Wednesday, Feb 1, 2012 Orange Grove RV Park

We left Death Valley at 8am this morning. It was about 5 hours to our next camp, so we stopped in Yermo for lunch. We ate at Penny’s diner. What a cute place!! It looked like a silver train car from the sixties. We had a great meal of burgers, quesadillas and a patty melt. We all bought T-shirts with the Penny’s logo on the back in hot pink!

We finally arrived at our last camp ground of the trip. This is a beautiful spot where you can pick all of the oranges that you can carry. The trees line every pull through space in the camp. I picked enough oranges to share with everyone back home!

We are fixing whatever we have left in the refrigerator for dinner, in our case, chicken.

This has been a GREAT trip!! It was our second time in Death Valley, and we plan on visiting a few more times. After all, it covers over 3,373,042 acres!!

It was so much fun hangin’ with the “S’more Friends” camping group, and meeting a few new people this year. As I have said in the past, I hope this blog inspires you to go out and see the good old USA! We have 28 states marked so far on our “Been There, Done That” map that we have visited! There is still SO much more left to see. Everyone, be sure and blog your adventures, I would love to hear all about them!!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 Death Valley

This morning we headed to Darwin Falls. From Furnace Creek to the start of the road to the falls was about 50 miles. Along the way we passed through the little resort of Panamint Springs. Here there is a gas station, motel with 15 rooms, a campground and a restaurant.

We turned off the paved road to the washboard, dirt road leading to the falls. The road was really hard to see from the main road and some of the caravan missed the turn off. As soon as they found a place to turn around, we all headed very slowly down the dirt, avoiding rocks and holes along the way to the falls. Once we got to the small parking area, it was a mile walk to get to the falls. It was really fun! There was quite a bit of climbing over rocks and boulders, ducking under very dry and scratchy brush, and wading through ankle deep water and mud. Barb and I got separated from the group and apparently we took the low road while the rest took the high road. When we met the others at the falls, we were quite a bit muddier! Going back, I figured my shoes were already a mess, so I opted to walk along the water’s edge most of the way, rather than climb on the very slippery rocks with wet feet. When we got back to the car we ate our packed lunches.

On the way back to Furnace Creek, we stopped in the town of Stovepipe Wells to get ice cream and hit the gift shop. Right before our camp, we drove a short distance off the road to the abandoned Harmony Borax mine, the home of the “20 Mule Teem”. Barb and Marsha had never been here, and we knew they would enjoy the history of this spot and take a few pictures. Then it was off to the Visitor’s Center again to make last minute purchases!

We barbequed hot dogs over the campfire for dinner, and had S’mores for dessert!!

Monday, Jan 30, 2012 Death Valley

Today we decided to visit the ghost town of Rhyolite, NV. This was a pretty big city. It was established in 1905, one year after gold was discovered here. The population grew to about 8,000 in it’s heyday. When the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 happened, the funding for Nevada mines decreased substantially. By 1920, there were only 14 people left in the town. At one time, there were three railroads that served Rhyolite. As you left town, there was a small museum that was closed, a circular rock maze, huge plaster ghosts, and an oversized glass mosaic couch! Jeanette and I did the maze and got REALLY dizzy!

We then drove just a few miles to Beatty, NV. I thought this would be a pretty big town because a lot of the business owners in Oatman, AZ, and some of the docents from Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley live there. Well, I guess they are the only ones who live there – hahaha. Just kidding. They had a gas station, a few stores, some homes and a nice park that we ate our lunch at. In 2009, the town had 1,200 people.

After lunch, it was off to Titus Canyon. This is the largest canyon in the park! It was a 3 hour drive on a 26 mile dirt road that is accessible to high clearance vehicles. We literally had to drive pretty straight up the mountain on a very narrow, winding, road that had sheer drops around every corner, and switchbacks galore!! Look at the picture right after the ghost, that's Larry's truck behind us! Look at the direction our truck is facing in the picture going through the canyon, and look where the road is!!! We saw several abandoned mines, and the small ghost town of Leadfield. We climbed up the tailings to a large shaft on the side of the mountain!! It was closed off because of the danger these shafts pose, but we could see pretty far in. As we winded down the mountain, we could see the very deep and narrow canyon come into view. At the bottom in some places, the walls of the canyon on both sides of us were so close we had to be very careful not to scrape the side of the truck!

Coming out of the canyon we were again on the flat desert floor. We drove another 30 miles on the dusty and rocky road to the Ubehebe Crater. This is a huge hole 750 feet deep, and 2,000 feet across. It was caused when the hot magma deep in the earth rose up and came in contact with the settling ground water. This caused the water to flash into steam with such force that a huge explosion was directed straight up, blasting away the mountain above. Cinders and ash were thrown from two to five miles in every direction.

After a long day of driving, we decided to have dinner at the little 49er Café in Furnace Creek Ranch. We waited at camp for everyone else who took their own adventures today, then drove to the restaurant. It was nice to sit at the long table and listen to all the stories everyone had to share. It was quite cold today, so being inside to eat all together was nice.

