Trip to Death Valley

I am taking a four day, three night trip to Death Valley and planning to leave my doors and windows at home. Have any of you done the same or similar and regretted not having your doors? Anyone wished they'd brought something and didn't? Thanks in advance.

The weather is forecast to be sunny and in the high 90's during the day and high 60's at night. It's just my dog, my Jeep ('04 TJ w/mods), and me. I'm leaving April 20th and plan to return the 24th. I'll post some pics when I get back.

I have no clue about driving in the desert, the only time I ever did I was driving a Dodge Diplomat and it rained!

However your trip sounds like a lot of fun, and I bet your dog will have a blast, dogs and Jeeps seem to go together!

Jeff DeWitt

Daniel Bibbens wrote:

take some cheap traps (you can pre cut them to fit doors and top) and some duct tape. If weather or conditions get bad you can at least duct tape your panels on and stay comfortable.

Snow...

What a kool idea Carl...I think I'm gonna try this for those days without the doors when ya hit a mud hole...damn mud in the seatbelts really messes them up... Thanks for the idea Carl!

Jeff

In my experience the desert can be cold at night, even if they say "high

60s".

Earle

L.W.(Bill) Hughes III wrote in message=0D=0A...= =0D=0A=0D=0A> Why do I always have to be the one to make the first move?

I recall that. You S. CA wusses! That was about the only time I was _really_ comfortable.

question is are you going off road or not? are you camping or not?

prepare for it to be damned cold at night. also for the wind to blow all the time. or for it to be scalding hot. If it were me, I would take at least the doors - you can always leave them in camp or in your hotel room.

When we were wheeling there in 2000, I ran with doors off and the softtop skin (roof) on. Sometimes it was interesting. Others it was fantastic. I cant recall off hand if I even had the doors with me on that trip or not.

Just looked at the pics on my web site (

), now that brought backsome memories!

-jenn

Yes, I'm going off-road. Starting with Titus Canyon and then on to as many of 8 more trails as I have time for.

If by camping you mean putting the keys in my pocket and reclining the seat, then yes.

Thanks for the link to your pics. I was looking at those last night :)

Thanks, also to all who responded to my original post.

I'm bringing winter clothes and summer clothes and am expecting cold nights, hot days, and temperatures that fluctuate with elevation changes. I'm also bringing a sleeping bag, a coffee pot, and jerry-cans of water and gas. I still have room for me and the dog, too.

I've always done day trips and have always been glad to have my doors and panels. The Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York had it's cold and rain, the Badlands OHV park in Indiana had it's mean mosquitos and thunderstorms. Since I've been in Southern California, I've left home with sunshine and 65 degrees in February only to find blizzard conditions at 5000 ft. in the San Bernardino Mountains. Yep, each trip I was glad to have my doors and panels. But each time was also longing for a time when I could go without.

This time I'm determined to go without. I've got my soft-top for noon-time sun and rain that's not wind-driven sideways. For everything else -- well I'll just have to deal with it. It's a Jeep for Pete's sake.

I suggest a full set of rain gear or rain suit. Does wonders if its wet. Does wonders if its cool out and with no doors you are freezing - gives you a wind break. Otherwise sounds like you got your shit together and will have a great time! =)

-jenn

Good advice. I'll take it. Thanks :)

A sunny forecast in death valley, go figure. Seriously, the winter rains on the coast are still sticking around so you can freeze your behind off or need to spend a night on the wrong side of what *was* a dry wash for centuries until you crossed it.

You might want to open side flaps for ventilation, but the top provides valuable shade which is quite difficult to come by out there.

PS. If you see a broad flat stretch, make sure it isn't deeper than an inch or two as there are stretches of alkali snot all over the place and the top may get enough wind and sun to look like dry land but underneath is really greasy alkali mud. Is fun to play in if you are used to it, but make sure you get it completely off your vehicle as it is just a tad on the corrosive side.

Take lotsa film if you've never been there before. I prefer the areas north of death valley, roughly even with Goldfield and west to the mountains.. say around Silver Peak and south and west.

