After a terrific snowbird season in the Coachella Valley it was time for us to get back on the road again. Interesting is observation with this Full-Time adventure when its time to take a break and slow down for a few months or the opposite, when we are getting restless to get back on road the calendar just seems to come together. This Revolutionary Journey seems to serendipitously find it’s groove and calendar all by itself… It has been a good, though busy winter at Desert Shadows RV Resort as things began to return to normal with Covid on the downslide and with many of our Canadian friends returning back with the elimination of many border restrictions….
Before heading out we spent considerable time with my Mom, who took a terrible fall breaking her shoulder and pelvis this winter. She had been moved from a hospital, to a rehabilitation facility. Before we could depart we had several difficult conversations with her and her husband about “Assisted Living ” options. I’m sure anyone in this position can attest these are difficult conversations to broach but it’s all about our generation’s journey that many have to deal with as our parents start to age. Fortunately we had same great dialogue and after careful consideration, before departing, we find the perfect location that can provide a type of hybrid solution from rehabilitation before heading back to home that allowed then to do a trial period of two months. What started out as a test ultimately became the next step as they both decided after a month Bella Villagio Assisted Living was a perfect fit for them. Also it’s only up the street from their current house. We all felt much more comfortable knowing they will have all the help they need at their fingertips! They have freedom, facilities, help, and support and the place is absolutely beautiful. We are very happy for them.
April 29,2022
We had a plan to depart DSRV by 8:30 and we aren’t too far off. After Pete and Cheri Turner come down to say good bye and say a prayer, we hitched up the car, got gas at Sam’s and were on I-10 by 9:00am.
We decide to take the scenic route through Joshua Tree in order to avoid highway driving the entire way; though we will hop on 15 for a bit as we get closer to out first stop of 2023 Death Valley National Park. We actually arrive in Death Valley by 3:30.
Because it is considered off season, this late in April, we were not able to make a reservation at the Campground at Furnace Creek. Furnace Creek Campground is the closest to the visitor’s center and the only one that has some FHU (Full Hook up) sites. Unfortunately all the FHU sites are taken by the time we pull in though there are still plenty of sites to pick from. We had just hoped with temps forecasted to get over 100 we would be able to run at least one AC unit. But fortunately we were able to find a site with a nice shade tree. We settle in with some afternoon Gin & Tonics and sit back to enjoy the view, and figure out a plan for tomorrow. We had started the Just Ahead App before entering the park and learned a lot about the park while just driving to the Campground! We make a plan to get up at the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise at Zabriskie Point so off to bed for an early rise in the morning!
April 30.2022
We are up early so we can make the hike up to Zabriskie Point viewing area at sunrise. The spectacular views from Zabriskie Point are some of the most photographed in Death Valley National Park. Named in honor of Christian Zabriskie, a prominent figure in the heyday of the Pacific Coast Borax Company, Zabriskie Point affords an elevated vista from which to marvel at the badlands below.
Parking is easy at the base of Zabiske Point. It’s a short hike from the parking lot which seems to be pretty active for the sunrise there. The views and colors of the rocks are amazing. Although we never wait for the sun to actually rise over the mountain, the light coming before the sunrise makes for some amazing pictures. Just beautiful!!
Once we leave there we head to Dante’s View to hopefully get the same awesome pictures and views from there. The drive in is on good pavement, though it is a windy road and nothing over 25 feet is allowed. It is a windy road with 15% grade near the top. Again; amazing! This is the highest peak in the park looking down on the lowest place in North America (Badwater Basin). We spend some time reading the interpretive signs and taking in the views then head back for breakfast and to make a plan for the rest of the day.
It is a short walk to the visitor’s center from our site. We watch the park video then chat with the ranger about a plan for the two days we are here and also pick his brain about a route to Great Basin (including where to get gas) when we depart on Monday. With a solid plan for the rest of the time we are here and how we will work our way over to Great Basin NP, we head back to the campsite to prepare for the rest of the day.
The park ranger recommends that we drive directly to Badwater Basin, then work our way back stopping at various sites along the way. Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. The salt flats here cover nearly 200 square miles (518 square km), and are composed mostly of sodium chloride (table salt), along with calcite, gypsum, and borax.
