12/11 Drive to Death Valley

Winter is a great time to visit Death Valley, although it can be a bit cold in December and January.  I have been here a couple of other times in winter, and I like the lack of crowds.  However, last summer, there was a very serious flood here, with the result being that many of the roads are still not open.  In addition, Scotty's Castle has not been open for about 4-5 years due to damage way back then.  In any case, there are still some very nice areas to visit here.

I have always chosen to stay at Furnace Creek Campground because it is the only one in the national park with full hookups.  Cell service is a bit weak and internet might take a while to save, but hopefully, this won't be too much of a problem over the next few days.

I left Willow Beach this morning around 10 am.  The scariest part of my journey was the drive over the three new bridges near Hoover Dam.  US 93 heads north on the Arizona side of the river and then loops down south on the Nevada side. 

 

 

The bridges look pretty normal and aren't very tall, but the problem is the steep, rocky hills and canyons in that area.  Any winds get amplified as the hit the hills or come racing up from canyons.  It does not take much to have wind advisory posted.  There is also a sign that tells drivers of higher vehicles to move into the left lane instead of driving in the right, truck lane.

 

 

It's a very scenic place here, but it does not take much wind to rock my vehicle and make it hard to stay in my lane.  The tall center strip helps.  The big semi trucks do fine in the right lane because they are heavier than RVs.  

 

 

I stopped in Las Vegas at a Trader Joe's to pick up some goodies, and then in Pahrump for some cheap gas.  "Cheap" around here is anything less than $4.00 per gallon.  The good news is that gas in Las Vegas was over $5.00 per gallon when I got there a month ago!  Still expensive in California, so I wanted to be sure I filled up my 55 gallon tank! 

Now THIS road, just west of Pahrump, just over the California border is my kind of road!!  Straight, smooth, and very few other vehicles.  It was still windy here, so nice not to have to worry about being blown into the next lane and hitting another vehicle.  

I have entered the national park, but there was only a self-pay check-in station, and since I have a lifetime senior pass that gets me into any national park free, I did not bother to stop.

One thing to note in the next couple of photos is that the road follows a wash which shows evidence of the most recent flooding.  Note the small sign on the right that directs you to the old 20 Mule Team Borax mine.  The mules were retired a very long time ago, but the same company that mined here now owns a huge open pit borax mine near Boron, California.  If you ever drive by it on CA 56, stop by the Borax Visitor Center on the north side of the highway for some history and a great view of this place.  

(CA 56 is the highway that goes from I-15 from Las Vegas on the way to Mohave and Bakersfield.  Be sure to stop at the bakery and the glider airport in Tehachapi on your way through as well.)

The sun is setting behind the mountains on the west side of the valley, so I was glad I was almost to my campsite.  I do not like to park in the dark! 

Another view of the wash alongside the roadway.  If you missed the articles about the flooding, check out this web site and the photos and video of the flood:  https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/deva-deluge-2022.htm.  About half of the roads in the park are still being repaired, and some will not get fixed before next summer. 

Another lovely empty highway into Death Valley!!

Finally, the hotel at Furnace Creek came into view.  It looks like their parking lot has been repaired.  A lot of cars were totaled in the flood, and the parking lot suffered major damage.

It looks like part of Death Valley has water on it, and it does!  Will have to check this out tomorrow.

Furnace Creek is a small village with the Inn, a golf course and cabins, campgrounds, and the main park visitor center. 

This is the golf course and cabins. 

And my campsite, where I arrive just as the sun set.  It was cold and windy, but I got the electric and water hooked up.  Will deal with the sewer when I need it to dump in a couple of days.  No sense hooking it up if I decide to drive out somewhere tomorrow. 

A couple of quick photos of the campground and headed into my warm home on wheels to finish putting groceries away and fix some dinner.