Jerry Bransford proclaimed:

Well I did it. Almost nothing went according to plan, but Death Valley is spectacular and a sight to be seen regardless of what you drive. Pictures are here:

I started this thread asking if anyone wished they'd brought something and didn't. Here is my advice -- put your (at least 5 gallons of) water in a cooler with lots of ice instead of a jerry-can. Bath water just sucks on a hot day. Also, bring some octane booster to patch the lousy gas. Travel with at least one other vehicle

-- there is *no* cell service, the canyon walls, cliffs, mountains may block a CB signal, and the main roads are frequently a day's hike from the far points of the trails.

Here are a few notes. In summary -- amazing views, bad and expensive fuel, and no cell signal to be found:

• I bailed out of my plan to go with no doors and panels. The forecast for Death Valley remained the same (it was accurate, too), but the forecast for my return trip home was for high 50's, windy, and possibly rain showers (that turned out to be accurate except for the showers which did come after I got home). I could have gone without doors and panels and regret that I checked the weather before I left and wimped-out.

• I filled up at a Shell station in Panamint Springs. The gas is lousy and my poor Jeep is sputtering -- I have to downshift to third to make it up a few hills.

• The first two trails I went for were closed. Titus Canyon was closed apparently because there was a 20% chance of rain over the mountains and Titus Canyon is a particularly bad place to be in flash flood. The Chloride City trail was opened but the road to get to it (Mud Canyon) was closed for repairs -- there is no other entrance to this trail.

• At 8:00pm the first night, I pulled off the road just West of Stovepipe wells near the trail-head of the next trail on my list. The sky was mostly clear and the temperature was around 75. US Air Force fighter jets (possibly from nearby Edwards AFB) were doing maneuvers until around 10pm. Beside the jets (which couldn't be heard) there were an unbelievable number of visible stars. No signs of civilization are visible except for the faint glow of Las Vegas about 150 miles away. I reclined my seat and fell asleep. The moon shining in my face woke me up for a moment at around 4:30. Max (my dog) and I woke up around 6:30am. I made espresso on a fuel can stove -- very please with that. Max has breakfast and water. We head out on foot to walk around the sand dunes nearby.

• The Cottonwood/Marble Canyon trail was open. We start the trail around 10:00am. The ten miles of washboard dirt road just to get to a trail that was no more challenging than say -- a washboard dirt road.

Today I can hear the fighter jets and imagine what an Iraqi or Taliban soldier must have pondered when hearing the "thunder" *before* the "lightning". Poor bastards. What were they thinking? I did take some solice in this season of the IRS in seeing and hearing what my tax dollars help build. These are awe-inspiring machines. After completing this trail, a heavy coating of dust turned the interior of my Jeep, my dog, and myself to an unmistakable desert khaki color. The scenery was amazing. The value of the views has overcome my disappointment with the trail.

• We head a few hundred yards to Stovepipe Wells at around 3:00pm in search of gas, shade, and a cell signal. We find neither and start south on 190 toward Furnace Creek. It's getting hot -- in the upper 90's and Max is getting a funny look on his face. No cell signal at Furnace Creek either. I gas up -- .64 for regular. This fuel is lousy, too and * We head a few hundred yards to Stovepipe Wells at around 3:00pm in search of gas, shade, and a cell signal. We find neither and start south on 190 toward Furnace Creek. It's getting hot -- in the upper 90's and Max is getting a funny look on his face. No cell signal at Furnace Creek either. I gas up -- $3.64 for regular. This fuel is lousy, too and $0.50 higher than prices outside the park. I find a shade in a parking lot near the Furnace Creek golf course. Max rests and cools off. I plan for the next trail..50 higher than prices outside the park. I find a shade in a parking lot near the Furnace Creek golf course. Max rests and cools off. I plan for the next trail.

• We head toward Badwater -- the lowest elevation place in the Western Hemisphere. It's hot. The 7 gallons of water I brought is now bath temperature. The 5 gallon fuel can is venting because of the pressure building in the heat. There is no road across the valley here so I decide just to head for Interstate 15 on Death Valley Rd. (Rt. 127) at a town called Baker. We head west into the sunset on I-15 toward home. This trims a day and a half off our trip but we'd seen and had enough.

Next trip "The Mojave Road" with lessons learned.

Glad to hear it was a good trip overall.

Carl

In the summer you can usually keep your water cool with a canvas bag, but you do need a bit of velocity. Where cool is relative if you are near Furnace Creek area.

Carl proclaimed: