I head out of camp a little before the rest of my compodre's as I want to take my time on this next section as I am scouting spots and also want to shoot the whole crew as they come through.
You see it all out here!
Leaving out of the valley..
This section of "road" is just a wash and you can see how it changes with every rain. The road is a mere suggestion and moves around quite a bit..
Making the climb up out of the valley. Don't see my crew in action yet, but that is ok as I could hang out up here for hours! The solitude is immense!
Now I am getting more into the canyon section and this is such a cool area!
Further down into the canyon I run up on some guys who camped in the canyon as it was dark when they got here and didnt know if they would make it up the ledges or didnt want to tackle them at night. But they did have some cool maps as they have been exploring out here A LOT!!!
Love these bad boys! Falken Wild Peak AT3's have proven DEATH VALLEY DESERT RELIABLE!
We run up on a group of fellow ADVrider members!
For this trip we will be taking a new route that Dan plotted for us and I am always excited about new routes! This time we are going further north than we have in previous trips! Hope those clouds don't mean anything!
We are going up, its getting more wooded and I like it!
Another snow covered hill crossed into just a soggy valley. But we can see the conditions are gaining momentum into the colder realm. Are we pushing our luck? Maybe, but we are prepared for it as best possible whatever "it" or conditions may come our way!
Is that a patch of "sun lit" snow on the bottom floor? Very cool for my image sensory intake!
As we start to move, we see conditions are changing and moving in our direction... or are we moving into it's direction?
Adverse conditions can go two ways... When prepared it can be positive experience! I relish these moments as they are a rarity for myself!
Before our eyes, as the light falls, the desert is getting visually brighter as the snow is falling fast! It's a wild experience I will soon not forget! It's been three years since this trip and since I have looked at these images and it was truly a magical time!!!
It's so magical we are lagging behind, soaking in this moment and our buddy here is cleaning his windshield so they can visually "TAKE IT ALL IN" clearly!
This is just one of those shots, a small fraction of time frozen, as I watch the crew traverse into the unseeable surreal landscape.
I love rolling with the windows down. Today it is chilly, but NOT DUSTY! Nothing like driving with the windows down and heater blasting! My iPad mini running GPSkit (app) for navigational purposes, mounted on RAM Mount clamp and stalk. I've been very happy with this setup.
Visibility is getting a little less due to the light falling along with the snow.
I love this stupid truck! Can't help it! I guess I'm old enough to endure the "UNderpowered" 3FE. And patience helps too... Look closely and you can see the snow streaking down across the rig. It's not heavy, just adding a little "atmosphere" to our experience.
These are magic times with friends... Rare, memorable, bonding.
The sky is going from light to dark, from dark to light faster than I've ever seen! It's late in the day, but the storms are making it darker than normal but inclement weather is for certain. But I'm taking in all the visuals in mother nature is throwing at us!
The natural lighting gives this artificial lighting the perfect ambiance!
Did we pass through that cloud-front or is it about to consume us? We are moving and it's moving...
We carry own and we pick up the pace as our main group is out of sight ahead of us now. We like going into "chase mode" and I love watching these rigs work
as a quicker pace! It's all around reading the terrain, knowing your rig's limits, all while taking in the wild surroundings as the weather is making for an interesting setting in what would just be another desert trek. We are loving it!
And yes, I think our lighting is now officially falling off the end of the day!
Now I can get on with what is really important - COFFEE!!! Have you ever tried Legal Brand instant coffee? It's my "go-to" for trips like this!
