Death Valley Run

[chicago]

I wish, but March is completely booked at her work for time off. The Feb. dates aren't even a for sure thing yet, they are just the only option and if they don't work out, we are out of options.

If those dates don't work for everyone, we understand also, majority rules.

We need to be retired, then it wouldn't matter, 'cause like my father-in-law says, "When you are retired, every day is Saturday."

Jack

Well...Talked it over with the Missus...That wasnt REALLY her idea of a vacation she wanted to take RIGHT NOW!
She didnt flat out say "NO", but she was hoping for something a little less rugged...

I can understand that. She has LIMITED time off, soooo.

Although, Feb. and even march, isnt the weather pretty if'y?

 

[rusty_tlc]

FWIW March works better for me too.

I think Shawn said that would be better for him too.

 

[Krusty Krab]

The first Wknd in March is great for me. As it works out I have either friday off or monday off. My wife said I should go and enjoy myself. She isn't a big camper. .

 

[rusty_tlc]

Ok, I was looking at the calender wrong. I apologize for the misunderstanding.

We are looking at February 19-22. That is Friday through Monday.

Hopefully that will work for everyone.

Now are we planning finding a spot and setting up base camp or what? We can either do Saline Valley as a base or somewhere in the Panamint valley (at the foot of Surprise Canyon) both of these areas are free and offer a tremendous variety of terrain to explore and hike, plus you can make it into the park fairly easy.

We are looking forward to trying out our new OZtent.

Jack

I'll put it the poll and we'll see what happens. it sure would be nice if you guys could make it.

So what happened to the Turbo Tent?

The first Wknd in March is great for me. As it works out I have either friday off or monday off. My wife said I should go and enjoy myself. She isn't a big camper. .

She may not be a camper but she is a trooper.
So the weekend of 3/5 - 3/7 works for you? If that turns out to be the winner we will plan a route that puts on or near pavement Saturday night or early Sunday.

 

[locrwln1]

I'll put it the poll and we'll see what happens. it sure would be nice if you guys could make it.

So what happened to the Turbo Tent?

I agree, but if she didn't take the time off a couple of months ago, she is pretty much screwed. Which really sucks, because we suck at planning that far in advance.

The turbo tent. We still have it, the problem is that its wet weather performance is lacking. I waterproofed it and we stayed dry, but the material soaks up an incredible amount of water. The other issue is that the clips that hold the rain fly on have broken, so I have had to glue and tape them back together. It was a decent tent and concept was great, the problem is that should have used better material, especially for the price.

When you compare the OZtent to the Turbo, there is no comparison. The OZtent looks like it was built to become an heirloom. It was expensive, but when you look at the quality, you see where your money went. Everything about it is heavy duty. The penalty is weight, it weighs probably close to 10lbs more than the Turbo. Still lighter than a trailer or rooftop tent. That should make it fun to get up and down from the roof. Also it is considerably longer, so there will be some mods to the roof rack to accomodate its extra length. Because of the length, it won't fit inside the 80, so roof top is the only way.

Jack

 

[rusty_tlc]

Tick Tock
Lets get a route planned out.

As much as I'd like to explore the East side of the Valley I just don't see it being practical for a long weekend trip.

Any objections to a route similar to last year? Maybe go straight to Eureka Dune and spend some time climbing them?

 

[thumper]

this sounds like a lot of fun, unfortunately i don't think i can get the time off from work on this go around. not to mention, i am slacking on getting my sliders for my truck. i really would like to get those before i start running around.

have a great weekend guys.

jon

 

[rusty_tlc]

I thought I'd check the road conditions for Death Valley;

CURRENT ROAD CONDITIONS
February 10, 2010
This report will be updated as conditions change. All other park roads are open and in standard condition.

Caution: Expect debris and standing water on all park roads due to yesterday's rain.

* Aguereberry Point Road - CLOSED due to snow and ice.
* Artist's Drive - CLOSED due to flood damage.
* Badwater Road - Open; watch for loose debris and standing water on road.
* Dante's View Road - CLOSED due to snow and ice.
* Devil's Golf Course Road - CLOSED due to mud.
* Emigrant Canyon Road - CLOSED due to snow and ice.
* Hunter Mountain Road - CLOSED; impassable due to deep snow.
* Keane Wonder Mine Road - CLOSED; road and mining area closed to all entry due to safety hazards.
* Mosaic Canyon Road - CLOSED due to flood damage.
* Mustard Canyon Road - CLOSED due to mud.
* Racetrack Road - CLOSED due to flood damage; Racetrack Playa is flooded and muddy, to avoid leaving tracks, DO NOT walk on playa until dry.
* Saline Valley Road (North Pass) - CLOSED due to heavy snow and ice.
* Saline Valley Road (South Pass) - CLOSED due to heavy snow and ice.
* Salt Creek Road - CLOSED due to mud.
* Scotty's Castle / Bonnie Clare Road - Open; expect delays and 24-hour controlled traffic due to road construction through the winter and spring seasons.
* Titus Canyon Road - CLOSED due to flood damage and mud. Two-way section from Scotty's Castle Road is open.
* Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road - CLOSED due to mud.
* Ubehebe Crater Road - CLOSED to all traffic due to flood damage; CLOSED through March, 2010 due to road construction. Through traffic to Racetrack Road and Big Pine Road will remain open; expect delays. No parking in construction area.
* West Side Road - CLOSED due to mud.
* Wildrose Canyon Road - Open; watch for debris on road.
* Wildrose Charcoal Kilns Road - CLOSED due to snow and ice.
* All park backcountry roads above 4000' - expect snow and icy conditions; 4x4 with chains recommended.

