DVX15 Trip Report

[Blkwgn_wyfee]

Day 1
12/26/15
Trona Pinacles

Got off to a late start this morning, you know, it being the day after Christmas and all, neither one of us wanted to get out of bed to pack. We had had some truck issues up until Christmas Eve, and decided that we could take some time on the day after Christmas to get ready to go, so we took our time about it, and ended up heading out later than expected, late afternoon. We made a stop for some warm weather supplies at Bass Pro, and then got on the road.

We rolled into Trona Pinacles About 7 pm and after a bit of razzing, and being given an AWESOME Slumber Jack Arctic Cloak:

to review over the course of the trip- we settled into our chairs to hang out around the campfire a bit. The moon was almost full and we needed no headlamps to see by, it lit up the pinnacles beautifully.


Day 2
12/27/15
Barker Ranch, Goler Wash, Ballarat, Mengle Pass, Geolgists Cabin

I slept super warm in my new Teton -25 degree bag- a Christmas gift from Blkwgn- and woke up around 7am to try to bug out around 8, which of course turned into about 9. After a quick stop at the Trona Valero for gas and a bathroom, we were headed for Ballarat.

In Ballarat ghost town, where you’ll find a Jail, Morgue, and a hotel when Vacant- all in one building- for your convenience of course, we had a chance to air down and explore a bit. There was a small museum and gift shop as well.

However, the real kicker of Ballarat, for Cris and I, was getting to pull up nose to nose with the 1941 Power Wagon that was used by Charles “Tex” Watson in the attempted escape from the authorities, 9 days before the police raid on Barker Ranch. Unfortunately for Tex, the wagon broke down and he was forced to hitchhike back to his home in Texas, where he managed to elude police for another month. Fortunately for us, the remote location of Ballarat and the dry desert conditions have managed to leave the truck in relatively good condition. In my research, I found that the only clue to the trucks scary past are the pentagrams drawn on the ceiling, which were the Manson Family calling card. Unfortunately, I did not notice these while we were there.

After Ballarat, we headed up into Goler Wash, with Barker Ranch as our destination. Goler Wash starts out in an amazing canyon, its beautiful, giving way to scenic vistas and difficult terrain as you rise in elevation.

We stopped for lunch at Barker Ranch, the Mansion Family Hideout. It burnt down several years ago, but the foundation and some outbuildings still stand, and there is a seedy feel to the whole area. You know bad things went down here.

The only whole building that still stands is a cabin off to the side of the main house that looks relatively new inside, complete with dry wall and paint, and eerie messages of support penned on the wall. There is a lone chair and makeshift mattress in the corner with a “Family Picture” taped to it, almost shrine-like in its simplicity. Due to the hinky feeling of the location, I did not take many pictures of the area or the "Shrine"

What Murder Family Hideaway is complete without a pool?

Continued in DVX15 Trip Report Part 2, Day 2(cont)

 

[Blkwgn_wyfee]

DVX15 Trip Report Part 2, Day 2

Day 2 (Cont)
12/27/15
Barker Ranch, Goler Wash, Ballarat, Mengle Pass, Geolgists Cabin

After we had taken our fill of pictures and eaten a speedy lunch, we headed out for Mengle Pass. It was a rough ride, but totally worth the monument and view when we reached the top.

We headed up and over Mengle pass to Striped Bute and Geologists Cabin. Talk about amazing views!

We were lucky to arrive just as some other adventure seekers were leaving and claimed the site as our own for the night. Inside the cabin we found it clean and ready for a warm fire in the fire place, and were surprised to find that previous tenants had left a supply of firewood, candles and other necessities. As we were prepared for a cold night ahead, we were careful not to use these and even left some extra for the next weary travelers.

Its not hard to see why The Geologist decided to build here, the view is unbelievable, Goose thought so too

(Recently, to add to the amenities, even a pit toilet has even been built up the hill from the property, also solar powered for light.)

A fire was started and cheese and crackers, thanks to the Cifaldis', were brought out. We discovered that the cabin had been wired for solar power and we were able to heat it comfortably, while listening to some great tunes.

Goose and Henry are warm

Spirits were high and flowing, food was passed around liberally, an amazing party night was had by all, and we drifted to sleep to the sounds of wild burros that sounded as though they were just outside (Erm.. Because they were).

The feeling of family and camaraderie of this evening wont soon be forgotten, nor will it be lost on us how grateful we were and are to have been able to share in the happiness and warmth, even in below freezing temps “CLOSE THE DOOR!!”

