24 Hours of Death Valley

10/6/2014

I am still trying to catch up on all the posts. This one goes back a few weeks cruising through Death Valley from Mammoth to Las Vegas.

I have put over 8000 miles on The Betty( II) since the end of June. Of all the places I've been to, National Parks, unnamed side roads, Death Valley was the most beautiful and unique part of the trip. I think part of it was it was just different than what the rest of the trip had been. The usual scenery of endless forests, snow capped peeks, and ski resorts had transformed to desolation and intense heat.

Before departing from Mammoth Lakes, CA I did a thorough mechanical check of the truck. Checking all the fluids, greased the chassis, checked the differentials, and picked up extra coolant and oil. I didn't want any break downs in the brutal conditions that exist here. I filled up both fuel tanks and my spare can before entering the park, knowing that gas stations were nearly non existent. Even with that much fuel I did end up getting some fuel in the park just to make sure I could make the last leg out. Clearly some simple economics of supply and demand were prevalent.

I spent the evening driving through the valley, planning to hit Badwater Basin in the morning. With a summer of crossing high alpine passes I also needed to cross the lowest elevation in North America. I missed my turn and ended up just outside of the park on the east side. It was late when I figured this out and decided to camp the night in a little "one horse" town. I thought I had hidden The Betty pretty well for the night but when I woke she was hanging out a bit. Oh well. I got an early start to beat the 115 degree high for the day and back tracked 40 miles to catch the turn to Badwater. I'll admit it, this was not the first time I've been lost or missed a turn.