Tomorrow is our last day here. We are going to see the Darwin Falls, and anything else that time permits.

Sunday, Jan 29, 2012 Death Valley

After breakfast in our RV, we headed out to explore some of the closer areas of the park. Our first stop was Badwater. This is the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere at 282 ft. below sea level. Although two other spots in the Valley can at times sink to a few feet below this, Badwater holds the record because of it’s consistency in it’s elevation. This is also the hottest place in the world. Beating Libya’s high of 136 degrees in 1913, Badwater tipped the mercury at 140 degrees!!!

Or next stop was Ashford Mill. This is where they processed gold ore from the nearby mountain in 1913. We wondered why so very few structures were left at any of the old mines and camps. The ranger told us that wood is a very precious commodity in the desert. When a town closed up, any structure made of wood was taken down and used at a new location for fuel.

Back on the road again, we came upon the Devil’s golf course. This area was a huge salt pan that rivals Badwater for the lowest elevation in the Western hemisphere. Depending on the upheaval and salt deposited and eroded each year, the elevation comes within a few feet plus or minus that of Badwater. As the groundwater rises to the surface carrying salt with it, evaporation and crystallization buckle the crust and form strange orbs and pinnacles. Because of wind and rain erosion, theses formations become razor sharp. If you stand very quietly, you can hear the snapping sounds of the growing formations. As we started back out, two coyotes crossed the road! We stopped to get a picture and they kept running back and forth around our car. I think they were waiting for a handout! The picture you see on this entry is not just a dog, but the real deal!!

Our next stop was the Artist’s Pallet. In this area the rocks are formed by ancient volcanic ash. The colors are rich blues, violet, pink and green. Although the chemistry of this ash is all the same, the effects of erosion (whether it’s wind or rain) on the mica minerals explain the color differences.

On our way back to Furnace Creek, we stopped at the Visitor’s Center to do some shopping. Back at camp, we all pooled our food for making Taco’s.

Tomorrow we head out into the depths of Titus Canyon, and the ghost town of Rhyolite.

Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 Death Valley

This morning we had a great breakfast at the clubhouse. The people who fixed the meal said they get up at 5:30am to get everything started. They had about 8 tables with coffee cups, juice cups, salt and pepper, and creamer in the center of each one. They offered waffles, eggs, sausage and biscuits with gravy. We got the meal cafeteria style and they served the coffee and orange juice.

We headed out at 9am for Death Valley. The wind was still pretty strong all the way to Amargosa. This little town consists of a small café and ice cream shop, a hotel and an opera house. They still have weekly performances here, given by Marta Becket, a 86 year old ballet dancer! She has been here performing since the early 1980’s, and all of the artwork inside the theatre (and there are wall to wall and ceiling murals) were painted by her. There were posters up that advertised her final performance here to be held in February. I’m not sure where the audience comes from, but it would be the death of this town if no one steps up to fill her shoes.

Having already had lunch in our RVs before we got to Amargoza, we headed on into Death Valley. We met two other couples when we arrived, so now we have 8 RVs in the caravan! We were very lucky to get sites all next door and across from each other! We set a community table in the center for our meals and all of us fit around the fire pit in our camping chairs. We all prepared our own meals tonight and shared sides. Before we retired, we made S’mores!!!!!!! Tomorrow we will take off exploring the valley!

Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 leaving Quartzite

Today we left Quartzite at 9am and headed to Lake Havasu. We pulled into Havasu Falls RV Park right at lunchtime, so we made sandwiches in our RVs. After lunch, we took full advantage of all the hookups and dumped and cleaned our tanks, cleaned floors, kitchens and bathrooms and did laundry. After our chores were done, we went into town and the guys dropped us at a quilt store and then they continued on to Starbucks.

We met up with John and Marsha here in Lake Havasu, so we now have 6 rigs in our caravan. We made dinner reservations at Javelina Cantina. Bob and Kathy had never been here before, so they took a quick side trip to the London Bridge and then met us at the restaurant. As usual, the wind here is tremendously strong! It was even hard to open the door without the wind pulling the door off it’s hinges and YOU right out of the RV!

We are going to the clubhouse at the RV Park at 7:30 in the morning for breakfast, and then it’s off to Death Valley.

Thurs., Jan 26, 2012 Quartzite, AZ

Today is our last day to shop here in Quartzite. The guys went into town first thing in the morning to shop at all of the tool warehouses. They came back with bags and bags of little gizmos and gadgets. They also got some more flags and whirly gigs. Rich found a really cool model of a Cobra that he just couldn’t pass up. After a quick lunch back at camp, Jeanette and Sue went back to the big tent to look at some dog carriers, Bob and Kathy went to get a new pole and flags for their RV, and Rich, Barb and I went to look at some more whirlys and some other booths down the road. It was a pretty chill day around camp. We all just relaxed with our books, sewing etc. Some of us even took naps! I took the dogs for a walk, and then headed out a bit further by myself to explore some of the dessert on foot. It is easy to see how this area is totally flooded in a good rain storm! There are lots of washes and dry creek beds everywhere. I didn’t see any animals, but from the looks of all the burrows and snake holes, I wouldn’t want to be walking around at night!