 

[Blkwgn_wyfee]

DVX15 Trip Report Part 3

Day 3
12/28/15
Warm Springs Road, Grantham Mine, Bad Water Basin, Furnace Creek

We bugged out around eight the following morning, and headed out along Warm Springs road, with some amazing views of Striped Bute as we headed out of the valley.

Planning Session

We stopped at Grantham Mine, and while wondering, found some amazing HUGE geodes. This was another major highlight of the trip for Cris and I.

We continued over to Badwater Basin, which is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at -282 BELOW sea level.

Then trekked onto Artist Pallet and Artists drive (Aptly named) for some of the most colorful views yet. There are copper mines all along this trail in the valley, and we suspect that’s what gives the hills their shades of green.

Artsy fartsy, because I couldn't resist that sky

After a Logistics (And penny pressing) stop at the Furnace Creek General Store, a cute little touristy town, we forged on to our camp for the night above the old Furnace Mine site, in view of Dante’s View. The view was epic, even with what looked like a storm rolling in.

It was so cold here that I had to take out the Arctic cloak for the first time and give it a try. Wow, I put that sucker on, and BAM! Immediately sheltered from the wind, cold and yes, we even got a little snow. Even my legs were warm and toasty!

Thanks to a Matt and Cody of Goose Gear, we had some great cheese and cracker appetizers again, then had a cup o' noodles for dinner. It was cold enough (below 18 degrees) that we did not want to cook and have to do dishes later. Tembo Tusks Paul, Jerry and Bryan made some awesome burgers and even shared their PERFECTLY done Fries with the group.

Note that PILE of frozen fries on the skottle to the left? They were awesome.

Dave pulled out his guitar (or extra large ukulele, as Brett so accurately described it), but could only strum a few notes before having to pull his hands into his cloak and warm them up again.

Tonight was probably the worst as far as wind and cold goes, with temps dropping into the single digits, but with the fun we were having around the campfire, I doubt anyone noticed exactly how cold it was.

 

[Blkwgn_wyfee]

DVX15 Trip Report Part 4

Day 4
12/29/15
Dantes View, Mesquite Dunes, Ubehebe Crater, The Racetrack

We decided to forgo more cooking at camp this morning and bug out early for a tailgate breakfast at Dante’s View. It was so cold that water froze almost as we were pouring it for our coffee. It measured 14 degrees at 6 am, and we were excited to get to warmer temps, even if only slightly.

Headed up to Dante’s view, where we quickly decided this wasn’t the place for breakfast. Though the views were EPIC- the wind blew so hard that it practically held you up! Richard found the need to test this theory and proved it right before our eyes on one of the peaks. Spent about 20 minutes wandering, and taking pictures. The gusting wind and stunning vistas literally took our breath away, but breakfast was calling to us, so we headed down the hill.

We drove into Stovepipe wells for a quick gas and coffee stop, then onto Mesquite Dunes. These Tatooine type dunes were the perfect backdrops for our amazing tailgate breakfast, which is appropriate, since scenes from the one of the films where shot there. (For those of you who are curious, it’s the scene where R2D2 and C3PO go their separate ways after the crash landing in Episode IV.) We all pitched in what we had, and ended up with quite an assortment of delicious eats. Tembo Tusks Jerry and Paul broke out two skottles and we ended up with sausage, eggs, corned beef hash, bacon, cheese and even tater tots!

Not a good shot of the dunes, I was preoccupied with the food...

Even Henry Had some!

The aftermath

Clean up was easy, as it is with the Skottles, and since all the food was devoured, we had no leftovers to try and get rid of or pack away. It even left us some time to hike around the dunes, or hang out at the trucks. At this point, we bid goodbye to Goosgear Brian, Goose, and Garrick, as they headed for home due to a pretty severe tummy ache.

Next, we moved onto Ubehebe Crater, a massive hole in the ground stretching half a mile wide and 500 feet deep. It provided some awesome picture ops and an opportunity to laugh at those that decided it was a good idea to hike to the bottom… Thankfully, that was none of us.

Yup, its a BIG hole

After the Crater, we headed down a 26 mile washboard road that lead us to the Racetrack and Grandstand, something that Cris and I were really excited about seeing.

We had to make a quick stop at Teakettle Junction, about halfway to the lake bed. Travelers have left behind countless teakettles here for years, and we had to stop and take pictures of the phenomenon.

