Our stay at Boulder Creek RV Resort was very pleasant. We recommend the park.
 |
| Site #22 |
US 395 runs along the base of Lone Pine Mountain and Mt. Whitney near the campground.
 |
| Lone Pine Mountain (left) Mt. Whitney (right-center) |
Our 224 mile route to Las Vegas passed through Death Valley. We started at CA-136 just south of Lone Pine, drove east to CA-190, took CA-190 over Argus Range, descended into Panamint Valley, climbed over the Panamint Range, descended into Death Valley, passed Stovepipe Wells Village and Furnace Creek, climbed the Amargosa Range passed Zabriskie Point, continued across Amargosa Desert to Death Valley Junction, and took State Line Road to Pahrump, NV. NV-160E provided the last leg into Las Vegas. Bottom line ... we went up and down a lot in a hot place.
 |
| Starting out on CA-136E |
 |
| We pass Owens Lake (dry) |
 |
| The Argus Range climb includes a wavy road |
 |
| We can see Panamint Valley from Father Crowley Vista |
 |
| The ride down to Panamint Valley is curvy and steep |
 |
| The drive across Panamint Valley is really "straight-forward". |
 |
| The Panamint Range climb is more of the same |
 |
| And ... down we go into Death Valley |
 |
| Stovepipe Wells Village is our 1st stop of the day |
 |
| Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes are just beyond Stovepipe Wells Village |
 |
| The terrain is strange and beautiful |
 |
| Harmony Borax Works |
Furnace Creek had interesting terrain, but it's hard to get to and the heat is really intense. We asked ourselves ... "Who would want to live here?"
 |
| Nice views, but ... |
 |
| Why pay this price? |
 |
| Why play golf in 100+ degrees? |
 |
| Why develop this? |
 |
| "Old Dinah" steam tractor replaced the 20 mule teams for hauling borax |
 |
| Furnace Creek Inn |
 |
| Strange terrain as we climb Amargosa Range |
Scenes from Zabriskie Point
 |
| Death Valley in the background |
 |
| We didn't get winded by this climb at sea level |
 |
| Rugged views appeared all along the way |
This was a strenuous drive. We saw Class A & C motorhomes, but no trailers between Lone Pine and Furnace Creek. We took all steep downgrades in 1st or 2nd gear to preserve the brakes.
Some other things we'll remember ...
107° F in Death Valley
Gas prices: (unleaded regular)
Lone Pine - $4.259/gal, Panamint Springs - $5.489/gal, Furnace Creek - $5.749/gal, Pahrump - $3.699/gal
Mountain grades: (a few examples)
6% for 17 miles
8% for 5 miles
We're staying at The Oasis RV Resort. It's big, fancy and not directly connected to a casino. We'll be here for a few days while we deal with some car repairs.
We were treated to a fireworks display at about 9pm. The view was great from our patio and the finale was spectacular. We have no idea whom to thank.
No comments:
Post a Comment