Deep Into Death Valley

The Park Service has added a third set of hosts to our campground.  The affect on us is that now, on our third day of our three-day shift, we have what is called a "project day".  So instead of making our regular rounds doing audits and inventory of campsites and compliance notifications we now do a variety of things such as simple maintenance projects, cleaning fire pits, recycling of propane canisters and my favorite, park patrol.

Our first project day we opted to do park patrol.  It's the holiday period encompassing Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year and the campground is packed solid with holiday vacationers.  There is very little chance to get access to a campsite to do any maintenance so on patrol we go.

So far the exploring of the park with Cyndee and I together has been pretty minimal.  Between work, dust storms, grocery runs, and house chores we have only done things that could be done quickly.  The canyon hiking that I have written about have been Chad and I.  Cyndee's knees will in no way tolerate that kind of walking so she hasn't experienced as much of Death Valley as I have at this point.  Today we are going to change that.

For our first project day we are going to patrol and make visitor contact at two entrance stations, Dante's View and 20 Mule Team Canyon/Road.  The entrance stations are automated honor systems.  There is an entrance fee payment machine and literature about the park.  We're going to restock the literature, which consists of a seasonal newspaper that is very well written with lots of info on hikes and driving tours, and answer questions for people just entering the park.

It was real quick and easy to write what we were going to do but actually doing it was going to be hours of driving and a lot of time talking to people.

Our first stop was the farthest point north.  The map lists it as Death Valley National Park Information Area, the locals call it Hell's Gate.  We arrived and started stocking newspaper cubbies when all of a sudden a minivan zooms through the parking lot, goes past where the parking lot turns back onto the road and skids to a stop on the dirt shoulder of the road.  The side door flies open and a 10 or 12 year old boy launches out the door, bends over and promptly starts throwing up his toenails.  The entrance station was pretty busy and the boy had quite the audience.  There was a collective "eeww, aahh, gag" before everyone could manage to look the other way.  So started our day.

I should mention that the road that all this took place on was the entrance coming from Beatty, NV.  From Beatty to the entrance station it is about 20 miles of narrow, winding, with dips and rises reminiscent of a roller coaster ride that makes whatever vehicle you are in pitch from side to side and lunge up and down.  If you are prone to car sickness this is not a happy drive for you.  But I told Cyndee that I would bet money the kid was looking down at a phone, reading or playing a game.  Doing that on the Beatty road would make anybody carsick.

We answered a bunch of questions and Cyndee collected a 5 gallon bucket full of trash before we left for the next entrance station, the one that is for those coming from Pahrump.  No drama at this station like the last.  And even though it was busier we had fewer questions.  Literature bins restocked we headed for Dante's View.

At an elevation of 5,475 feet with a 13 mile paved road to get there it takes an hour.  The road is barely two lanes wide, unlined, tight curves, no guard rails and 10% grade in a few spots.  The scenery going up is okay.  The payoff in scenery is topping out at the overlook.

Looking north up the valley directly above Badwater Basin.

It's a little more than mile, straight down, to Badwater Basin.

Enjoying the day at Dante's View

Although the parking lot was pretty full and lots of people meandering around we only had a few visitor contacts.  And, thankfully, there was very little trash that needed picking up.  We'll start the slow descent and then work our way over to 20 Mule Team Road.

For anyone that grew up watching TV in the late 50's, early 60's, 20 Mule Team Borax should sound very familiar.  It was a TV commercial for a laundry detergent that ran prominently during prime time. And especially during the weekly program Death Valley Days staring Ronald Reagan, Robert Taylor, Dale Robertson and Ken Curtis (later known as Festus on Gunsmoke). The origin of the borax and the mule teams that hauled it originated right here in Death Valley.  In a previous post I put a couple of pictures of one of the mines and the freight wagons and water tanks the mule teams used to "ship" the borax.  Below are shots of the road that went through the dunes of tuff.

Entrance to 20 Mule Team Canyon

Once inside the canyon you are surrounded by tuff.
Not all of it is ash colored.

Our patrol truck.
A hybrid Ford F-150 with 4 wheel drive.

By the time we exit 20 Mule Team Canyon we're ready for a meal.  It's too late to call it lunch and too early to call it supper.  All we know is we haven't eaten all day.  We'll get the truck checked in and head straight to the employee dining room to see what is on the buffet.