greno
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Posts: 45
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Post by greno on Dec 9, 2015 5:22:22 GMT -8
What an amazing place! My wife was not excited to go, but we are trying to eventually visit all the National Parks and it fit the bill. I will say that I don't think you can get me there during the summer, but the weather was mid-30s in the morning and in valley got to about 60 for a high. We went to Wild Rose Peak the first day and the wind was blowing and it was chilly, but fun. We also did the Golden Canyon Loop and went out into the flats at Badwater to see the sunrise light up the Panamints.
We are going to plan another trip there as you just dont get the grand scale of he place in photos and it is definitely a place we want our kids to see. We ended up car camping and also ended up staying at Texas Springs both nights as taking the little rental car to Thordike after we finished the Wildrose hike wasn't happening and the Wild Rose campground didn't seem inviting. We were ready to hike out and camp, but in the end, toting the water didn't sound fun.
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speacock
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I'm here for the food...
Posts: 378 
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Post by speacock on Dec 9, 2015 14:08:15 GMT -8
Good trip report and glad you guys enjoyed 'wintering' there. I haven't been there between Dec/Apr and will now.  |
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Admin
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Post by Admin on Dec 14, 2015 9:52:21 GMT -8
I don't think you can get me there during the summer Several years ago I wanted to head to Arizona for a warmer Christmas vacation. Driving down from NorCal, I went through DV. Found myself at Badwater and decided to sleep in my truck to experience the sunrise again at the lowest spot. It was totally cold in my truck, of course. Sometime in the midnight hours I got out to stretch and look at the night sky. It was spectacularly dark and starry, of course, and not a man-made light anywhere around. Quiet, dark, wonderful; I was so alone! I suddenly realized it was the first night of Winter! There I was on the longest night, in the lowest place in America, and there was nowhere but UP in my future. The Visitor Center the next day reported the low at Badwater had been about 20°. I was happy to have had that experience. I promised myself I would return for the first day of Summer. I did go back. And after driving Titus Canyon (a favorite place), I went for a beer at Furnace Creek on a blazing hot afternoon, then headed back to Badwater. It was 125°. I spent an uncomfortable night on a picnic table, then in the morning at the Visitor Center I found the night temp had never dropped below 100°. Visiting Death Valley in Summer is worth doing. |
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davesenesac
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Our precious life is short within eternity, don't waste it!
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Post by davesenesac on Jan 12, 2016 12:51:21 GMT -8
Latest Death Valley wildflower report relates species are rolling out pretty much as I expected after the late October deluge: www.desertusa.com/wildflo/ca_dv.htmlWhat really needs to happen at this point to really give a kick to all the small plants apparently now rising is one good soaking rain event this month. If not annuals at lower elevations will pretty much have run their course by the end of the month. |
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davesenesac
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Our precious life is short within eternity, don't waste it!
Posts: 1,710
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Post by davesenesac on Jan 21, 2016 9:11:21 GMT -8
Latest DV facebook page road conditions show much more now open as I expected:
Paved Roads:
Badwater Road - Open from Furnace Creek to Harry Wade Rd, no exit to Shoshone over Jubilee Pass.
Scotty's Castle Rd/267/North Highway - Open from CA190 to the Ubehebe Crater Rd. Closed from the Ubehebe Crater Rd to Highway 95. Ubehebe Crater is open an accessible.
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Unpaved Roads:
20 Mule Team Road - Closed
Saline Valley Road North Pass - Closed by Inyo County. South Pass is open.
Lower Wildrose Road - Closed. You can still reach the Charcoal Kilns via Emigrant Canyon Rd
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Upper Wildrose Road (from Kilns to Mahogany Flat is closed due to snow and ice. You can still reach the Charcoal Kilns via Emigrant Canyon Rd.
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All other 140-plus roads in the park are open for your enjoyment. Share your trip reports here for others to enjoy.
Closures do not have estimated re-open times.
Travel safely Death Valley.
However SR178 down to Ashford Mills and Jubillee Pass where all the flowers are suddenly blooming is a DEAD END. Thus one really needs to make sure their gas tank is full if making that long down and back.
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Post by hikerchick395 on Jan 28, 2016 10:48:10 GMT -8
Visited yesterday. Yes, the flowers are blooming mostly near the 178 road closure.
Gas is now less expensive at Furnace creek than at Stovepipe Wells. Or you could splurge at Panamint Springs...$5.48 gallon...
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davesenesac
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Our precious life is short within eternity, don't waste it!