When we finally rounded the last bend to the Racetrack Playa, we were a bit awestruck. Set before a gorgeous backdrop of clear blue sky and desert peaks, it stands out as a gem in the middle of the desert. We all piled out to walk the stretch to the Grand Stand (an island of large boulders in the middle of the lake bed) and decided to climb around a bit. Dave was convinced that he knew where there was hot air coming up through the boulders, but the only "hot air" that was discovered was Richard making shoooshing noises at the tail end of the group.

We were excited to find some rocks with tracks, but were suspicious of whether or not we had actually found the natural phenomenon, or if a jokester had decided to have some fun. You tell us:

We are excited to come back here and explore a little more thoroughly, as there seemed to be a couple more areas to look at closer.

From the Playa we said goodbye to Matt and Cody, and drove a few miles down to Homestake Dry Camp for the night.

This was another Arctic Cloak night for me (because I'm a total wimp when it comes to the cold), as temps were in the low 40s when we stopped and in the teens when we awoke. Liquid heat was flowing again that night, in the form of Apple Pie Moonshine and Fireball Whiskey (Power aid for prego here)

Wonderfull appetizers in the form of Pot stickers were provided by the Tembo Tusk Guys, and we spent yet another night with no need to cook dinner because the appetizers were so abundant, and delicious.

 

[Blkwgn_wyfee]

Day 5
12/30/15
Lippincott Pass, Panamint Springs, Kingman

We woke up to frost everywhere this morning, and a temp reading of 14 degrees around 7 am. As a group, we staged a teeny-tiny revolt and took our time getting ready to go and having another family breakfast. Again everyone gave a bit of what they had, and ended up with yummy breakfast burritos, or garbage burritos as we lovingly dubbed them, full of sausage, eggs, tater tots and bacon cooked on the two Skottles by Jackie.

When we were FINALLY packed up- around 9:30am, we headed out for the Lipincott trailhead. It was breathtaking views and narrow shelf roads for the majority, but the truck did well with the trailer and I was very impressed with Cris’ skills

We had to stop to move a boulder out of the road, it took four guys!

When we hit the bottom, we took off across the Saline Valley to catch the 190 and air up at the pavement where we said our goodbyes to the group.

We made a quick stop at Padre Crawley Lookout, for the bathroom and the view.

After an amazing view that looked out over the whole valley, we then headed to Panamint Springs Resort for what Cris would later call an EPIC Blue Cheese Burger (or Cardiac Arrest) and fries. We ate with awesome views and noticed a pretty good campsite that we want to come back and try at some point, then headed out Daylight Pass For Beatty Nv, and on to Kingman Az.

We landed in Kingman late, where we (I) decided on a Motel 6 over a KOA for a warm bed and hot shower.

Day 6
12/31/15
Pheonix, Cabelas, and Maricopa

Feeling refreshed after a couple hot showers and a real bed, not to mention a warm sleep, we checked out and headed across the street to k-mart to get a fix for the tail lights on the trailer, which had gone out somewhere near the Racetrack in Death Valley. After this was done, we headed for a quick breakfast at a local place called Grandpas' Kitchen and then made our way out to Glendale, Az, and Cabelas to kill a few hours while we waited to met with family for dinner.

It was like the mother ship was calling Cris home. We had a great few hours wandering the store and adding things to our list of wants and must haves.

We headed out to a great restaurant with amazing views called Rustlers Rooste, in Pheonix, and met family for New Years Eve dinner.

This place is amazing, TONS of personality, a wonderfully rowdy atmosphere, and even a bull named Horney penned up in front.

No, he was not dinner.

If you’re ever in the area, definitely check it out, we had a blast. They even served a bucket of cotton candy for desert!

After dinner, we followed my cousins’ home to Maricopa and made a valiant effort to stay up until midnight for her fiancés fireworks show.

 

[Dave]

 

[Scott]

Waiting patiently...

Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk

 

[Guri]

Thank you to share the trip experience...

 

[Haggis]

Impatiently waiting for more....

 

[brentbba]

More please! Pics are just magnificent!

Pics of Manson's cabin and Stripped Butte bring back memories of a 2006 trip that in part included your treck thru Ballarat, Mengel pass, etc. Manson's cabin was still there in '06. Because of our large group we didn't stay at Geologist's cabin, but rather stayed at the old mine in the cinder block cabins that had been built for the workers. Nice little warm spring there that was awesome for a bath! Temps weren't obviously what you dealt with!

 

[Yuman Desert Rat]

Thank you for this....! I REALLY needed it....

