Death Valley – Day 3
Day three started cold and bright. I had taken two sleeping bags to test in the new sleeping rig. I was trying out the warmer of the two this night. Good thing, it was below freezing during the night, but the car and bag combination was great. I was warm and toasty.
After breakfast, I started back up the Racetrack Road, stopping at the Racetrack Playa. This time stopping at the south end to look at the water on the playa. I am not sure that there will be any tracks left because the whole thing was under water, but we’ll see.
Rock in the Water on the Racetrack Playa
The plan was to not drive back the same way that I drove into the valley. I was going to go back southwest over Hunter Mountain. Along the way I stopped by the Lost Burro Mine.
Lost Burrow Mine Sign
This was a VERY interesting place. The shack was open or at least unlocked, so that you could go into the place and take pictures of the contents. I made it a point not to touch anything and was very careful to lock it back up as I left. There was also an outhouse, which is unfortunately still in use. I thought the most interesting part was a mine shaft that went into the hill opposite the main mine. I didn’t go into it because I was alone, but I think that it was not that dangerous. The main mine shaft was covered, but the structure was still standing and made for some interesting images.
Front of LBM Shack
The Interior of the LBM Shack
B&W Image of LBM Shack Items
Inside of Small Shaft at LBM
LBM Outhouse
Wheelbarrow at the LBM
LBM Wheelbarrow and Mine Structure
The road to (and from) The Lost Burro mine is kind of narrow.
Access Road to LBM
After leaving the mine, I headed toward Hunter Mountain. I followed the basic map given out by the ranger’s station and had a good topo map also. What did I find? Nothing. The roads that I found on the map weren’t open. Even the ones that were, weren’t always easy to pass through. I got stuck once in a patch of snow, but after digging, backing, and taking a run at it I got through. Again, the FJ was a blessing and fun.
FJ Tracks in the Snow
I think if I had explored a bit more, I would have found a way to get there. Why didn’t I? I was below half on the fuel gauge. I thought that getting to the only gas station for several miles, like 100 miles, would be a good idea before I ran out of gas. Therefore, I turned around and drove out on the Racetrack Road.
The results of two days of playing in the mud are obvious.
There is Even Mud on the Roofrack!!
A Muddy FJ is a Happy Fj
Before I got to Furnace Creek for gas, I stopped at Salt Creek. Salt Creek is a natural spring that, due to the geology of the area, has as much salt in the water as the ocean. It takes a very specialized organism to live there. Pup Fish and Pickle Plant were the two that I saw. As the sun went down, I got this awesome shot of the sunset reflected in the creek . I took a series of five images at one stop apart and merged them in Photomatix Pro to produce this HDR.
Sunset at Salt Creek HDR
After getting gas it was off to pick a site in the Sunset Campground. Eat, rest, sleep.
You can see more image of Death Valley here.
