55 Degrees in 4 Hours

We left Beatty, Nevada this morning and when we left it was a balmy 52 degrees.  My buddies (burros) were along the road as we pulled out of Beatty, saying goodbye for the last time.  Last night we also heard the coyotes, also saying goodbye.  Sniff, so long!

Burros saying bye-bye

Sand Dunes Near Death Valley

We drove south US Route 95 through the south western part of the state, nothing to see but sagebrush and basin/range/basin/range mountains.  Sometimes we were not sure where the road was going - just dropped off into nothingness up ahead.  Lots of mountains, saw sand dunes right by Death Valley, very little life otherwise.

Road to Nowhere (Vegas about 30 miles away)

Dropped into Las Vegas by 1pm and traffic wasn't bad although heavy for us because we are not used to more than a couple of cars on the road.  Glad we got out of Vegas with only white knuckles, Dave's plastered to the steering wheel and mine gripping the door handle.  People are nuts. They don't leave enough room when they go around and then cut too closely back into the lane and I guess the yellow solid line on your side of the road doesn't matter in Nevada, zoom around regardless.

ATVs and bikers

Then continued on Route 95 dropping more south right near Lake Mead Recreation area on towards Needles, California.  When we started this part of the southern trek we noticed in the distance what looked like a huge lake only to find out they were growing solar panels (the reflection of the panels is blue and that's what we were looking at). Also saw dirt bikes and ATVs running around on both sides near there.

Lake? No, solar panels

 We had to get on Interstate 40 going east for awhile once we got to Needles and got our teeth jolted with the lousy roads.  You would think that with the interstate system the roads/bridges would be better.  Hah.

Got here to Moon River RV Resort which is south of Bullhead City, Arizona about 2:30pm.  And the temperature was another balmy 89 and climbing.  Right now it is over 100, I guess we are getting our just rewards for being in such wonderful weather this whole summer.  Thankfully we have a couple days to get used to this before moving south again.  We decided that if we were crazy we would drive from here straight to Tombstone Territories RV Park near Huachuca City, Arizona which is south of Tucson by an hour and half, but.  That's about 448 miles from here and it would be a killer to do.  Instead, we will stop one more time for an over night before proceeding to Tombstone.

We are sad that our travels for the summer are quickly drawing to a close, but excited to settle down for a couple of months while the rest of the country gets slammed with snow.  The good thing is that we will be about an hours drive from the grand girls which will make for some fun times this winter.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

We picked a brochure at the beginning of our stay here in Beatty for a wildlife refuge about 40 miles drive south of here, at the south end of Death Valley National Park, so we hopped in the truck and went there yesterday. Here we are, in the Mojave Desert and dry and desolate all around us, and yet there were these big patches of green trees, grass, lots of birds in the middle of nowhere.  And I do mean nowhere.  We saw a body of water looking north from the entrance to the refuge and realized we were looking at the southern mountain range of Death Valley National Park.

Reservoir in middle of Mojave Desert

Over 100 miles to the northeast, water from the mountains enters a vast underground aquifer system.  This water flows underground and when it comes to an area that is blocked due to a fault, it surfaces. Eventually it goes back underground.  This same water system eventually surfaces by our campground, called the Amargosa River, which stays above ground for a couple of miles, then disappears again.  This same river eventually comes above ground at Badwater Basin in Death Valley.

Endangered Devils Hole Pupfish

Ash Meadows NWR covers over 23,000 acres of spring-fed wetlands and uplands.  Very pretty area to visit.  And, since this summer was exceptionally dry and less rain than normal, I was leery we would see much greenery.  The springs are home to the Devils Hole Pupfish, a species of fish that has survived over 20,000 years in these waters.  Was very surprised at the springs, small streams of water, the fish, bunnies, heard birds and saw them but they were too quick to take a photo.  Would love to see this area in the spring or after the monsoon rains of July.  Saw many different tracks and scat (poop) but since we were there early afternoon, they were probably hiding from the sun.

Viewing platform near springs

Crystal Pool

King's Pool

Explains how water gets there

The prettiest spring we saw was called Crystal Springs, the pool where it bubbles up is 15 feet deep!  Aqua blue, water flowing quite rapidly, and no matter the dryness of the season, it flows.  This whole area was inhabited by the Paiute and Shoshone Indians hundreds of years ago and used it for gathering mesquite seeds and bulbs.  There was evidence of the Indians being there by their grinding bowls and tools left behind.  As we walked along the boardwalk with interpretive signs, we could hear the water, like a bubbling brook, very near us.  The boardwalks were built to be right near the water and the spring head where it comes out of the underground which gave you great viewing of the area.  Neat to see and appreciate the different aspects of a desert.

