Thanks for all your effort Ken.

 

You can thank me later if we don't end up like the Donner Party.

 

Ahem... that would be the Bennett-Arcane Party...

 

Sadly enough, I had to look that one up, although I was familiar with the famous "goodbye Death Valley" line:

The California Gold Rush brought the first Caucasians known to visit the immediate area. In December 1849 two groups of California Gold Country-bound White travelers with perhaps 100 wagons total stumbled into Death Valley after getting lost on what they thought was a shortcut off the Old Spanish Trail. Called the Bennett-Arcane Party, they were unable to find a pass out of the valley for weeks and were forced to eat several of their oxen to survive but were able to find fresh water at the various springs in the area. They used the wood of their wagons to cook the meat and make jerky. The place where they did this is today referred to as "Burned Wagons Camp" and is located near the sand dunes.

After abandoning their wagons they eventually were able to hike out of the valley through the rugged Wingate Pass. Just after leaving the valley one of the women in the group turned and said, "Goodbye Death Valley," giving the valley they endured its name (in fact only one person of the group died in Death Valley, an elderly man named Culverwell, who was half dead already when he entered the Valley). Included in the party was William Lewis Manly whose autobiographical book Death Valley in '49 detailed this trek and greatly popularized the area (geologists later named the prehistoric lake that once filled the valley after him).

We have no oxen, so let's not get lost.

 

Ken, you rock!

Started tearing stuff apart tonight to do my waterpump/timingbelt, hopefully I can get it done this weekend and sealed up good for the trip. Otherwise, I am going to have to bring the new truck.

 

Anyone bringing kids. I think i will bring Sam (10yrs) and a buddy for him but it always helps to let him know if other kids are going.

Looking forward to getting out there again.

Cheers
Mark

 

my son is coming, 4.5yo (so is my dad)



mark-are you leaving from agoura fri eve?

 

My son is coming (2.5 yr. old)
I finished my timing belt and waterpump this afternoon, so I will be bringing my 4runner (assuming nothing is leaking)

 

Nope, sorry. I have the day off so i am hoping to get away by 12noon to avoid the Friday traffic.

 

I've been wanting warm weather and we are certainly going to get it! Forecast shows 100 degrees on Friday, 99 deg on Saturday, 98 deg on Sunday, 96 on Monday.

 

Yep. It'll be quite a bit cooler at the higher altitudes though and the nights will go down to about 65. Definitely a bit hotter than it was last year.

 

I just rolled in from PSR yesterday, was up there for 4 days. A few observations from this trip offered as pre-trip info for you all...

I left Redondo Beach at 5:15AM Thursday and rolled into PSR 4 hrs. and 225 miles later after stopping to top up for gas twice and at the Stater Bros. market in Mojave (opens at 7:00AM). If you're planning to drive in from the LA area after 2:00PM, I would highly recommend this alternative if there is a planned meeting-up in Ballarat on Saturday at 10:30AM. Its probably easier/safer /faster/much less traffic and unpacking/re-packing hassle to meet everyone in Ballarat Sat. morning. It'll be a shorter driving distance, too.

The gas prices at PSR were only about $0.25 above Los Angles prices courtesy of the non-gouging business model of the new owners at PSR. In Trona, Chevron had 91-octane at $3.25, and an independent station just north of Chevron had it for about $3.15

Speaking of PSR, the new owners are doing an outstanding job of turning the place around. Most of their work thus far has been on the infrastructure, so it isn't really visible to most people. Still, the restaurant, cabins, and campground now have free wireless internet coverage, so realtime trip reports are encouraged . The gas station market is now open and is about 35% stocked. They have maps, including the Tom Harrison DV/PV map, and books, as well. The campground bathrooms have been cleaned up, and new picnic tables are being constructed, although they probably won't be placed for several months.

The food is as good as ever, and there have been additions to the menu, including the hamburgers they use to only offer during lunchtime. Their beer selection is approaching 90 varieties. I highly recommend having a nice dinner and tilting back a few PSR-bought coldies while relaxing and watching the sunset views across Panamint Valley from the porch. If any of you plan on a large group meal, you may want to give the staff a heads-up in advance.

Weather was unseasonably warm, 90 on Saturday, hotter on Sunday.

I wish I could've stayed out there and met up with you all!

 

Wish I can go... Got a 4-month old to care for. Won't be wheeling until next year...

 

Ok as much as i planned and focused on this trip i will have to bow out for this one. I hardly made a dent in my to do list on the 4 runner. Still tracking down a coolant leak, looks like i might have to take off the plenum. And the elusive overdrive problem still evades detection. Wont even go into the crazy days a t work, and my dwindling pocket book.

So if some one wants i have spot 21. You can get ahold of me before the morning of the 14th and we can figure something out if you want a closer spot.


Hopefully we are going to do a summer trip somewhere like last year, hopefully by then i will have the time money and luck to get all my little things done and road worthy.

 

I wasn't sure if I could make this trip, so I haven't replied. As for now there's no way I'll make it. Need to fix a leaky steering rack and the tank needs to be dropped, fuel pump is making noise.

 

I had my fingers crossed you were going to make this trip again, Bruce.

 

I now have a guest coming,
Frank- '53 Jeep
Not sure on if it will be just him or him and his wife. Should be real fun, he knows a lot about DV. Here's a pic of one of his jeeps:


and another one of his, not sure which one he's bringing

 

I was so excited about getting out to DV I was about to leave on Thursday...oh well. More time to get stuff done

 

Looks like a couple of us are going to be arriving on Friday around the same time so what say we meet in Ridgecrest and go into DV via the 178N vice the 190E? Any interest in that?

 

I've got a question about the potluck Sat. night. Will we be able to have a fire when we camp near the Geologists cabin? I need to figure out what I am going to cook.