The drive is awesome and the park is not crowded so at every place we stop, there is plenty of parking and plenty of room to move around and take pictures. The salt flats are very picturesque, we get some pics and head out to the next stop; Natural Bridge. This requires us to drive about two miles on a dirt road (the poor mini!). We do it but then decide no more dirt roads! Once parked it is a short walk (hike?) to the Natural Bridge. The walk isn’t too bad except for the 100 degree temps! But we have plenty of liquids with us so not to worry. There is a girl wearing flip flops for this “walk” so not sure she will actually make it to the bridge!
After the bridge we do the Artists Palette drive. It is on good, paved road and is absolutely stunning! We stop to get some pictures but both know the pictures won’t do it justice. Once we finish the drive we both agree we want to do it again tomorrow!
The final stop for today is at Harmony Borax Works. This is an outdoor display with interpretive signs describing mining tools, stagecoaches and other paraphernalia used during the mining days at Death Valley. This stop is at the resort called The Ranch at Furnace Creek. Since we are already there we walk through a few shops before heading back to camp.
We are hot, tired, and ready for a break though it’s been a super first day in Death Valley National Park…
May 1, 2022
This morning we decided to have an easier morning. We slept later and hang out by the campsite a little longer. When we got going we decided to drive all the way up to Ubehebe Crater (about an hour drive) to check that out first thing. It did not disappoint! The drive was spectacular and it was so well worth it! The very beginning (up to Little Hebe) is the toughest part. We felt so good after doing that! We got some exercise and the different perspectives of the crater is amazing. Highly recommended!
From there we had some other things that rangers recommended, but most were either too far to drive or driving on dirt roads or hiking too far in 100 degree heat! So we stopped over in Stovepipe Wells Village then headed back toward Furnace Creek to hopefully get a beverage. Unfortunately no place was open for serving! Either they didn’t open till 4:00 or they had closed from lunch already and wouldn’t open again for a bit. We finally decided to check out the historic Inn At Death Valley. The Inn itself was pretty cool and the bar was open and serving! We got some drinks and took them out on a patio where we were protected from the higher winds! This was such a great choice! A delightful way to end our time here in Death Valley!
Death Valley National Park Take aways:
Get up early and drive around to enjoy the sunrises and light of the sun in different perspectives on the mountains! Definitely catch the sunrise at Zabriskie Point! Definitely do the Artists Drive and the Ubehebe Crater! It is HOT and WINDY here so don’t be surprised. But also do not let that deter you from coming here. The views are stunning and the history very cool!
Because we have no reservations at Great Basin we are aiming for a 6:00 am departure and fingers crossed will get a site we can fit into when we get there!
May 2, 2022:
We did get that early start but also had to dump and take on water before hitting the road. But we still got an early start! It helped that we had no hook ups and we did most of our pack up the night before. Our plan was to skip breakfast (but always start with or morning tea!) and maybe find something when we stop for gas in Beatty, CA. As luck would have it, the gas stop was perfect! We had investigated (Gas Buddy) prior to departure and found Eddie World which not only had gas for RV’s but also had some awesome blueberry muffins! Or other breakfast foods if you would rather! Easy in / easy out and right on the path. We had spoken to a couple at Death Valley about a place to pick up some basic groceries and they recommended Raley’s in Tonopah. A great stopover! We were able to parallel park on the road across the street from the store and Joanne ran in for the few groceries we needed to get us through our stay at Great Basin.
Our drive today was really quite diverse and amazing. U.S. Route 50 is a transcontinental highway in the United States, stretching from the Sacramento region of California in the west to Ocean City of Maryland in the east. The Nevada portion, which goes through the center of the state, was named The Loneliest Road in America by Life magazine in July 1986. Aptly named in our opinions.
If you want to really get a feel for US 50 “The Loneliest Road in America” just click here:
The entire drive today was amazing. Just a 2 lane highway but hardly anyone on it! The canyons, mountains, snow on the mountains… all was beautiful. Not a difficult drive, just long!