Had to drive back through Beatty to fill up diesel one more time, get drinking water, and saw these burros going into a saloon for a brewski.  They knew it was Beer o'clock time.

Beer here!

Back at the campground, we have been serenaded at night with our buddies (coyotes) and Thursday night they gave us a long opera.  We think there is a den not far to our rear in the BLM land behind us and when they come out right after dusk, they start yipping, sort of sounds like quiet little barks.  Then the cacophony started - and kept up for a long time.  I think they must have partied too hardy the night before because it was quiet last night. The burros are noisy, hee-hawing all night long.  Since the Amargosa River is above ground right across the roadway, they hang out there where there is plenty of grass to eat and water.

Lots of rabbits 

Side-Blotched Lizard

We do our pack up/laundry/clean today, get ready for tomorrow morning's drive to Bullhead City, Arizona.  About a 5 hour drive from here.  Will miss the coyotes, burros, Grace will miss watching her bunnies, and of course living here on the desert's edge.

Ghost Town of Rhyolite

The winds died down yesterday by noon so we drove back into town and towards Death Valley to a ghost town called Rhyolite.  This is one sad place.  The town was started in 1905 right after two prospectors found gold in them-thar-hills. By 1908 the population was estimated at 8,000 people but by 1910 most of people had left.  That's a quick boom to bust.

Rhyolite from the road to Death Valley

We have seen a number of ghost towns but what struck me the most is that what is left of the buildings. Not made of wood, but looks like caliche (mud, stones, cement) and with the weathering, really eroded down.  There was a three story building which housed merchandise, offices, post office, a bank.  Weird that this particular building was completed in 1908 - just about the time the mines/prospecting was declining.  The citizens even built a second school, completed in 1909, but by then there were no students - every one had left.  Saw pictures of the town in the hey-day and wow, looked like quite a neat place to live.

Old versus New (our truck in background)

One fascinating building was the Las Vegas Tonopah Depot, a railroad station, which after the railroad ceased, became a casino until about the mid 1930s.  Three different railroad lines came into this town, and to know it died in 5 years, amazing.

L V  and Tonopah Depot

We had to watch for rattle snakes - the warning signs were out every where. And there was the famous Bottle House, put together using glass bottles where you only see the bottoms of the bottles on the outside but the entire bottle is in the walls.  On the side of the house were bird houses, wishing well, bird feeders, fountains, etc. made out of glass fragments.  Gave me some good ideas for the beach glass collection I have from Lake Erie.

 Bottle House

Other Stuff with Glass

We don't know how Beatty survives today, there is no major grocery store, a couple of gas stations, of course a casino, three hotel chains, 3 RV parks, a brothel that is painted pink and very obvious, a couple of mom-and-pop restaurants, school, police and fire stations, a couple of churches, and lots of one story homes of which most are very sad looking.  But there are people in this town for sure.  And burros.  Caught a couple of pictures of the burros just walking down the road through town.  Everyone stops and stares, can't do much else to them.  If this town was not one of the main entry points for Death Valley National Park, I believe it would have died a long time ago.  It is hanging on, and looks to me that it will continue just because these people must have alot of true grit and tenacity.

Just walking along 

For substantial shopping you have to drive an hour and half south (about 110 miles) towards Las Vegas  or, pay double the price for the staples in one of two locations in town, sort of a 7-11 type store.  While we carry enough food for about 5 days in the RV, it's nice to get fresh veggies and fruit - none of which you will find in this town.  So, we will hopefully not get scurvy while here, leaving this Sunday for parts south.

Weird Stay In Beatty

Although we are very comfortable, the scenery is pretty if you like desert, it is a little weird here.  When we checked in at the campground, we were told by the host that this is a desert - tarantulas, scorpions, snakes, coyotes, cottontail bunny rabbits are just a few of the sights we could see or hear.  But - beware of the wild burros.  Do not approach them, do not feed them, give them wide room - they are not friendly.  Okay, so we know all about the wild stuff you find in the desert and are used to them when we are at Picacho, but not the burros.

