March 20-22, 2019
Once again, the weather was turning. Another storm was due in off
the Pacific Ocean bringing rain and cooler temperatures. Death Valley
looked like the only place that might escape, so since we had been
hopeful to make it there this trip, we packed up and left
Hole-In-The-Wall as the rain and cold came in. By the time we reached
the northern side of the huge park at Baker, California, the sun was
shining and the temperatures were warm. We struck off across the
barren desert for Death Valley. This would be our third trip into the
park and we were hoping to finally see parts of it that are only
accessible with our four-wheel-drive truck. Driving the View
motorhome around the park had limited us to paved roads and crowded
parking at trailheads.
The sun was still shining as we reached the valley floor. We
headed for Texas Spring Campground above Furnace Creek. We've had no
problem getting in there in the past. All but part of one of the
Death Valley campgrounds are first-come first-served. Texas Spring is
generator free. This time there were no campsites available there.
That was when we realized it was Spring Break! We drove back down to
the main road and reluctantly checked in to Sunset Campground. It is
a huge gravel parking lot marked off into campsites. No hook-ups here
either, but we could get water and dump. Once again we were stuck
beside all the big rigs running their loud generators from 7 am until
9 pm.
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| "Scenic" campsite in Death Valley |
The temperatures remained fairly comfortable, but the rain started
and went on all night. The next morning we had planned to drive out
of the valley and visit Ash Meadow National Wildlife Refuge on the
east side of Death Valley. We wanted to introduce ourselves to the
volunteer coordinator and inquire about volunteering next winter.
Change of plans, the road out was closed due to four feet of mud
blocking it! The road south down the valley to Badwater was closed
for the same reason. All the unpaved back roads were closed. Since we
had no connections in the valley, we had to rely on the visitor
center weather forecast. It read high of 78 degrees, partly cloudy
with a 50 percent chance of rain. Okay, we decided to drive the paved
roads and get out and see what we could, and try to do a hike. On the
way to Stovepipe Wells we found a flooded road, but could drive
through it. At Stovepipe Wells we got fuel, wandered the gift shop,
and ate our picnic lunch in the truck as the rain started again.
There appeared to be huge sheets of rain falling between us and the
campground, so we gave up and drove back again before the road
flooding got worse.
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| Road flooding in the land of few storm drains |
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| Rain Showers advancing across the valley. Temporary lake formed. |
We spent the rest of the rainy day in the trailer listening to our
neighbor's generators. The weather cleared overnight, the sun came
out, and the roads were open, so we drove out of the valley to Ash
Meadow. It was a 45-mile drive and then we drove the last five miles
on gravel roads after we left the pavement and entered Nevada. It
sits in the middle of a wide valley, or basin, since this is Western
basin and range topography. The water flowing down from the
surrounding mountains emerges here in crystal clear springs and
streams and creates the last oasis in the Mojave Desert. There are
many plants, flowers, and wildlife which only exist in this place and
nowhere else on earth. The visitor center and exhibits are only five
years old and top notch. We walked the one-mile-long boardwalk behind
the center and visited the gorgeous blue spring pool that surfaces
there.
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| Spring outflow getting lost in the desert |
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| The stream flowing out of the Crystal Pool. |
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| Nice new visitors center |
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| Crystal Pool |
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| On the boardwalk to the pool and looking back to the visitor center. |
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| Not too much chance of getting lost on the way in. |
We met the volunteer coordinator and are excited to have a phone
interview coming up soon for positions next winter. It's our kind of
place; remote, small staff, and a place of environmental importance
where we can make a difference helping to maintain it, and educating
visitors. We took time for a picnic lunch there and found out we had
cell connections, so we stayed awhile and caught up before we
descended back into connectionless Death Valley.
We drove the long way back to come into Death Valley from the
south. We've never driven it before and it gives another perspective
to the barren, yet beautiful park. The backroads were still in bad
shape from the storm, so we stayed on the paved road. Hopefully our
next visit will give us a chance to explore more. The next morning we
left the valley. We had been 25 days dry camping with no connections
and were ready for hookups, groceries, showers, laundry, vacuuming
out the gravel and sand, and topping off the batteries. So, we hauled
the trailer back up the mountains out of the park and drove to
Pahrump, Nevada to plan our next moves.
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| The southern route to Death Valley on Jubilee Pass Road and Badwater Road |
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| In the valley bottom near Badwater |
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| The Death Valley Oasis Inn |
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| Looking across the basin near Furnace Creek to snow-capped mountains. |
