
the j**ps had any visible damage, so the road must be more passable than
it looks. Anyway, the Bronco comes over the edge, and about 6" before
the front wheels hit level ground, the rear wheels let loose. The front
bumper took the shock, the rear wheels came back down on the ground, and
he drove on. The last one down turned out to be Marlin Czajkowski and his
own Toy with three of his transfer cases in it. He's got the ratios all 
listed on the tailgate, and he can get down to a crawl ratio of 1047:1. 
Marlin was video-taping the action on his truck while someone else drove 
it over the edge. That truck is amazing, it just creeped right over the 
edge and maintained traction all the way down where it drove off like it 
had just come down an offramp from the interstate. I took a whole sequence 
of  pictures of these two vehicles. They are on slides now, so I need to 
get  some prints then scan them in before I can share them. I plan to do 
that real soon now.

Mike and I followed, on foot, the group out of the canyon and back to our 
trucks. We went back south down Indian Ranch Road, through Ballarat, past 
the new CB Griggs mine. As part of the congressional act that changed Death 
Valley into a National Park in 1994, some concessions were made to industry. 
One of those was to allow this big new mine to be built in Panamint Valley, 
6 miles south of Ballaret. On weekends it is quiet, but I imagine they drive 
a lot of big trucks over the newly oiled/paved section of the road. We
continued south another 16 miles past CB Griggs and past a 50 gallon oil
drum marked "Goller Wash 1.4 miles". Our goal being the drive up Goller
Wash. The main road clearly goes left towards Goller Wash now, about 23
miles south of Ballarat. The straight thru road is not used much as it
is marked as closed on the map further south at the China Lake Naval 
Weapons Center Boundary. The road into Goler Wash is a 4x4 road, high
clearance and a few rocky ledges, but nothing requiring a winch. There
are a series of abandoned cabins through this area and in Butte Valley.
Our goal for that night was the Barker Ranch, the palce Charles Manson
hid out after the Tate-LaBianca murders. After following a couple dead
end roads turning south of the main road, we found the right one. It was
the first right turn past the Death Valley National Park sign on the
main road. It goes under an overhanging branch of a cottonwood tree, that
was high enough that my CB antenna made it through without contact. The
Barker Ranch is less well maintained than the cabins in Butte Valley.
The park service does nothing to maintain these cabins except put up
signs telling people they are protected, and that it is illegal to 
destroy them. We spent the night inside, though the large mice chased us
around a bit. 

Monday:
In the morning we did our volunteer bit by repairing the hinges on the 
main gate - all cabins with lanscaping are surrounded by fences with 
gates to allow vehicles to enter. There are a lot of feral burros that 
live in the desert. Surviviors from the 1860's who were released or lost 
by prospectors and have adapted remarkably to the harsh conditions. It
doesn't take much to keep them out, but the gates need to swing. I also
went around with a coat hanger and a paper bag to pick up old toilet
paper blowing around in the wind. The park service posted a notice asking
people to not bother burying their waste. Just be sure to carefully burn
the toilet paper. The organic material (pretty discrete term) recycles
quickly, but the toilet paper hangs around forever. I picked up all I
could find, and we made a fire to dispose of it. Some of the other cabins
have out-houses, but this one did not. This cabin had no water, and the 
kitchen sink drained into a small bowl. This place needs some work. We left
the Barker Ranch and continued out the Sourdough Springs Road to see
what was listed on the map as the Meyer's Ranch. We found it tightly
fenced, ringed with brush, and signed as private property. We did not
intrude, and assumed it is still being permanently occupied. We went
back to Goller Wash and continued up and over Mengle Pass. The road does
require high clearance, but nothing too tough got in our way.

We came down the east side of the pass into Butte Valley (about 8 miles
from Barker Ranch, 12 miles from Indian Springs Road). We wanted to spend
some time here, so we scouted out a cabin to stay in. The Geologist's
Cabin has the nicest views, and is a nice tight river-rock and cement
single room building. It was occupied by a guy who was staying all week.
He was raking the grounds and pointed out the new roof somebody had put
up a couple years ago to replace the one he had put on 11 years ago. He
was obviously another of the caretakers who maintain these places for the
joy of having a place to get away from it all. He told us the Wild Bill,
the same unofficial ranger who had been there the year before was still
in the upper cabin, but the Stella's was open. We went to Stella's and
settled in. There are magazine and newspaper clippings on the wall telling
the story of Stella and her cabin. The place was built by Mormon settlers
in 1867. It has probably been occupied off and on since then. Lately there
have been a series of travelers like us who pass through and sign the
guest book. There also are people like the guys at the other cabins who
keep the place up. Stella's had running water piped in from the spring,
a working drain, and an outhouse. We hiked around the area all afternoon
and spent the night there. The mice seemed a little smaller than at the
Barker Ranch, though it might be better to sleep in the guest house as
there is no water or kitchen down there, and less to attract the rodents.

