Death Valley - We're "Home" For The Next Six Months

 


October 7, 2024

Today is the day we get to the destination that started our cross-country adventure, Death Valley National Park.  The truck, Chief, and 5th wheel clocked just a little over 3,000 miles as we meandered from campground to campground between Asheville, NC and Death Valley.  However, Cyndee's little hot rod, a Ford Edge with twin turbos, turned over 5,300 miles.  In addition to making the same trip as the truck it also served as our runabout, doing all the sightseeing at the 15 campgrounds we stayed at along the way.
Chief with his 5th wheel and Cyndee's hot rod with her cargo trailer.
We got an early start in Pahrump, again trying to avoid the heat of the day.  Fortunately we are having a little cooler start than our last travel day.  And another bonus is that today's travel time is barely more than an hour.  And it is pretty much downhill the whole way.  Pahrump, NV is at an elevation of approximately 2,700' while Furnace Creek, the village where we are staying in Death Valley is at an elevation of 200' BELOW sea level.  There has been many a truck/trailer or large RV that have destroyed their brakes trying to control their speed getting down to the valley.  Cyndee and I both are going to be relying heavily on engine braking and concentrate on staying off the brakes.

A mere hour and fifteen minutes later we were pulling into Furnace Creek Campground.  While our speed control strategy worked well for us, beating the heat didn't happen.  It seems that every few hundred feet drop in elevation raised the temperature.  We left Pahrump at a very pleasant 72 degrees but arrived at Furnace Creek at a fiery 113 degrees!
Death Valley temperature of 113 deg on our arrival day.
Temp in top right corner of screen.
Later in the day when talking with a local I mentioned the temperature and they said; "Yeah!  Isn't it wonderful how much it has cooled off?"!!  I later learned that anything below 120 was considered a cool day.

We have arrived on the 7th of October and our job doesn't start until campground opening day on the 15th.  But we have a few days training starting on the 9th so they put us in our camp host site right away.  Usually a host site is a pretty tight fit for us but this one is a monster.  It's a very long driveway/RV pad that backs up to a some tamarisk (salt cedar) trees on the south end and wide open desert to our north.  Our "front yard" is spacious, overlooking a small wash with campsites on the other side.
Our Furnace Creek Campground "front yard".
Looking southwest with the Panamint Mountains
peeking out from behind the trees.
















View out our entrance door, looking east to the Funeral Mountains.

Me taking in the view looking north, up the valley with 
the Panamint Mountains in the background.
October 8, 2024

No sightseeing today.  We are luxuriating in putting ourselves in a stationary mode.  All of the bobbles and bangles that had been stored for travel are coming out and I am rebuilding my "desk" which consists of putting the leaf in the dining table and setting up my large monitor and computer where I do all my photo editing and writing of this blog.  I have sorely missed my screen big enough to see without readers and a full-size keyboard and trackball.

We've only been here one night but have already experience an incredible night sky.  Death Valley is a certified dark sky park and boy is it ever.  The stars are brilliant, satellites are easily seen streaking overhead and the Milky Way is prominently overhead.  I haven't had much luck photographing night skies but I'm already contemplating giving it another try.

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 3, 2024 at 10:25 PM

    Those temperatures are something I’ve never experienced. Bruce worked there for 6 months one winter in the 1980’s. He was stationed in a remote mountain area where a water source exists. Don’t remember the name.
    Have fun!!

    ReplyDelete

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