Improbable Lands

We headed back into Death Valley to try to see a few more things there. We decided to take more of a main road to try to get us there more quickly. On the way in we stopped at the Ubehebe Crater view point. The wind was whipping off the crater as if to remind us to approach with reverence. It was quite a site and we intended to camp at the nearby Mesquite Springs Campground. It was a pretty enough spot, but pretty pedestrian as far as camping went. We decided to head further down and back into Cottonwood Canyon. We reached the road to the Canyon pretty quickly, but didn’t realize how far back the Canyon was. We had tried a few times to pick up the more detailed back country map that you could get at the ranger stations, but the only ranger station we had been near was the one near Stovepipe Wells that does not keep a regular schedule. We drove and drove and drove and finally it was nearly dark and we had barely seen any Cottonwood and certainly not the springs we had heard of. We find a lovely little spot to pull off the road though it was a lovely night. Still pretty warm, but cool enough now that the sun had set to make it feel just right. We couldn’t seen the moon as it rose up somewhere on the other side of the canyon, but we could see its light traveling down the canyon walls in a line. Pretty perfect.

The next day we got up pretty early (and by pretty early I mean just not quite as late as usual. We’ve been perfecting the art of the leisurely morning with coffee and tea and just enjoying the spot we are in before heading off to the next one) and drove to Darwin Falls for a short hike. The waterfall at the end of the hike is not very impressive compared to waterfalls in general, but very neat to discover that Death Valley is full of surprises and not just desert. You head back far enough and things start changing dramatically and defying your expectations of this ‘desert’ park. The hike seemed fairly popular and there wasn’t much of a spot to hang out at the end so we heading back pretty quickly. We spent some time trying to befriend the local frogs and lizards and convince them to be models for us, but they were not really interested in being featured on Instagram. Malachi the Wonder Beast made some friends in the parking lot and then we heading off down Saline Valley Road towards some hot springs.

The drive back to Warm Springs was an adventure in itself and we got to see a salt lake and the remnants of a contraption that the miners used to transport the salt over the mountains. We climbed up into a higher altitude with fir trees where it was quite a bit cooler only to descend again into the valley on the other side. The microclimates of Death Valley definitely keep you on your toes.

The road back to the springs was unmarked, but we managed to turn on the right one without too much issue. Once you get a little way off the main road there is a metal totem like structure with dangling bats and other fun bits. There are 3 springs, but the first two are where people camp. We set up camp just down from the 2nd springs. This place is a throwback to the 60’s complete with the hippies, most of whom seem to have lived through the 60’s, but also a younger, bohemian crowd. The springs are clothing optional and many people were partaking of the clothing only option. The first set of springs is where most of the action is happening. We went down to check them out in the evening and rinsed ourselves off first in an outdoor shower created using an old bathtub that was recessed into the ground. People that had come before had left a wide variety or soaps and shampoos to sample. The tubs were lovely in the twilight and the local bats came by to say hello and sip water from the tubs while we sat in them. It was magical. A veritable naked panel of older gentlemen were in the upper tub we were soaking in and I tried to quiz them as to where the bats lived. I got a different answer from each of them. At the same time a little boy with his heart set on catching a bat set out with his pops to do so. The endeavor was ultimately a failure so there was some sadness about that, but I was rooting for him the whole time. There are also local burros here – descendants left over from the original miners’ burros. They are friendly and it is a no no to feed them, but I couldn’t resist giving one of them a carrot (don’t tell anyone.) We saw two of the burros rolling around in the sandy soil like happy puppies at the beach and I kind of fell in love with them. Apparently, Death Valley had rid itself of most of its non-indigenous burros back when it was still only a national monument, but upon becoming a National Park in 1994 its overall size was increased and it acquired new areas that the burros were still in. They are a fun throw back. The whole area of Warm Springs is really.

Apparently there has been talk for years about the National Park taking more control of this area which is now mostly left to the local volunteers to deal with. The park would want to start charging for camping and perhaps try to remove palm trees that the hippies planted around the pools 50-some years ago. I think it would be a shame to change it though as the place is like going back in time to the 60’s. And I think, at this point, the general feeling about the springs pretty closely coincides with how people feel about the burros still there – it has been there so long it has it’s own history even though some original features of the wilderness there might have been tweaked just a touch.