Tuesday:
Next morning we headed out of Butte Valley and down Warm Springs Canyon
towards Death Valley itslef. 12 miles down, we got to the abandoned
Warm Springs mine. There are a bunch of buildings there from the 1960's.
It's eery because it is so new looking you would swear the owners went
out to lunch and are due back. Anyway, there is shade and a picnic table
as well as a swimming pool plumbed into the creek that fills it with 
fresh water. We ate early lunch and pulled out about 11:30 just as 3
vehicles came in behind us for a break of their own. We decided not to
swim there, but head on down to Furnace Creek Ranch, and the active
tourist center. We got to the bottom of Warm Springs Road and decided
to stay on the dirt West Side Road on our way to Furnace Creek. There
were more dead-end roads heading west into the hills, but we planned
to go on up to the north end of the valley past Ubehebe Crater that night.
We decided to leave those roads for another trip. We got back to pavement
south of Furnace Creek after logging a thru trip from west to east of 104
miles of dirt. We never passed another vehicle going the other way the
whole time. The only vehicles we saw were the ones I described. That is
what I like about my truck, I can go places, in comfort, that give me a
wilderness experience and isolation.

We got gas in Furnace Creek (1.93 a gallon - ouch). Then we got some ice
and more beer, soft drinks, and water. We checked in at the office,
and paid our day-use fee for the pool and showers. The pool is behind 
the tennis courts that are behind (west) of the Borax Museum. There 
are showers and changing rooms that were very welcome. It was 95-100
in Furnace Creek that afternoon. The temperature in the area is really
dependent on the elevation. It seems to drop 5 degrees for every 1000 feet.
Butte Valley is 4000 feet, it was around 80 degrees up there while Furnace 
Creek was 100 at -100 feet. We took a dip and a shower and were on the road
again. This time we were headed north up the main paved road through
Death Valley and then west on Ubehebe Road. The dirt starts again at the
crater parking lot and heads out to the Racetrack. We got out there just
in time to park at the south end of the Racetrack and run across the 
playa to the far side to beat the sunset. My goal was pictures of the
sliding rocks at sunset so that the tracks they leave would be highlited
by the shadows to the maximum extent. We made it, and I got some great
pictures. We continued on the road past the Racetrack and past the dry
Homestake campground at the end of the marked road. The Lippincott mine 
is out past the campground, and we were headed back to the spot where 
we had camped the year before at the mouth of the mine. You continue 
through a rough wash then up a hill past the abandoned water truck. Over 
the rise and down a tight road to the mouth of the mine where there is 
flat ground and a fire ring from other campers. This spot is about 30 
miles from the Ubehebe Crater parking lot. While camping and fires may 
not be strictly legal out there, it is certainly a beautiful spot with 
a view of Saline Valley and the snow-capped Inyo and White Mountains 
beyond. The fences guarding the entrance to the mine were repaired since 
last year, so we did not go in this time. This is a very deep mine shaft, 
I counted 200 paces from the spot where the shift splits and goes up and 
down to many different levels. The Park Service closes the entrances to 
the mines that are accessible, to protect you from trouble you could get 
into inside them. This seems like putting hand rails along the edge of 
Yosemite Valley to keep you from falling over (which of course they don't 
do except at tourist pullouts), but it is their policy :-(

Wednesday:
In the morning we started back down thru the campground and over the rise
to go down the Lippincott Grade. There were two guys in a Blazer camped at
the campground. We stopped and talked a bit, then went on. This is the spot 
where my igniter died last year, and getting thru here has been something 
that I have wanted to do since then. We went over the small rise and started 
down the grade. After seeing the road, I was very glad my igniter died when 
it did last year, because this is one of the steepest, narrowest roads I've 
ever been on. It was the original access for the Lippincott Mine from Trona, 
and it is a one-wagon trail. There are pullouts at the switchbacks, but a 
breakdown here would be tough to deal with. We made it down to the Saline 
Valley Road with no problems. In looking back for Mike at the bottom, I 
noticed a ROAD CLOSED sign on the road leading to the bottom of the grade. 
My guess is that they want to discourage people from going up the road, as 
there were no signs at the top. That is just as well, as I would not want 
to have to back up that track to a pullout to let somebody pass. We then 
headed north towards the Warm Springs. We turned to the east too early, 
and ended up having to make our way through some extremely dusty and soft 
sand dunes. We just kept moving, and didn't need to air down or go to 
4wheel drive. Others have gotten stuck out here. The best road in is 
marked with a rock painted with a Bat, but we never saw it. 