Years and years ago the 20-mule team borax wagon trains plied Death Valley hauling the borax out, then with the introduction of the modern machines to do this, the mules (burros) were let loose.  And they roam everywhere now. As we were driving in town the other day, we saw burros everywhere - in yards, in the grassy marsh area, roaming along.  They are protected so you can't kill them or harm them. Mostly at night you can hear them braying, and then the coyotes crying as they run by us, and I have to say, I love it.  Every night about an hour after sunset, the coyotes waken and cry and run by.  Each one has its own distinctive cry.  And the burros do too.  Each time I hear the burros I think of the old TV show, Hee-haw.  That's what it sounds like! Dave went looking for them after hearing the braying yesterday and he said they watched every step he took, definitely did not want him near.

Eee-haw

Hey - I am watching you!

But there is something else here, and I am looking for ET everywhere. We are near Area 51, google it, and the manager of the campground said that back in the late '50s when the nuclear testing was being done in Area 51, people would come out and watch the mushroom clouds go way up and then dust themselves off from the fallout and go about their business.  Guess there has been many lawsuits and of course lots of illness due to the fallout.  But the weirdest thing is - the rumors abound that this a great place to see UFOs.  After reading about Area 51, I am not sure if it was UFOs they saw/see or secret aircraft.  We could hear in the distance artillery being exploded, high jets overhead, definitely some secretive stuff here.  But will not venture out in that no-man's land.

There is no other road between Reno and Las Vegas other than the route we took to get here - Route 95.  High speed (70) one lane each way, very rare to see a town, no stop lights, but heavy traffic.  We see 18 wheelers with military gear on their flat beds zooming by, we suppose from Hawthorne or even Nellis Air Force Base which is within this Area 51.

A different note - I saw this morning that where we were last week - snow covered!  Donner Pass, Crater Lake, Lassen - all snow covered.  Got out in time!

Hot Death Valley

Our goal yesterday was to drive into Death Valley National Park and go to Furnace Creek Visitor Center to get information on best way to visit the park.  Death Valley is known to be one of the hottest places on earth, temperature of 134 was recorded in July, 1913.  It is also where the discovery of borax was made in the 1880's.  You find borax in paints, ceramics, pottery, household cleaning such as detergents, hand cleaners, putty, fire retardants, glass, just to name a few things. Death Valley also has an area called Badwater is the lowest of North America at -282 before sea level.  Since the Visitor's Center was a fur piece away from where we entered the park just west of Beatty, we actually got to see a good portion of the park even though the park is 3.4 million acres BIG.  We saw the movie and browsed the store looking and then since we were on the south side of the park, drove to Badwater Basin.

First view of Death Valley 

When we entered the park about 10am it was a lovely 71 degrees but the temperature quickly rose.  The road beyond Badwater was closed due to a washout (the rains from the other day) so we could go no further but parked the truck and walked the salt flats out and turned around and saw on the mountain a plaque that said "sea level" - we were at -282 BELOW sea level.  Hot, salty, sun was so intense.  Kicked our butt.  The temp in the car when we got back in was 98 degrees.  Tour bus loads of foreigners - not sure but maybe the Baltics or Middle European dialect.  Bus loads.  For the first time the majority of foreigners we saw were not Asians.

Tour buses galore

Badwater

Salt/borax

Don't drink water!

Drove the Artist Drive which takes you up into the east side of the mountains  and drove through some twisty turny curves.  Warnings were that no vehicle over 25 feet drive it - saw why.  They would get stuck in some of the dips of the road.  Colorful palettes of what ever mineral stones were - pinks, golds, greens (think that was copper), browns, tans, whites.  One thing that really struck us - little if any turn off the road to take pictures.  Because of the extreme conditions, the park personal do not want you out of the car wandering around.  Their informational paper that is handed out devotes the first 3 pages to safety - drink water, do not hike in heat, what to do if your car breaks down.  In many languages.  And, they also asked us if we are comfortable changing our tires - if so, here are some gravel roads to take to see some incredible stuff.  Not interested in that!

Wow - watch those dips!

Lots of minerals in mountains

Although gold, copper, silver and borax were mined here in the 1880's, borax was the one that lasted the longest.  I was happy to see Death Valley because my oldest brother interned at US Boraxo (20 mule team logo) in the early 60's for six months and even tho he said how hot it was, somehow I didn't believe everything he said and now I do.  Hot.  Glad I saw this and experienced what he saw.  The mule teams are a thing of the past and I found this picture which tells it all.