Malachi was not so impressed with the burros by the way. He didn’t seem to notice them til late at night when they approached the camper a few times. His barking alerted us to their presence. Zack Attack told him he was a good doggo for protecting us from danger. I was a little more paranoid of the ruckus. Malachi’s barking can be loud and he sounds like a mean old beastie sometimes when really his is the friendliest, doofiest doggo one could ask for.

Tomorrow we will go through Steele Canyon – a rarely traveled chunk of 4×4 road that Zack Attack has his heart set on. We weren’t going to be able to do it at all as were short on gas, but some fellow travelers let us have a few gallons of their extra gas. Thanks, guys!

We hiked up the dunes in the morning before we got on the road. They were higher and sand hiking was a little harder than I thought, but the view and then the sheer joy of free falling back down the dunes from the top made it all worth it. From the top of the dunes you were really able to get a perspective of the size. The people on adjacent dunes and down below looked like small ants, mostly noticeable because of movement rather than any discernible features.

We definitely need to get gas at this point so we headed towards the town of Big Pine to make that happen. With our hike in the morning and a longer than anticipated drive into Big Pine because of some steep climbs it was the middle of the afternoon by the time gas was acquired and a couple more food provisions. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest was less than an hour from Big Pine so we decided to head there. Grandview campground is the closest you can get to the Bristlecones so we headed there and then ended up winding our way back on the 4×4 road to the Grandview Mine where we found the perfect spot surrounded by trees with substantial rock fire ring already set up complete with a fallen tree for seating. The view of the snow covered Eastern Sierra from here was gorgeous and once again the moon was out and full making the setting feel magical.

In the morning we drove and hiked a bit to go see the mine. The 4×4 roads back there seem to so on forever. However at some point, the roads did get a little more hairy than the Grolar Bear seemed to enjoy. I have to say I was more than a little nervous as we struggled to turn the Grolar Bear around at a steep angle. We got through though and headed to to see the oldest trees in the world. There was still scattered snow along the road side here even though it was relatively warm. We learned that they had just opened the road to the visitor center the day before, so we go really lucky on our timing. We let Malachi the Wonder Beast wander around and stretch his old man bones and eat his fill of snow before we headed out on the Methuselah Hike. It was 4.5 mile hike., Methuselah was thought to be the oldest tree in the world for many years, but another tree named Prometheus was found to be older at later date. However, poor old Prometheus was accidentally felled before its age was known. I only learned these details later because, although the road was open, the actual visitor center was closed. We were able to read a few information signs posted, but the ‘interpretative’ hike was very much left open to our own interpretation as we had no brochure that let us know what the numbered markers meant. I spent most of the hike asking various specimens if they were Methuselah. They did not feel inclined to answer. I figured they knew better. The 4.5 mile hike took us quite a ways around the hillsides were these lovely trees live. They are beautiful twisting specimens. They look to me like wizards that have chosen to take on another form after shedding the mantle of humanity and rising above its constraints. The snow was actually quite deep in spots and we wouldn’t even necessarily been able to follow the trail without the footprints of prior hikers leading us. The hike was beautiful and a lovely way for us to get off our butts as we’d been doing so much sitting while driving. It was late afternoon after the hike, so we headed back to our new favorite camp spot to stay for another night.

