Trail Run: Death Valley T-Day Weekend 09

[FishPOET]

Tracy and I left Norco at 10am on Wednesday 11-25. We stopped for gas in Trona and we were in Wildrose campground by 3pm.



Temps dropped to the low 40s Wednesday night.

On Thursday 11-26 we met Mike & Sharon, Sergio, Scott & Chloe at Minietta Mine Rd at 10am. We all aired down and headed off on our adventure.
Mike got us off the main road and into the wash quickly as we headed for the Defense Mine Trail. We passed a few folks camping in the area. Once on the Defense Mine Trail we started our ascent. We came to the first extra credit section.

Mike & Sharon having some fun


Sergio picking a line


Sergio on Zero Waterfall


I broke the driver's side stub axle. Mike had a spare and we spent the next hour installing the axle. Then it was upward to Defense Mine.

The gang at the base of Defense Mine


Looking down the chute at Defense Mine


Exploring Defense Mine


Mike and I climbed up multiple ladders and followed the maze of tunnels to the secondary exit. It was a blast!


After leaving Defense Mine we made our way over to Lookout City.

General Store


Group shot at Lookout City


We left Lookout City at 3pm and headed for camp in Wildrose. Mike & Sharon deep fried a turkey, cooked stuffing and corn. Scott cooked up some mashed potatoes and brought cranberries and a pecan pie. Sergio baked some refried beans and made fresh tortillas. Tracy baked an apple pie and a pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic. Roger arrived at 8pm. We sat around the campfire until 9pm sharing fun stories with good friends. Temps overnight were in the high 30's.

We had a visitor at the campfire. We nicknamed him "Flop"

[FishPOET]

Friday morning we were on the trail at 8:30am.

First stop was Aguereberry Camp.


Then it was on to Eureka Mine.


Cashier Mill


And all the way up to Aguereberry Point. The views were incredible!






After leaving Aguereberry Point we headed back down to pavement. We headed over to Mosaic Canyon and found a crowded parking lot. We made the trek up Mosaic Canyon. It was fantastic.

Mosaic Canyon

[FishPOET]

We left Mosaic Canyon and stopped for gas at Stovepipe Wells. After Stovepipe Wells Mike wanted to check out the Grotto. It is a less frequented section of Death valley and it turned out to be a gem. We had so much fun.

Entrance to the Grotto


The first wall










The second wall










The view from the top




What goes up must come down










After we left the Grotto we headed for Chloride City and Chloride Cliffs. Our plans called for us camping at Chloride City but the weather would turn nasty and we made a decision to get to a lower elevation. As we found out the next morning it was a wise decision indeed. We camped on BLM land on the way to Beatty NV. The winds were blowing and Tracy and I were in the tent before 8pm. The rest of the group sat around the campfire. The winds died down at 9pm and it turned out to be a nice evening.

[FishPOET]

Saturday morning we were on the trail at 8:30am. We stopped for gas in Beatty and then headed for Rhyolite.

The view of the grapevine Mountains from Rhyolite with fresh overnight snow down to 4000'


There was a bone chilling wind blowing during our visit to Rhyolite. We persevered and enjoyed the attractions at Rhyolite.

Tom Kelly's Bottle House




The Last Supper


Sit Here is a sculpture by German artist Sophie Siegman




We left Rhyolite and headed for Leadfield and Titus Canyon. The trail is one way and the guide books state that it is suitable for passenger cars. We passed a Mini Cooper on the trail and by the end of the trail he was probably regretting the decision. We saw this bird along the way. Maybe a falcon?



Leadfield




Titus Canyon


Titus Canyon was spectacular. It was difficult to take pictures as the trail was busy and it was so tight without any place to pull over. After Titus canyon we spent an hour playing on the sand dunes.





After the sand dunes it was a quick stop at Stovepipe Wells for ice. We did lunch on the trail to Tucki Mine. We turned around about half way to Tucki Mine due to time constraints. We'll have to get back on the next visit. We were back at Wildrose at 3pm. The decision was made to once again camp at a lower elevation to find warmer temps. While the group headed up to the Charcoal Kilns and Mohagany Campground for a visit (and to play in the snow) Tracy and I broke camp at Wildrose and headed down to Ballarat. We arrived at Ballarat at 4pm and set up camp for the night. The rest of the group arrived at 5pm in some strong winds. We used the Jeeps as best as possible for wind breaks and set up camp. We sat around the campfire until 9pm. The winds were blowing all night with some gusts over 50mph.

Ballarat


Sunday the gang headed to Reilly Mine. Tracy and I wanted to get through Kramer Junction before the rush. We said our good-byes and hit the road at 8am. The traffic at Kramer Junction was about a 15 minute wait. I'm sure later in the afternoon it was an hour or more. We were home before noon.

Even with the weather challenges it was still a fabulous trip.

[dr.dirty]

Great pictures Doug it was an awesome trip and we had so much fun the weather made it worth it. Chloe is looking forward to our next adventure.

[dr.dirty]

[dr.dirty]

[dr.dirty]

[dr.dirty]

[Russ Chung]

Doug,

That's a great report and great pictures. Although the nights were chilly, it looks like the days were sunny and mild. I was in DV (Furnace Creek) in March; the daytime temps were in the 80s and nighttime lows were in the high 50s-low 60s. I also passed through DV in late April; it was beginning to warm up. The daytime temps were about 90 and night temps were in the 60s.

Russ

[Moke]

Awsome photo's, my girlfriend and I also went to Death Valley this weekend but we took the GTO since it was our first trip. We wanted to see what's out there for ourselves and she is dying to go back in the Jeep and do a run like this. Death Valley is incredible but we cannot wait for a real run in the Jeep to see the other sites like these. Great Post!
Moke

[dirtman13]

I was dreading this report and thanks to Doug it's worse then I thought. Great write and pictures. I really wish we could have gone. Just by the look on Chloe’s face says it all. We will be there next year.

[Roger]

I had a great time! I was so glad I got to get away and go. Mike & Sharon were just the best group leaders. They really put together a great trip! Sergeo as always is one of the nicest guys on the planet. Doug & Tracy are just awesome. Scott & Chloe really made the trip fun! I'll wager that when Chloe turns 16, she will insist that dad's Rubicon will be hers.

On the last day of the trip, we exlored Rielly's mine and on the way out, I broke the u-joint on my front drive shaft at the t-case. Even though I carry a spare u-joint, to save time I removed the drive shaft. While I was doing that, we noticed that one of the bolts on my front leaf spring was working it's way out. The nut came off. Mike and Scott worked to drive the bolt back in and Sergeo had the right size nut in his spare nut-bag. We were back on the tril in 15 minutes or less! Great team work. Thanks again guys for the help!

I sure missed you Chuck. But I got to tell the group about your antics around the camp fire at Little Cow Hill...

[Geebo]

Wow, really sweet pic,s and interesting report..you,s guys look like ya had a blast..I like the climbs with the tow rope, classic!! but it served it,s purpose..Thanks..Geeb

[mkjeepers]

[COLOR="Blue"]Wow, looks like a great trip. You guys hit a lot of cool sites.
mk[/COLOR]