 

[NWOverland]

Such cool photos and a great trip. Hoping to join you guys on one this year!

Dan

 

[Grumps]

Great report, I'll be reading it over and over again during the next couple of months as winter arrives. Hmm, single digit temps. That's kinda chilly for you California guys.

-Andy

 

[bob91yj]

"Liquid heat was flowing again that night, in the form of Apple Pie Moonshine and Fireball Whisky (Poweraid for prego here)"

Congrats to you guys, didn't catch it anywhere else if it was already posted! Great report too!

 

[richard310]

Yes, congrats to you two! And so far a great report Paige!

Still lagging in the photo editing department over here, but there's some good photos of everybody!

 

[Blkwgn_wyfee]

Day 7
1/1/16
Picacho State Park (Travel Day)

After a late breakfast with family, we spent some time playing cards Against Humanity, then got a really late start headed for Picacho State Park, and our home for the night.

Pretty sun set pics from our late start

Once we reached the entrance to the state park, we discovered that almost all of the roads leading to the park were closed for construction. We drove through farmland and canals for about an hour before we found a way in. I was getting really nervous, because isn’t that how horror films start? It almost felt like we were being herded, and it was a huge relief to finally find the right open road in.

We arrived late and decided to forgo a campfire in favor of waking up to catch the sunrise over the water.

Day 8
1/2/16
Picacho State Park, Indian Pass, Fish Creek


We rose early enough to catch the beautiful sunrise, and spent some time trying to get the perfect photo. It was so beautiful that we stood around for an hour at least taking pictures.

We had all four beach campsites to our selves, and it was amazingly quiet and peaceful.

Cris warmed up some banana bread, (Thanks Nori!) on the skottle and we dined on that and yogurt. Then we just spent a couple hours enjoying the sun on the riverbank and reading.

We headed out of the park by way of Indian Pass. Rough in some areas, but generally maintained once you hit the BLM Land. It was on this road that we discovered a tree that someone had decorated for Christmas.

You just never know what you'll find. Someone had an awesome Christmas here.

We decided to stop at the Glamis Overlook for lunch and some entertainment, which we definitely got as we ate our sandwiches out in the sand. After lunch, we headed for Fish Creek campground in the Anza Borrego Desert.

As we were pulling into camp, we got an awesome surprise! We recognized a fellow American Adventurists' camp trailer and decided to pull into the spot next to them and wait for them to return. Dwight and Maile, and Mitch and Apryl pulled up around 4 and we had a great dinner and campfire with them.

Day 9
1/3/16
Julian (Travel Day and Home)

Cris was up early again this morning, but dizziness kept me in bed too late for coffee. By the time I was up and out of the trailer, it had been decided to hit Julian for Brunch and pie. I am always game for that, so after some trivial packing up, we took off.

Lunch at the Julian Café is always yummy, and we could not leave without getting an Apple Boysenberry pie to take home.

We drove home by way of Warner Springs, which is about where I fell asleep (sorry Cris) and didn’t wake up till we hit the Costco gas in Temecula. Arrived home at about 3, spreading trail dust all the way!

We could not have asked for a better group to go with and we made some awesome memories as well! Cant wait to get out there again!

 

[Phoenix]

Great job on the report, and thanks for sharing. Hoping the day will come when I can make it out west and see some of those beautiful sites.

 

[richard310]

That's quite an eventful and wonderful trip. Loving the photos! Glad you guys made it back safely

 

[bob91yj]

Great report. Makes me want to get back to Death Valley soon.

It sure sucks that some moron burned down the Barker Ranch. I got to see it when it was still there. It gave one guy in our group the "willies" so bad that he couldn't wait to get out of there. This was 10 years or so ago, about the time they had cadaver dogs out there looking for more possible buried bodies.

The "moving rocks" on Racetrack Playa have to be seen to be believed. I'd be fairly certain that the tracks you saw were legit. I've been there a few times, seen tracks that zig-zag, double back on themselves, no rhyme or reason to it. That's why it is "Mother Nature' and not "Father Nature", if it was Father Nature, things like this would make sense... but since it's Mother Nature, and a female is involved, I just go with what I'm told!

In my house I can be happy, or I can be right...I'm a HAPPY guy!

 

[BlkWgn]

Not sure if anyone is interested, but here are the GPX tracks with some key waypoints from the trip. The files should be able to be opened with most gps software or google earth. I tracked the trip using Gaia pro, then joined the tracks and linked the waypoints to them using ADZE