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Post by davesenesac on Jan 28, 2016 19:31:44 GMT -8
hikerchick 395, didn't you two visit DV during the epic 2005 bloom? If so that would give you some perspective on what you are seeing this year versus then. Before the reports began I didn't think there had been anywhere near enough rain this year to compare with 2005. This year it has just been that one big storm in late October then a piddly amount a month ago. During early winter 2005 there was so much water from several storm events that Lake Manley filled so there was water running in the Amargosa River for quite a long time. Have a suspicion the reports on desertusa may be somewhat exaggerated in order to bring visitors in and it is actually just a bit better than the minor bloom in 2010. So have been hesitant to commit to a week of PTO with the 500 mile drive until reading something more solid?
The storm pushing into far northern California today will find its way down to Southern California by Monday and there is a growing chance you may even get some decent rains down in that rain shadow that is your Owens Valley. If that occurs there is similar chances DV may also receive some. In any case I have quite a bit of remote hiking planned up in northern sections of the park that are at a bit higher elevations and that will best work in March. Go ahead and send me a PM if you have anything interesting to add about what you saw.
Lets hope our deserts get at least one big El Nino storm this winter. Carrizo and Antelope Valley both received over an inch during the storms a month ago that caused the SoCal floods so areas are nicely primed but need more than just the one storm event.
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Post by hikerchick395 on Jan 29, 2016 8:10:49 GMT -8
 A lot less water than 2005, but I didn't go to Death Valley until March that year. Lake Manly was up to Hwy 178 then. There is just a small lakelet south of Badwater so far this year, as far as I could see. A few cars had kayaks and canoes...maybe expecting more? There are a lot of sprouts and buds. Low lying plants are dusty, just begging for precip. Good desert gold in washes as Ashford Mills and off of Warm Springs road...info that you have heard. Some desert gold is starting to bloom between Scotty's Castle turn-off and Badwater. Lots of primrose in between the fields of gold. More five spots than I've seen before too. The good thing right now is that the blooms are fresh...just a few wilted flowers here and there. I chose to go Wednesday because it was supposed to be the least windy. It was windy driving in, though, and some breezes until afternoon. I believe that the best is yet to come, especially if some rain arrives. But is was very pleasant in Death Valley without the crowds. Most folks are not driving south past Badwater. (These are only ovservations from this one day. |
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Jan 29, 2016 9:48:01 GMT -8
Much Thanks for that information. Nice image and I bet there was quite a nice fragrance in the air. Sure to bring bees and butterflies migrating from the west. It tells me the plants are indeed water starved much like Antelope Valley poppy areas were last spring. Also desertusa added another DVNP report today that reflected what you noted that the many small plants rising will need more rains if they are to amount to anything. In Antelope Valley last spring there were many small herbs that never amounted to more than a few short leaves never reaching a flowering state and the same could occur.
It looks like the currently just arriving storm has potential. In arid areas piddly storms of a few hundreds or tenths of an inch won't help because they just moisten the surface a bit and then evaporate off with little reaching plant roots that are often just beneath ground surfaces. Water has to start soaking in enough for gravity to take over pulling water down to root levels. If this next storm does come through some, it will be a couple weeks before there are noticeable more plants rising up to a flowering state and the plants already risen will grow larger more robust and green instead of wilting and ending quickly. Las Vegas NWS am 1/29:
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK-
INCLUDING...FURNACE CREEK...STOVEPIPE WELLS...
SHOSHONE
300 AM PST FRI JAN 29 2016
.TODAY...PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 60 TO 63 IN THE MOUNTAINS...75 TO
78 AT FURNACE CREEK. WINDS GENERALLY LIGHT.
.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 39 TO 42 IN THE MOUNTAINS...46 TO
49 AT FURNACE CREEK. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH INCREASING TO 10 TO
15 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.
.SATURDAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN
SHOWERS. HIGHS 53 TO 56 IN THE MOUNTAINS...75 TO 78 AT FURNACE
CREEK. WEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 32 TO 35 IN THE MOUNTAINS...
45 TO 48 AT FURNACE CREEK. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH DECREASING
TO LESS THAN 10 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.
.SUNDAY...COOLER...CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS AND SNOW
SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN SHOWERS LIKELY AND SNOW
SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE. HIGHS 40 TO
43 IN THE MOUNTAINS...61 TO 64 AT FURNACE CREEK. SOUTH WIND 5 TO
10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE EAST IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY AND BREEZY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF
RAIN SHOWERS AND SNOW SHOWERS. LOWS AROUND 29 IN THE MOUNTAINS...
AROUND 40 AT FURNACE CREEK.
.MONDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY AND WINDY. HIGHS AROUND 41 IN THE MOUNTAINS...
AROUND 57 AT FURNACE CREEK.
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