Death Valley: Day 3 — Does It Get Any Better?

Death Valley: Day 3 — Does It Get Any Better?
January 19, 2018.

We slept soundly through the night — it was the perfect night really — quiet, a bit of a breeze, and chilly but not too cold. I’d set my alarm for 6:30am, since I wanted to catch the sunrise. The atmosphere over Death Valley makes for stunning shots and though I knew I wouldn’t get anything like @DVExile, or even Ben (@m3bassman) had a few weeks earlier, I really wanted to try to get something!

I wasn’t disappointed.

Sunrise seemed to pick up just where sunset left off — amazing pinks and purples, mixed with a cool blue sky and steely landscape. As @mrs.turbodb slept, I hiked a short distance up Tin Mountain, hoping to catch some shots of the valley as the sun came over the ridge and shown on the Last Chance Range.

As with all sunrises, this one didn’t last long (enough), and I made my way back down to camp where we enjoyed a bowl of cereal with fresh strawberries and got the tent put away (dry!) We knew we had a long day ahead of us — we were planning to cover over 100 mostly-dirt miles — and pulled out of camp around 8:00am.

And then, almost immediately, we stopped.

We’d seen a few Joshua Trees on the hillside by our camp, but just over the ridge the density picked up significantly. Sure that we’d never see so many in such a small area again, we stopped and tried to capture the moment. Of course, had we known what awaited us just hours later in Lee Flats…

We continued on toward the Racetrack Playa — something we were both looking forward to — when we stumbled upon Teakettle Junction. Of course, we both knew of Teakettle, but it’s sight in the middle of the desert still caught us by surprise, since from a distance we wondered, “what the heck is that pile of crap?”

This was also the only point in the trip when we had any cell coverage — both of our phones literally lit up with notifications as we stopped at the junction — so we took a 15 minute break to triage our lives.

Oh, and of course I posted this picture on TacomaWorld as an update on our progress… what a goob. :anonymous:

Our emails, texts, and device addictions satisfied for the moment, we continued on towards The Racetrack, which we could now see in the distance. Its sheer size (and the tininess of The Grandstands) was mesmerizing — enough so to make us forget the washboard road over which we were travelling, faster and faster.

When we arrived, there was no question about whether we were stopping and walking out. We were.

While there, we met another couple exploring as well — they’d stayed a bit closer to Teakettle in what they described as an amazing camp site overlooking the valley. Another thing for us to check out on our next visit!

Soon, we were back in the truck for a 2-mile jaunt the length of The Racetrack, to the south end where the sailing stones dot the Playa. Pushed by wind when The Racetrack is slick from rain and ice, the trails left by these rocks are eerie. They move in different directions, sometimes 180° to each other, and often with curves in their path.

We must have looked both funny and normal out on the playa — running from rock to rock, laying down to take pictures — we were like kids at Christmas.

Too quickly, we decided to be on our way, and we headed south again towards Lippincott Pass — again, a feature we’d heard a lot about from various other folks who make the pilgrimage to Death Valley. As we neared the turn west, I noticed that the GPS track I’d plotted went straight.

“That’s strange,” I thought, “I wonder where that goes?”

To see where, as well as the amazing events of the rest of the day, continue reading the full story — Death Valley Day 3 — Does it get any better? — at adventuretaco.com.

Originally published at adventuretaco.com.