It looks like we may have to postpone this trip for a few weeks until things dry out.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Updated road conditions

CURRENT ROAD CONDITIONS
February 14, 2010
This report will be updated as conditions change. All other park roads are open and in standard condition.

* Aguereberry Point Road - CLOSED due to snow and ice.
* Artist's Drive - CLOSED due to flood damage.
* Dante's View Road - Open; watch for debris on road.
* Devil's Golf Course Road - CLOSED due to mud.
* Emigrant Canyon Road - Open.
* Hunter Mountain Road - CLOSED; impassable due to deep snow.
* Keane Wonder Mine Road - CLOSED; road and mining area closed to all entry due to safety hazards.
* Mustard Canyon Road - CLOSED due to mud.
* Racetrack Road - Open; Racetrack Playa is flooded and muddy, to avoid leaving tracks, DO NOT walk on playa until dry.
* Saline Valley Road (North Pass) - CLOSED due to heavy snow and ice.
* Saline Valley Road (South Pass) - CLOSED due to heavy snow and ice.
* Salt Creek Road - CLOSED due to mud.
* Scotty's Castle / Bonnie Clare Road - Open; expect delays and 24-hour controlled traffic due to road construction through the winter and spring seasons.
* Titus Canyon Road - CLOSED due to flood damage and mud. Two-way section from Scotty's Castle Road is open.
* Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road - CLOSED due to mud.
* Ubehebe Crater Road - CLOSED through March, 2010 due to road construction. Through traffic to Racetrack Road and Big Pine Road will remain open; expect delays. No parking in construction area.
* West Side Road - CLOSED due to mud.
* Wildrose Canyon Road - Open; watch for debris on road.
* Wildrose Charcoal Kilns Road - CLOSED at end of pavement due to snow and ice.
* All park backcountry roads above 5000' - expect snow and icy conditions; 4x4 with chains recommended.

 

[locrwln1]

Updated road conditions

Spressomon flew to Phoenix today and they flew over Saline/Death Valley. He said South pass definitely looked snowed in. Eureka Dunes and Steel Pass were clear and North pass he wasn't sure about.

D and I are heading down this weekend, so we will confirm for sure.

Jack

 

[rusty_tlc]

Spressomon flew to Phoenix today and they flew over Saline/Death Valley. He said South pass definitely looked snowed in. Eureka Dunes and Steel Pass were clear and North pass he wasn't sure about.

D and I are heading down this weekend, so we will confirm for sure.

Jack

I talked to Kurt at Cruiseroutfitters on Tuesday, they were down there on the 8th. He said Steel pass was doable and they met people at Saline HS that had come in from S Pass. However we had a fairly big storm down there since then.

 

[locrwln1]

I talked to Kurt at Cruiseroutfitters on Tuesday, they were down there on the 8th. He said Steel pass was doable and they met people at Saline HS that had come in from S Pass. However we had a fairly big storm down there since then.

Steel Pass is definitely open, went into and out of Saline that way.

There were several truck/camper and RV's, plus a lot of regular vehicles that got in through South Pass.

I think the NFS, does its very best to keep everything "closed" as long as possible. In part to protect the idiots.

Jack

 

[rusty_tlc]

Steel Pass is definitely open, went into and out of Saline that way.

There were several truck/camper and RV's, plus a lot of regular vehicles that got in through South Pass.

I think the NFS, does its very best to keep everything "closed" as long as possible. In part to protect the idiots.

Jack

thanks Jack.

 

[rusty_tlc]

So who is up for this trip?
Friday meet up in Bishop and drive to Eureka Dune, spend the afternoon climbing on the dunes and poking around.
Saturday over Steel pass camp at Saline Hot Springs.
Sunday either out via Lipencott to the Racetrack, Teakettle Jct. back to Big Pine via Death Valley Road.
OR
Out via S Saline Pass and make a stop at Darwin then on out to Lone Pine.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Fwiw, just got this on Sunday night from a friend:

"Came back friday from four days out to trona, fish cyn escape trail, panamint valley, goler wash, mengel pass, butte valley to death valley then panamint springs, china garden, darwin city, south pass (lots of snow plowing) to saline hot springs, steele pass, eurika dunes, big pine, home. weather was perfect. firefly"

 

[spressomon]

I don't think my rig is going to be quite ready

 

[rusty_tlc]

I don't think my rig is going to be quite ready

Is it still at Sunshine?

 

[rusty_tlc]

Fwiw, just got this on Sunday night from a friend:

"Came back friday from four days out to trona, fish cyn escape trail, panamint valley, goler wash, mengel pass, butte valley to death valley then panamint springs, china garden, darwin city, south pass (lots of snow plowing) to saline hot springs, steele pass, eurika dunes, big pine, home. weather was perfect. firefly"

Thanks for the G2.
Want to join us for the trip?

 

[spressomon]

Is it still at Sunshine?

No its here. Christo's rear upper control arm bushings were at the doorstep when we got home last night. And I can go ahead and get it back together using these but I'd prefer to use the forged cromo swivel joints coming from Ballistic Fabrication. If they were honest about having them in "2-weeks" about 10-days ago I shouldn't have too much longer to wait. But somebody we both know told me if BF says "2-weeks" they really mean "6-weeks" .

I'll make that call today and see what they say. Otherwise Slee's are getting pressed into the existing arms.

And then there's the bumper project. Its being shipped today from Christo's. Ideally I only need a day or two to fab and weld a light bar to it then off for powder coating. But the whole process will surely take a week.

 

[450 DUDE]

So Im ASSuming its March 5-8...?