Pahrump, NV to the Park

I left early this morning from Pahrump, driving through the back roads to get on the main road towards Death Valley National Park. It was rather strange seeing the very diverse neighborhood of pristine looking properties to disheveled wrecks, practically gutted and uninhabitable. I chuckled at one property that had mounds and mounds of what look like chopped up firewood branches and stumps. The sign at the gate said "nothing for sale." He probably had tons of people asking if they could buy his firewood which seemed like at least an acre of piles. I headed towards the town of Death Valley Junction which is rather known for its opera house. I was curious why there would be an opera house in this desolate dry desert. But many old towns out west had them. Normally it would be open for viewing but it was completely boarded up. It was the vision of a former broadway dancer whose car broke down here, and she decided to stay, restoring an old social hall into an opera house. Apparently there are several paintings on the walls. 

Miss Google steered me wrong again, this time she told me to turn left as I travel a good 17 miles down the road before realizing I was headed in the wrong direction. It was the scenic route apparently. So I turned around and by the time I got to Furnace Creek, I had traveled more than 70 miles today. I was able to find a spot at a campground: Texas Springs, and fortunately got their early enough with some options. So I signed up for two nights.

After a quick stop at the visitor's center, I headed towards a place called Dante's View. An unbelievable site from 5400' elevation down into the salt bed valley below, which is below sea level. I spent quite a bit of time here catching up on some internet stuff as if I needed to do that after a day away from home. You know there's always something that needs attention. I'm still working and business is always looming. The drive restricted for a vehicle of 25 foot or less, which I certainly made the cut off, and at the very end it was a steep 15% grade up the hill. The Sylver Gypsy did quite well. The views were breathtaking, as was the drive back watching a sunset from my campsite.





























Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At home now… from the great 2023 Alaska Road Trip!

Image
​ Jo Jo and I are home, from the trip of a lifetime! 106 days, 11,539 miles, 675 gallons of gasoline, a ton of fun, beautiful views, and amazing experiences. Other than a brief head cold, no other mishaps, except my souvenir windshield chips. The Sylver Gypsy performed wonderfully. She kept me safe and warm. My last days were drive heavy, but I managed a quick stop at Bryce Canyon National Park. My last night was in the Coconino Forest near Flagstaff, where I also made a brief stop at Sunset Crater. I’ll need a few moments to adjust being back to reality, but it’s nice to be home!
Read more

Bryce Canyon National Park, then almost home

Image
​ A great night in the Utah desert, and a rather chilly morning, surprisingly, but I got up and hurried out of there with the intention of getting to Bryce Canyon National Park. I wondered if I would have enough time and decided it was only 20 minutes one-way, out-of-the-way as I continued on my route home. This would be my third time visiting Bryce and I’m so glad I did. As with any National Park, there are some new changes and the Ranger told me that because I’m over 20 feet I would have to park in the main parking lot and take the shuttle bus in to see the viewpoints. She gave me a tag to hang in my window. My heart sank to the bottom, since I know the shuttle buses will not except pets, and I was not willing to leave Jo Jo. However, upon examining the tag, it indicated vehicles over 23 feet to park and shuttle. My Travato is 21 feet. Hmmmm, I was annoyed. So I ignored the directions and went straight to the parking area at the sunrise amphitheater and not only did I see other campe...
Read more

Montana to Blackfoot, Idaho

Image
​ Well, other than spending the day driving I didn’t do much else. Unless you consider the excitement of filling up my gas tank for $80.00. It’s the first time in a long time when I looked down I saw my gauge in the red and the yellow warning light came on indicating low fuel. I never do these things, but I must’ve been in “the zone” while driving. Either way, I made it to the next gas station and I also have 2 gallons as a spare mounted to my ladder. I wound up staying in the same place that I stopped in May, as I was traveling up north. It’s Rose Pond Park near the town of Blackfoot, Idaho. I even recall exactly where I stayed and it was open and available. However, there was a radio concert going on right around the corner. I wasn’t into listening to the “boom boom.” I found another spot just as a truck came with three ATV, mini bikes and kids who spent the next two hours driving around, mostly in the parking lot. I was actually concerned that they would come by too closely or lose ...
Read more