Just before dinner we saw the most beautiful sunset. Our Dutch Ovens were retired for this leg of the trip, so we pulled out the barbeques and grilled hamburgers. We had all the fixings along with beans and carrot and raisin salad. For dessert, I made brownies with vanilla ice cream J It was a beautiful and still night, so the campfire was quite enjoyable. The stars are absolutely gorgeous!! Before we headed in for the night, we packed up most of the camp back into our RVs so we could leave on time in the morning.

Wednesday, Jan 25, 2012 Quartsite

More of the same today. We headed back to the flea market at about 10am and went back for some things that we saw yesterday. Had lunch again at our favorite Taco stand and then we hit some more venders across the street. Before heading back to the car, we stopped for some shave ice!

When we got back to camp, the guys went into town to get more water. We have a 45 gallon bladder in the back of the car that Rich filled from the BLM water well. He bought a small pump and hooked it up to a hose so he can pump the water back into the RV when they get back. After they filled all the RVs, it was time for some R&R. The girls did some sewing, reading, gaming and food prep and Ron Tried out his new helicopter that he was able to get on exchange. Luck was not with him again, and he broke a propeller on it’s maiden flight L We do have spare props on board, so we will wait for a more “landing friendly” spot to fly them.

We started the coals for our last Dutch Oven meal – pork chops, potatoes, cheesy zucchini and applesauce. Brook made a coffee cake for dessert. It was a much nicer day, weather wise, and we sat for a longer time at the fire before retiring for the night.

Tues, Jan 24, 2012 Quartsite

Today we had a quick breakfast and then we all piled into the Jeep and headed for the show! It took us until lunchtime just to get through the big tent! We of course bought all the essentials like tortilla warmers, eyeglass cleaner, magic water beads, garlic grinders, and a radio controlled helicopter!! Hahaha, all stuff we could never find back home J After the tent, we stopped for ice cream and Taco’s for lunch, and in that exact order of necessity. Then it was off to the flea market. Hundreds, no thousands of booths with everything you could ever think of needing in your RV. Walk, walk, walk. Felt good to stretch out the legs and get some steps in!

We headed back to camp around 4, and luckily our wind socks were soaring 30 feet above our RVs because there are no street signs in the desert and all the rocks and cactus look the same! The boys charged up their helicopters, but it was too windy to fly them tonight. Ron has to bring his back in the morning, the back propeller didn’t work L We then got the fire going, and started the coals for the Dutch ovens. Tonight it is BBQ chicken, left over cheesy potatoes and beans, and green salad. For dessert, we had éclairs and puff pastries!!

We plan on sleeping in a bit in the morning, then hitting the show again.

Monday, Jan 23, 2012 Quartsite

We left Barstow at 8:30 this morning and headed off to Quartzite. We barely got out of the campground, and Jeanette called to tell us we had a very low tire. So we pulled off to check it out and decided it was in desperate need of air. Larry took out his little portable compressor and we began the slow process of bringing the pressure from 50 psi to 80. We had time to do some chatting and walking of the dogs, then were back on the road in about 45 minutes.

We stopped in Needles, CA for fuel and lunch. The rock formations here are really strange. They are like lots of spires coming from the fairly flat desert terrain. I noticed a sign for one of the mountains and it was called Needle Mountain. Now I know where the town of Needles got it’s name.

We made it into Quartzite just before 4 and registered with the Borough of Land Management. They put stickers on our vehicles that allow us to camp anywhere in the desert for up to 14 days. We drove off into the sunset, literally, and circled our RVs in the perfect spot! Within minutes, our camp was looking good! We had the chairs out, fire built, awnings ready (rain was looming), generators on and the Dutch ovens fired up! Dinner tonight was a Dutch Oven meal of cheesy potatoes and ground beef and fresh green beans. It took a while to cook, we had enough potatoes in the pots for 40 people! Everything turned out great and smelled awesome! We must have been hungry, because we just about made it through all of the potatoes! It started to rain just before we sat down to eat, so we all went inside with our dinner. We had Lemon Pie for dessert, that came with a delivery service to each of our rigs J

Tomorrow, we hit the big tent at the RV Show!!!!

Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 Barstow, CA

We are off again on another road trip adventure! We are headed to Quartzite, AZ for the annual RV show to beat all RV shows. Some say this event is the Woodstock for RV owners! Tens of thousands of RVers come through Quartzite during this week long show, dotting the dessert like moths to a flame! We are here again with my sister’s camping group, the “S’more Friends”. My sister Barbara is here with us too.

The San Lorenzo people left at 7am and the Valley folk left at 7:30 and we all met up at the first rest stop on Highway 5. There we received our travel packets. Hahaha, this brought to mind the phrase, “ this is your mission, if you choose to accept it, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your existence…..”

We now had everyone’s cell numbers, fuel stops, maps, instructions and meal plans. We pulled out in our assigned order, and the caravan headed south for the desert. We stopped in Weedpatch for lunch, then drove to Yermo KOA just outside of Barstow for the night.