Once we get to this very remote National Park, we begin the work of finding a campsite. Because it is out of season, we weren’t able to make a reservation so all are first come first serve. Back in the day it wouldn’t have been a problem. But ever since Covid finding campsites on the fly has been difficult. We pulled into Lower Lehman’s Campground around 2:30- usually not a problem. But today (a Monday) every site has been taken. So we move on to Upper Lehman’s Campground. We had been told by rangers that this CG may be more difficult to get around in a rig our size but we could try. We park the RV and toad and walk through to see if we can find a site. The only site available is the ADA site. So we call and find out that is OK. So we go back to the RV and position it onto the site. Perfect! The wind it crazy but we got a site and are level. We begin to sit outside but the wind gets the best of us and we decided to go inside and enjoy the view from our front window. We have tickets for the cave tour tomorrow morning so that will probably start our exploration of this National Park!
Oh! Almost forgot to input how much we have spent on gas so far: $868.38 so far since we left the desert on April 29. That much in 4 days! Crazy!
5/3/2022:
Great Basin NP
We booked our Lehman Caves tour for 10:30 the first morning here. These are the caves this area is know for. We know it leaves from the visitor center so we begin by heading there around 9:30. Not much at the visitor center but Joanne gets her passport stamped, we look at the few exhibits and line up for the cave tour. The tour surprises us. It is awesome! Though it is only an hour long tour, it was only $6.00 with our Senior NP pass. Because we only have one the second person was $12.00. still a bargain and we will need to ponder if we want to buy a second Senior pass for just theses situations.
We speak to the ranger about some hikes but unfortunately this being so early in the season there isn’t much open because there is still significant snow. The road up to Wheeler Peak Overlook and also where many of the hiking trails begin is still closed because of snow and ice. We are able to drive up to the Mather Overlook and also check out where a possible hike is for tomorrow. Then we drive down to where the actual GB Visitor Center is (in Baker) but again; it is still closed.
There is an interpretive stop about ranchers so we stop there to take some pics and read the information. Then just head back to the RV. Once at the RV we discuss the following day. It is still cold and windy. Do we just push on and get to our next place a day early? Do we stay the additional day and try to get the hike in? We do call the state park we are headed to and we could actually get onto our site a day early. But we finally decide to stay the extra night and plan to do the Osceola Ditch Hike. This hike is 10 miles round trip but it is on fairly level ground and supposed to be gorgeous views. We make some stir fry for dinner, play some Rummikub and call it a night!
5/4/2022:
Great Basin NP
Today we sleep a little later as we know it will be too cold to start the hike at the crack of dawn. We figure if we begin the hike around 11 we should have no problem finishing by 3. The Osceola Ditch hike is not far from our camp spot and is up another thousand feet so we dressed in layers.
Joanne had read that although the hike is long (a little over 5 miles one way) it is level with beautiful views. As we start the hike we realize we will need to begin striping off layers pretty quickly. It is a beautiful day for a hike! Little wind, perfect temps, no bugs. The views are amazing! In the first mile of the hike there are some landslide / rock piles to navigate over. That is the most difficult part of the hike. We do see some various types of scat along the way and around the 2 mile mark see some huge paw tracks that we are assuming are cougar tracks (were told at the visitor center there are cougars in the park). But we did not see any wildlife except a few woodpeckers along the way. There was obviously a fire at some point as we walked through a burn area for probably a mile.
As we approached the 3 mile mark we see a cone and a pile of rocks. As we got closer we realize there had been two landslides that we will not be able to navigate over to continue the hike. We contemplate for awhile but realize we have no choice but to turn around. In our minds we are thinking what if someone had hiked past this area only to have the slide happen while they were on the other side?! A scary thought! We finish the hike and comment on what a great hike and great stay this has been.
Great Basin and Lehman Caves was a huge surprise for us. Although the weather was a big contrast to what we left in Death Valley a few days earlier we seemed to easily adapt to the temps, wind, and snow. 100 degrees to 28 degrees. Sleeveless shirt to parkas … we never know what this Revolutionary Journey has around the next bend and we embrace it!
