I went by myself and left a rainy Santa Cruz, the rain continued on down to just south of Salinas on Hwy 101. I left after Christmas so as to spend it with my daughters family.
As usual I drove on down to Ridgecrest where I refueled and picked up groceries. Then I continued on to Trona Pinnacles. At TP there was only one other vehicle so I drove around looking for a good spot to camp. Finally setteling on one to the East of the ring we camped at last time even though it was a hike to the only outhouse.
As it grew dark the wind really picked up and was blowing too hard to bother setting up the tent. As it was December and the shortest day of the year it was dark around 1800h(6pm). So I sat in the drivers seat and had my dinner, half a 12" sub I had picked up at Subway in Ridgecrest. Saving the other half for breakfast.(no cooking!)
The wind kept on blowing and I used my headlamp to do some reading knowing I wasn't tired enough to sleep. I read for a bit and looked at my watch it was all of 1920(720pm). I had a long way to go..........finally around 2200(10pm) I was ready to sleep having read alot of my book. The back seat was cleared and I dug out my sleeping bag threw it over me and took off my shoes and jacket and tried to sleep.
Blustery wind kept shaking the Rover. I wasn't comfortable but managed to sleep somewhat fitfully. There is nothing better than being able to stretch out and sleep! Some thing not done on that night. I awoke once the sky was light enough, it was clear and light winds. The front had passed!
I had my breakfast and decided to explore a bit before meeting Paul at the entrance around 1000(10am). Having a vague idea from the maps and GoogleEarth I went eastward to the older tufa formation. This was my first real time taking the Rangie off road. We did steep slopes down and up and soft sand with nary a hiccup as I wandered amongst the ancient formations. See; http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ridgecrest/trona.html
Soon enough it became time to go meet Paul who was driving from the LA area. I waited a bit but he came along and we made plans for our trip to wind up at the saline springs in a day or 2.
We headed over to Panamint Valley via Trona-Wildrose Rd and turned off onto the dirt to Ballarat. Once at Ballarat a right turn got us on the Wingate Rd headed south to Pleasant Canyon and the Briggs cabin. The turn onto the canyon rd is not well marked and we drove right passed it and had to turn around. Following Pauls D90 was easy enough in the Rangie but a learning experience none the less. The soft suspension in the boulders was both a luxury and a hindrence. The car worked fine and had no problems getting up to the cabins.
Coming to the cabins and the flag was up at the Briggs Cabin, indicating that it was occupied. There were no cars present so we went up to take a look as sometimes peoples forget to take the flag down. Alas there was gear on the porch so we didn't enter. Instead headed down to the Stone cabin a few hundred feet away. Then we started to move in, turning on the power and water and bringing in firewood and firing up the wood stove.
The sunset was fantastic it lit up the canyon with a golden glow. After dinner the peoples from the Briggs cabin came over and invited us up there for beer. So we went.
Bunch of nice folks from the LA area all driving Toyota 4 door pickups. We played cards( I kicked ass!) some strange game Paul and I didn't know. Somewhere around 2200 Paul and I staggered back to the cabin and hit the sack. We tried to keep a fire going at night but it didn't burn slow enough.
Morning was COLD! In the pics you can see icicles on the birdbath and the bathtub had a sheet of ice over it that the burros had to break thru.
After breakfast we packed up and headed out. Not too far down the canyon the Toyota guys passed us by. We were all headed out and over to Saline Springs. Paul and I stopped at Panamint Springs Resort to refuel and get road conditions. Soon we were off to South Pass. With Paul in the lead we went down the newly remodeled( by storms) Grapevine Canyon.
Once at the bottom Paul went ahead as I stayed behind to keep out of the dust. Eventually we both arrived at the hot springs where Linus and Brett were waiting.
The next day we were off to head over Steele Pass and go hike the hidden dunes of Eureka Valley. At times for me in the Rangie I could of been driving on a paved road the ride was so smooth. Power steering was nice too! Paul realized he forgot his wallet at camp and turned back to get it as we continued on. His Defender with V8 power would catch us before the top.
Dedekera Canyon was going to be more hardcore off roading than I've taken the rangie thru so everyone was interested to see how it performed. I thought it and I did well but decided that the springs are too weak and need to be stiffer to prevent body roll.
The hike is fairly flat to the dunes over desert pavement, with a slight rise as you go along. You can see the dunes in a "V" notch of the surrounding hills to the West. Be sure to look back to see your vehicle so you know what direction to head back. As I was the slow poke answering natures call the others headed up the dunes. It wasn't easy climbing as it seemed 2 steps forward and sliding 1 back as we climbed the ridge line.
Then we hopped down the side of the dune and headed back to the cars. From there it was back around Eureka Dune and thru Dedekera Canyon where the body roll put a small dent in the rear quarter panel while climbing a waterfall. Once at the top we stopped at the Marble Bath.
Marble bath is a geologic formation listed on the topo maps. The story is that in the last century someone went looking for it and couldn't find it so they brought in a tub and filled it with marbles. When the Park aquired the land the tub was removed and after public outcry was returned for all to enjoy. Such is the desert!
After that it was down the aluvial fan back to the springs and camp. We all stayed there for the New Year in 2 days time and made friends with fellow campers. My ankle hurt and swelled up from the hike so that the next day I hobbled around and spent most of the time in camp while the other guys went up North Pass to the Union mine and did some exploring. Linus and Brett headed out early on New Years Day and Paul followed later that day. I stayed another night before heading home myself and avoiding the returning holiday traffic. The trip up Grapevine Canyon over South Pass was the highlight of the trip home doing some of the water crossings thru frozen streams.
The last pic shows me parked on Lee Flat among the Joshua trees . I thought I'd hike over to the Black Rock well that I had read about. I found the trailhead easy enough but the trail itself petered out after about 100 yds. I could see the canyon I needed to go to but figured that it was too far for my ankle to make the trip. Plus since I was alone I didn't want to risk not getting back.
The rest of the drive back to Boulder Creek was uneventful and I did miss the returning holiday traffic!
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