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DEATH VALLEY '97

by Barbara Hare

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tom and Barbara Hare were a little discouraged after a wet trip four years ago. Now, this tour has prompted them to look forward to upgrading their Explorer for future trips. Barbara is a graduate of Marymount College and an international credit manager. Tom has his roots in soil engineering and graduated from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Seventeen 4WD vehicles were parked along Highway 138 in Lone Pine on a nippy Friday morning in late January. The occupants were out of their vehicles and gathered around Harry Lewellyn as he gave a short preview of the day and last-minute instructions. There was an air of excitement and anticipation. The experience level of the participants ranged from veteran to neophyte and from calm to apprehensive.

Soon, we were on our way and the adventure began with Harry leading and Clark and Linda Pate (Land Rover Discovery) driving sweep. The first part of the journey along Saline Valley Road was fairly smooth and an easy introduction to the 4-wheeling experience. We made several stops, including one to change a flat tire. While waiting, as several people changed the tire, we were spectators to a free air show. An F-18, practicing maneuvers above the Saline Valley, flew in circles overhead, up the canyons, down into the valley and at the Racetrack's Grandstand level. Suddenly a B-1 bomber came off the valley floor without a sound. At last, when it was high in the sky, boom, the sound loudly rippled.

On our way again, we started the climb up the Lippencott Mine Road. What an experience! Harry led us forward and upward over the rocky, pitted, washed-out road. Slowly, we guided our vehicles over the rocks and through the ruts, hugging the mountainside. The passengers could look out over the edge of the road down into the canyon below. The road was partially washed out in several places. At the especially rough spots, Harry gave instruction. What appeared to be difficult was manageable by following his lead. Many of us felt a sense of accomplishment when we finally reached the Racetrack Valley floor. However, the next day, several passengers remarked that their shoulders hurt from hanging on so intensely.

We took our lunch break at the Racetrack. The Racetrack is oval in shape and composed of alluvial silt. When the silt gets wet, fallen rocks propelled by the wind slide on the surface, leaving trails behind them. Many of us walked across the dry lake to see the rocks and their trails.

After lunch, we drove 30 miles on a washboard road to Ubehebe Crater. At the crater, the pavement began and our day on dirt and rocks was over. That evening, after checking in at the Furnace Creek Ranch, we met Harry for drinks at the inn and introduced ourselves to the group. The activity for the next day was discussed and planned.

At 9 a.m., we were off to Echo Canyon, Inyo Mine and, for some, a drive up the waterfall and over the mountain to Amargosa Valley. Echo Canyon Road is composed of dirt and fist-sized rocks and an occasional ditch lined with boulders, and surrounded with towering beauty. I could feel the tires as they grabbed the rocks and propelled our vehicle forward. Again, there were places where we needed Harry's instruction. In spots, the canyon walls closed tightly around the road. Along the way, there was evidence of several turn-of-the century gold mining operations. Midway to the Inyo Mine, there is a hole through a huge, standing rock called the Eye of the Needle.

The Inyo Gold Mine operated in the early 1900s during the cooler months of the year. Due to the shortage of water and remote location, the mine had a short lifespan. However, surprisingly well-preserved remains of the flume, machinery, buildings, beds, stove, etc., dot the hillside. We had plenty of time to explore and hike up to the opening of the mine.

We backtracked from the mine to climb over a well-rutted hill on our way to the waterfall. The waterfall was not water falling over rocks, but rocks falling over sheets of rock. The first section was a 35-degree slope, approximately 18 feet high by 8 feet wide, followed by a turn to the right over a 6 foot, 20-degree ledge and then a narrow stretch 8 feet long bordered by two large boulders. Of the 15 vehicles that made this portion of the journey, nine would climb the waterfall and continue on over the mountain to Amargosa Valley. Except for Clark and Linda, there were no passengers in the vehicles as they climbed up the first section onto the ledge and on through the narrow stretch. Harry, the spotter on the first section, and Ken Osborne, the spotter on the ledge and narrow stretch did an excellent job of guiding each vehicle up the falls. Those of us not in the vehicles stood to the side yelling encouragement and cheering as each driver made the climb. Harry went first with some scraping on his undercarriage. Ray (Hutchinson, Explorer) said, "It was a piece of cake," followed by Terry (Walker, Cherokee) and Shannon (Osborne, Wrangler), "I love it! It's so much fun." Clark and Linda, Margee (Davis, Range Rover), David (Annala, Land Cruiser), Sam and Wanda Shon, (GMC Sonoma), and lastly, Steve (Kunkel, Cherokee). After climbing the waterfall, they continued on over the mountain to Amargosa Valley. At dinner, that evening, Harry said, "After the waterfall, it was new territory. It was fun, but I worried about getting out in time for dinner."