The hot springs area was described in a National Geographic article in 
May of 1996. It was just as described, a series of natural hot springs
that have been in use for 50 years. Volunteers have built some very nice
tubs for soaking, and planted trees and grass. The Lower Springs have the
nicest seating areas, with lots of protection form the wind, and shade to
lounge in the grass. Lizard Lee and Chili Bob lead an informal group of 
long-term visitors and residents who maintain the area, watering the grass 
and closing the gates at night to keep the burros out. Passers thru, like
us, are welcome. But don't pull up to the entrance to the oasis, roll down
your window from your air-conditioned sport ute and ask where you might
camp. They will invariably send you up the road where there are flat spots
to camp on, but no shade or wind protection. We drove up, found a shady
site to park in, then walked right in. We later pulled the trucks back
and camped in the shade and protection of the brush. We were in easy
walking distance of the lower pools, and spent a nice afternoon and
evening, taking our turns in the tubs and showers. This is marked by the
Park Service as a "Clothing Optional" area, and indeed it is. The Park
Sevice is allowing the pre-existing conditions to continue, but the locals
are wary of changes, now that the formerly BLM land is under NPS control.
That night, the views of the comet from the hot tub thru the palm trees
was spectacular. (This spot is 35 miles from the Lippincott mine.)

Thursday:
Next morning, we made a $20 donation to Lizard Lee to help the maintenance
effort, and continued east past the upper springs toward Steel Pass. This
is not the primary way in or out of the hot springs area, but we were still
exploring. I drove Mike's truck for awhile that morning, to try the IFS and
the AC. While the ride is nice when smooth, and the AC is comfortable, I
prefer the control and sure-footed feeling of my solid axle, and the road
feel of the non-power steering of good old Jenny. We got to the top of the
pass, and pulled off for a look back. There is a road that continues up
a ridge here, and we walked up it a bit to try to look back to the hot
springs area, 17 miles back. While we could not see the hot springs, we
did find a spot in a narrow canyon below us that had an interesting feature
in it. We walked back down the road to see it and discovered the Marble
Pool. It is definitely worth experiencing for yourself. Continuing on over
the pass towards Eureka Sand Dunes, we passed through another narrow
canyon winding over a couple of interesting ledges and down to Eureka
Valley. The dunes are amazing, 750 feet of sand in the middle of the valley.
We passed by and continued out South Eureka Valley Road to Death Valley
Road. This was another concession by the NPS to a pre-existing mining
claim. The road and the mine at the end of the pavement are excluded from
the park. The road was paved here for a stretch leading to the mine. We
continued on to Crankshaft Crossing, an intersection marked with a sign
and a pile of engine parts. Another 21 miles got us back to pavement at
Ubehebe Road again, completing a 136 mile dirt loop, with a stretch of 10
miles of pavement in it. We were headed for home the next day, so we drove
south to Stove Pipe Wells were we checked into the motel, and went into
the pool. Here they charge $2 for drop-ins to use the pool and showers.
There is also gas, a store, and a bar with a German beer on tap. It seems
that Death Valley has become a major attraction for European tourists, the 
Germans in particular.

Friday:
Up at 7:00 to beat the heat, and headed west towards home. We stopped for
breakfast at Panimint Springs, and I can recommend their French toast.
Made our way out to Hiway 395 and back south over Mojave Pass, and back
north to home.

This was my best off-road experience to date. My truck made it home without
a problem (though a U-joint had died and needed replacement at home.)

If anybody wants more details, let me know.
______________________________________________________________
Barney McNamara              JENNY - 83 Toyota Short Bed  
( barney@flowpoint.com )     stock 22R motor ; 3" body lift
Santa Cruz, Ca.              8" alloy rims; 31" BFG A/Ts
______________________________________________________________


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