New versus old way to carry out the borax

It is fitting that we end out little trek this summer with a Basin-Range-Basin-Range landscape, just like we started with in Ely, Nevada when we went to Great Basin National Park.  Death Valley is a prime example of basin-range where the crust was uplifted, stretched, cracked, and lifted again to form the valley.  Amazing that the Timbisha Shoshone Indians have a reservation near Furnace Creek and continue to thrive as a community since the late 1400's. How can they live there?  Since the heat just knocked us and we were so exhausted, we don't think we will go back to the park.  We saw enough.

Off to Beatty, Nevada

What a hellacious night we had last night!  We knew that Hawthorne was expecting a thunderstorm after midnight, but what the weather service did not tell us - gusts of wind over 60 miles an hour!  The RV shook, teetered, moaned, rattled, I swore a lot, Grace hid for most of of it, until about 10pm.  We never got the thunderstorm, did get rain and hail, the wind died about midnight with enough time to get a couple of hours sleep.  When the sun rose this morning, low and behold, there was snow on the Mt. Grant just to the north of us.  Our temperature at 6am was 50 degrees but it was a COLD 50.

Snow on Mt. Grant

Dave looked over the slide toppers (roll out canvas over the slides of the RV) to make sure those had not come loose (last night sounded like they were going to rip off and drop through into the windows!), and we were able to get on the road by 8:45am.  As we drove out of Hawthorne, we noticed bunkers - this town has an Army arsenal facility and Naval undersea arsenal storage facility.  As far as you could see there were bunkers.  Weird to see.  Probably each bunker went down underground 2 or 3 stories deep.

Bunkers

Some Real Big Bunkers!

Drove down Route 95 all the way.  The road is beautiful road to drive, one lane each way, but wide open sections where people could pass us without any problem.  Some sad little towns, some were abandoned, the landscape was desolate.  Just outside of Tonopah we started to see Joshua Trees, a form of cactus.  Did I tell you there are no people in Nevada?  Amazing.  And this is a huge state.  For our 4 1/2 hours of driving today we still have not gotten to Las Vegas.  However, we did see mountain ranges that were snow capped - probably from last night's storm.  

White Mountains

We drove past the White Mountains that houses Boundary Peak, the highest mountain in Nevada and those babies had a lot of snow too.  Hopefully Yosemite National Park was able to get some of the snow/rain from last night and put out those fires which lies right on the western side of those mountains.

Tonopah - active mining town

Lonely road - wonder how far we see?

We are snug settled in Beatty (Bay-dee) RV Park in Beatty, the entranceway to Death Valley National Park.  You just don't come here in the summer.  This time of year starts their big tourist season - temps are in the 70s now where in the summer 120s is normal.  

Move to Hawthorne, Nevada

After we got a new tonneau cover for the truck's bed installed Thursday, we did a little shopping and then headed home.  Since I was driving I said we were going to do another side trip.  We drove over to Pressor Dam which is about 2 miles from the campground and was stunned that the reservouir was almost dry.  We knew there was a drought but that really made it hit home how they desperately need a very wet winter.  And most folks we talk to said they are getting prepared for this coming winter - all predictions point to a very cold and heavy snow season.  Time for us to get south!

Storm a comin'

Friday was spent doing what we do best - cleaning, laundry, last minute stuff to get ready to move.  While at the campground's laundry I had an interesting conversation with a young woman who had trained with Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding (remember those two of the Olympics?) who could not get to the nationals because she was diagnosed with Lyme's Disease.  Instead, she is now thinking about teaching skating - she said she was very good.  Strangly - I believed her.  Something about her rang true. She and her husband and three children live in a small box type RV at the campground and have been living there now for 4 years and she loves the winter.  She said they get ALOT of snow, but it melts then alot of snow, then melts, etc.  All winter. Her husband works at grooming the slopes of Sugar Bowl Ski area in the winter and summer he works at a golf course.  I guess you gotta love the outdoors in those kinds of jobs.

This morning we packed up and skeedadled out of town - there was a storm coming in with high winds predicted by noon.  We managed to get on the road by 8:30 which is a tidge early than normal.  We watched the clouds and had a spattering of rain until just east of Reno.  But the winds.  As we sit here now at Hawthorne - Whiskey Flats RV Campground - the winds are predicted to gust to 60 miles an hour later today, rain and thunderstorms tonight, clear tomorrow.  Glad we are in and secure.  We only drove 168 miles, but far enough south to avoid the major stuff.  As I look out now - dust clouds and high winds are raging and the RV is being moved around even though we are unhooked and set up. Ugh, but looking forward to the thunderstorm tonight.