Those of us who did not go over the waterfall drove back to the highway and various Death Valley attractions. Patti (Howse, Comanche) led several of us down a different route that circled around the rutted hill and joined Echo Canyon Road before it reached the highway.

That evening, the group gathered under the date trees for a delicious dinner hosted by Harry and Jenna. Everyone was in a good mood and many felt the empowering sense of accomplishment. I went around and interviewed as many people as possible. Wanda Shon, Raedelle Walker, and Ken wanted to climb the waterfall. Most people used adjectives like fabulous, exciting, exhilarating, excellent. During my interview with Harry, he told me, "The group performed well and I appreciate the trust they give me when they let me guide them up the rough trails."

The next morning, we left the ranch at 8 a.m. for a another full day of fun. For some, it was the best day. There was a wide variety of road surfaces: pavement, macadam, dirt, rocks, boulders, sand, talc, mud and water, and a wide variety of scenery: desert flowers, plants, cactus, mines, hills, buttes and mountains. The day was sunny and warm. Robert Margulies and Bonnie rode with us as their Ramcharger had developed carburetor problems the day before.

We took Warm Spring Canyon Road to Butte Valley. Warm Spring Canyon Road was similar in composition to Echo Canyon Road, but more challenging. We stopped to view a talc mine. When we reached the valley, we could see Striped Butte in the distance. As we went closer to the butte, it looked like a toppled layer cake. We had lunch, climbed a sandy hill around giant boulders, and had our pictures taken in a long-abandoned robber's cave. The cave was large enough to hold 31 adults huddled together with room left over for people rotating in and out to take pictures or videos. The light came from the large doorway and a small window at the back.

From there, we went up and over Mengel Pass. Several times, Robert got out to spot the easiest way through the difficult portions. Once, we had to balance the wheels on two large boulders. Another time, we drove straight down a steep, talc hill.

Between the pass and Goler Wash, we drove through a grove of cottonwood trees and stopped at the Barker Ranch, infamous as the residence of the "Manson family." Backtracking through the stand of Cottonwood trees, we came to my favorite part of the trip, Goler Wash.

The wash is a curving, downhill trek over rocks, ditches and water. Cliffs, heavily dotted with barrel cactus, rise steeply above the road. When we reached the partially paved and macadam road, it was anticlimactic. We made a short stop at Ballarat, population 1½, to buy beverages and souvenirs. From there, we continued our journey to Stovepipe Wells and watched the second half of the Super Bowl. I looked around the room at my fellow travelers. They looked tired and their eyes appeared glazed. Fun takes its toll on the human body.

The next morning, we drove up to Dante's View for a spectacular panorama of the valley below and the mountains stretching as far as Mount Whitney. On our way to Shoshone, we drove through the Greenwater Valley on a washboard, dirt road that was a challenge. We were driving between 40 and 50 miles an hour to avoid extreme shaking. The bumps and ruts were hard to see at the faster speeds. Therefore, we radioed to the cars behind about approaching road hazards. The car was shaking so hard that it was difficult to read the odometer. When we reached the pavement, we said our good-byes and departed for home.

Tom and I agreed that Exploring Death Valley was one of our best vacations. We are hooked. The people in the group were friendly and helpful. The weather was perfect. The 4-wheeling activities were varied and challenging. On the first day, I was scared on the Lippencott Mine Road. What would we do if the road was washed out? How would we traverse a difficult spot? On the second day, I realized we could build up the road, trust our vehicle to climb over rocks and out of ditches and follow Harry's instructions.

WE DID IT! I feel wonderful.

© by Harry Lewellyn

Ecological 4-Wheeling Adventures
P.O. Box 12137
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
voice: (949) 645-7733
fax: (949) 645-7738
email: info@eco4wd.com

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