Wanted to recap a trip that a good friend (Josh) and my family (Me, my wife Sasha, and daughter Autumn) took to Death Valley from Oregon at the end of March 2018. Overall we spent 6 nights in Death Valley. Josh drives a 2016 F350 on a Carli Suspension and I have the Raptor with Gieser Bro springs in the front and Icon RXT leafs in the rear. I think I'll recap each day in an individual thread, so it may get a little long to read for some, but I will try and keep it as brief as possible for each day, enjoy!
Day 1:
We merged up with HWY 395 in Northern California after taking HWY 39 out of Oregon. This was an amazing drive, however this early in the season we were concerned with snow. Earlier in the morning there were chain requirements (including 4x4 w/ traction tires) around Bridgeport, CA, but by the time we reached Reno and rechecked the conditions, everything was fine. We passed through Bridgeport, CA which has an amazing old court house along with some outstanding views of the east side of the Sierras. We made a quick stop at the Mono Lake overlook to get out and stretch and let the little one play in the snow.
After arriving in Bishop we found a gas station to fill up, one of many stops we made at the pump on this trip. We continued on to Mountain Rambler Brewery in Bishop for a few beverages and a snack before heading into Death Valley. As we made our turn just north of Big Pine we stopped at a little kiosk advertising the bristlecone pines just up the road. There was also a giant sequoia that had been planted here marking the first vehicle trip through the Westgaard Pass. Always strange and interesting how we stumble across these markers for the first vehicle passages through these locations.
We continued down the road getting our first taste of dirt on our way into Eureka Dunes. A fun blast past 70mph on the gravel felt fantastic. We could see the dunes off in the distance and at first really didn’t appreciate how big they really are. As we approached the “developed” dry camp area, we could tell it was full with a handful of vehicles, so we opted to head on down the road a couple of miles to find our own slice of heaven. We pitched camp and I got quick to work making dinner. Finally we were able to settle, it was a breezy, cool night, but we sat down around the propane fire pit looking at the stars and realizing that we were finally in Death Valley.
To be continued...
Day 1:
We merged up with HWY 395 in Northern California after taking HWY 39 out of Oregon. This was an amazing drive, however this early in the season we were concerned with snow. Earlier in the morning there were chain requirements (including 4x4 w/ traction tires) around Bridgeport, CA, but by the time we reached Reno and rechecked the conditions, everything was fine. We passed through Bridgeport, CA which has an amazing old court house along with some outstanding views of the east side of the Sierras. We made a quick stop at the Mono Lake overlook to get out and stretch and let the little one play in the snow.
After arriving in Bishop we found a gas station to fill up, one of many stops we made at the pump on this trip. We continued on to Mountain Rambler Brewery in Bishop for a few beverages and a snack before heading into Death Valley. As we made our turn just north of Big Pine we stopped at a little kiosk advertising the bristlecone pines just up the road. There was also a giant sequoia that had been planted here marking the first vehicle trip through the Westgaard Pass. Always strange and interesting how we stumble across these markers for the first vehicle passages through these locations.
We continued down the road getting our first taste of dirt on our way into Eureka Dunes. A fun blast past 70mph on the gravel felt fantastic. We could see the dunes off in the distance and at first really didn’t appreciate how big they really are. As we approached the “developed” dry camp area, we could tell it was full with a handful of vehicles, so we opted to head on down the road a couple of miles to find our own slice of heaven. We pitched camp and I got quick to work making dinner. Finally we were able to settle, it was a breezy, cool night, but we sat down around the propane fire pit looking at the stars and realizing that we were finally in Death Valley.
To be continued...
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