Death Valley trip

[AZjeff]

Scott, what's the point of Death Valley if it's not crazy HOT? Just another spot in the desert.

A back East friend visited DV 25 years ago with his family in the summer. The AC quit on his Tahoe and they found it was better with the windows up as they retreated from the 115 heat.

We may get there next year.

 

[slo town]

Just did the road trip to the redwoods up near crescent city in February. It gets very desolate up there too. Especially at night. We took some less traveled routes and there was no one on the road. I think it was the 20 connecting the 101 to ft Bragg. Nice drive trough the woods with next to no one around. Going up the 1 out of Ft Bragg is a nice secluded drive too.

Sue was born in Fort Bragg. Even today it’s a rough and tumble place.

Scott

 

[wrcsixeight]

In November 2018, my then 81 year old dad flew from Florida to San Diego, and we spent 12 days zigzagging 2200 miles around California, Arizona , and Utah, before beelining back to Florida on interstates.

II wish we had more time.

Death valley impressed us both, more than the Grand Canyon did.
And Utah's scenery is amazing.

It was an awesome trip, and the only mechanical issue of my 30 year old van with 230k+ miles, was burnt out 6054 sealed beams.

 

[c502cid]

I spent a lot of my youth exploring Death Valley. Did a lot of 4 wheeling on the west side, especially having a friend who had a shack in Trona to be based out of. One January, I hit a brief but wicked snowstorm in Titus Canyon, a total whiteout for about 20 minutes. It stopped, melted fast, and then we got treated to amazing desert wildflowers as far as the eye could see. A magical moment.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Scott, what's the point of Death Valley if it's not crazy HOT? Just another spot in the desert.

A back East friend visited DV 25 years ago with his family in the summer. The AC quit on his Tahoe and they found it was better with the windows up as they retreated from the 115 heat.

We may get there next year.

Had that experience before. Our AC went out in Vegas in August during a heat wave of course. Waited until about 12am to cross the desert back to CA. It was 105 or so in Baker at 1am. Stopped to get some slurpees, seems like they melted instantly.

 

[k1xv]

In 1973, I quit my job in June to take the summer off for a 8 week, 12,500 mile motorcycle adventure of North America, leaving from New Jersey. I traveled all over the USA and Canada. I had never before been west of Ohio.

In August I went from Kings Canyon NP to Las Vegas in one day, crossing Death Valley on my 750 Honda. In the valley, it was 122 F in the shade, but there was no shade, anywhere. Normally, on a motorcycle, if you are hot, you go faster to cool down. But in DV, it was like riding in a giant hair dryer, and going faster was like turning the hair dryer from medium to high.

I got very dehydrated that day. Never had to stop to pee.

I loved the place. Returned 10 years later, in Fall (cooler weather) in a rented car, stayed a week. But prices were lower back then.

 

[slo town]

Scott, what's the point of Death Valley if it's not crazy HOT? Just another spot in the desert.

A back East friend visited DV 25 years ago with his family in the summer. The AC quit on his Tahoe and they found it was better with the windows up as they retreated from the 115 heat.

We may get there next year.

DV claims the highest recorded temperature anywhere on the planet - 134 degrees.

Scott

 

[vavavroom]

Lots of things to see in Death Valley and sometimes above it. Nice trip!

 

[CKN]

Watch this first.

Her closing words-
"The West can be beautiful-but deadly". Yep-that about sums it up.
I ran in to a German National in a KOA RV Park in San Diego or had just driven from Death Valley to San Diego (Yea-I know). He said that even he didn't realize the vast distances and the heat. This was in the summertime as well. I asked him why do Germans visits Death Valley in the summertime? He basically said it's a thing about "bragging rights" going to ones of the hottest. places on Earth-in the summer-so yea,

 

[Oliveoil2]

I’d like a covid update to the above Routt.