Road to Nowhere

I think Abraham Lincoln was wrong - why is Nevada a state?  Where are the people?  There is absolutely NOTHING for miles. Not even open range grazing cattle or horses.  Saw more of the basin-range-basin-range landscape but no ranches.  And raw land.  Mountains, no trees, sage brush, then we got to Walker Lake and I told Dave I thought I was back in Israel - looked like the Dead Sea, was watching for Masada and King Herod's palace in the mountain, the lake looked like it was salt but knew it was fresh.  And low.

Walker Lake

Looking for Masada

We move on in the morning more south (follow us on Route 95 out of Reno) and on to a small town called Beatty (bay-dee) where we will visit Death Valley National Park, about 240 miles more south.

20 Mile Museum and the Emigrant Trail

In the town of Truckee are two different museums and while the Donner Party tragedy is awful, the one museum - the Emigrant Museum - was built in honor of that wagon train of 83 that got stranded at Truckee the winter of 1845/1846 due to traveling an unproven route from Salt Lake City to California and were stranded with in 22 feet of snow. Half perished, the survivors' notoriety is due to cannibalism that some participated in. The museum is housed in a beautiful building but the displays are poorly lit and hard to see.  A lot of information but we were disappointed on how it was presented.  I remarked that they have just a few months to get their act in order, California's 150th birthday starts in January and hopefully the bosses will fix this.  Donner Lake is on premise and we walked a bit of the lake's trail - the interpretive signs were terrible and the walk was blasé, so we left.

Donner Summit looking down on Donner Lake

We had picked up a brochure on the 20 Mile Museum and decided to drive some of it - various road side exhibits explain what you are looking at, what happened, the significance of that particular item, interesting facts, etc. as you travel the Old Lincoln Highway (Route 40 - and now called Donner Pass Road) for 20 miles west of Truckee.  We stopped occasionally, but spent much of our time at Donner Summit.  As we stood and looked around, we could see the railroad as it passes into a tunnel and see the snow sheds, or look at Interstate 80 as it was built to the north of the summit and marvel that it would be a bear to drive in the winter, and then climbed on the rocks and got a fascinating, if not quizzical, views of Truckee.  How did the pioneers get over this area?  Talk about intimidating!

See the railroad tunnel and snow shed?

I have to say the scenery was stunning.  We stood on Rainbow Bridge, built in 1929, which is the first bridge ever built with a curving elevation change. Under this bridge is the route the pioneers took over the pass - wow. You could still see the old dusty trail.  At this spot looking down on the Pass, we saw firemen/instructors teaching different rappelling techniques to other firemen.

Firemen practicing rappelling

Rainbow Bridge - they passed under here and on

Bear's stupidity

The Donner Pass is a place of many firsts: the first Native Americans crossed for thousands of years and left petroglyphs on the rocks and other artifacts; the first wagon trains crossed to California using this same route; the first transcontinental railroad crosses here; the route of the first transcontinental highway (followed the pioneers' route - the old Lincoln Highway, Route 40, and a memorial to Abraham Lincoln); the first transcontinental telephone lines route; and the first transcontinental airway route.  The Donner Summit had a radio beacon that helped guide early planes.  And, we again saw the Pacific Crest Trail as it crosses Donner Summit by the Sugar Bowl ski area.  Ski areas after ski areas abound here - California's first ski lodge was at Sugar Bowl.

Looking up to Donner Summit from I80 - see the bridge?

Some things stick out - they get 60 feet of snow here in the winter!  Wow.  The railroad tracks are pretty much covered in snow sheds along the Summit so they don't have to worry about clearing snow or come across avalanches. Do you remember a couple of years ago when there was a news snippet about a bear that climbed inside a bridge's support wall and had to be tranquilized and then it dropped into rescue nets and moved to safety?  It happened here at Rainbow Bridge.

This is a beautiful alpine area, we have been moving up and down from about 5000 feet to about 8000 feet since being here.  No problems with altitude sickness, just getting chilled at night when the temps are dropping down to freezing.  This area of California/Nevada has been in a severe drought for a couple of years and we saw one of the reservoirs almost completely dry.  And daily we are seeing wildfires crop up.  A tidge scary.