Today we headed up from the hot springs through Steele Canyon. We passed a few travelers on the way that warned us about a pinch point we might have trouble getting through, but it was much further up the road. It was actually something others had already warned us about when we asked about the canyon, but these travelers, with fresher eyes and memories seemed more wary about its possible difficulty for our rig to get through. We stopped for lunch at a nice little view point that let you see down into Saline Valley and hiked around a bit. It was such a nice little plateau that another traveler on a motorcycle stopped to have lunch too. Some jeeps also came through thinking we were further up the trail when really we were off to the side. The caravan turned about and headed on their way down the right path. It was turning into a rather long driving day. The road wasn’t too bad, but enough so that we were going pretty slow. We finally started to get down into some tighter canyons with beautiful rock walls and sure enough we reached the pinch point. It was actually a series of 3 points that were all narrow and all had drop offs. Prior travelers had already built up rocks to help them get through. We debated whether or not to proceed, but ultimately decided to go for it as this was pretty much the end of the canyon after a long day of driving to get to this point and the way back would have been long. Zack Attack did some measuring and we did some rock building and it probably took us a good hour to get through the 3 points. We scraped the back end just a bit, but the Grolar Bear came through mostly fine. Just past this the canyon opened up and you got a beautiful view of the Eureka Sand Dunes in the distance. Apparently at 700 and some feet tall these are both the highest in Death Valley and the highest in California,. The sun was coming down and there is some primitive camping right by the dunes – nicely spread out spots denoted only by remnants of camp fire rings and some rocks.

We raced into camp at an exhilarating speed along the sandy roads that led up to the dunes (getting stuck in sand was not something we cared to chance at this point.) At one point Zack Attack rolled up my window moments before the Grolar Bear blew through a blast of sand that went all over the window on my side. There were a few other campers in the area, but so far apart you could barely see them, let alone hear them. The sand mountain was so different than the terrain we’d been traveling through all day that it was like we’d arrived on another planet. The moon was out and full over the striated mountain behind us and the sun setting behind the dunes painted the sky pale colors while a light wind refreshed us.

On Sunday we continued further North and decided to camp somewhere near Lake Mead where there seemed to be a lot of good spots. We ended up a Kingman Wash which wanders a few miles off the freeway to a secluded little spot right on Lake Mead. There were a few other families there camping and fishing. Apparently it was Spring Break. Who knew? The lake is beautiful and you are able to pull right up to it and camp right along the water. We did a night waterside and a night along the rocks further up the hill as the wind right off the lake was a bit strong. Malachi the Wonder Beast really wanted to visit the family camping next to us and eat their delicious trash so we actually had to leash him to the camper for the first time in a bit. This area is more BLM land and so completely free and awesome. We got in during the late afternoon on Sunday and so stayed that night and the next day too. We hiked up the surrounding rocks into some offshoots of the wash and enjoyed the red rock of Arizona up close. Zack Attack is becoming quite an expert at leveling the camper using just available rocks so we are able to get to some cool spots. We pondered our next move for a while and decided with the weather and Spring Break maybe Grand Canyon and Zion wasn’t the best move. Our next stop will be Death Valley. Zack Attack seems to have a real hankering to see it.

We made the decision to delay heading up towards either the Grand Canyon of Zion National Park as the weather was still fairly inclement. We have discovered about ourselves as we travel about in the Grolar Bear that we are rather demanding of the weather. We really have a very small window for temperature that we consider most comfortable. It is gets into the 80’s we start feeling too hot and if it gets much below the 60’s – at least if there’s wind – it starts to seem to cold. We are apparently spoiled San Diegans. The wind does seem to have been chasing us around though. It won’t quite relent. Malachi the Wonder Beast is not more a fan of it than we are. He really likes his tent, but when the wind comes out and starts rustling it he objects.

Zack Attack had been researching 4×4 trails and camping sites when he came across something called the Desert Bar near Parker Arizona, about an hour from where were at in Craggy Wash. It’s only reachable via a 4×4 road several miles back from the main road. It seems to be an Arizona Desert Iconic place. It’s only open on the weekends during the day (and not during summer – too hot.) We went down the road towards the Desert Bar on Friday night and camped about halfway back. It’s all BLM land back there. It seems to a big area for rock crawlers and also for shooting. After some misadventure and nearly getting the camper stuck at the end of a dead in trail that went up a steep hill with no good way to turn around we founded a lovely little spot to camp in that had clearly been camped in before as there were fire rings. It overlooked a small gulley that had clearly seen plenty of shooting. Shot guns shells littered the ground, pops of red color, amongst the rest of the rocky landscape.

On Saturday after hiking around a bit and getting surprised by the site of a Big Horn Sheep traipsing by our camp in the morning, we headed out to the Desert Bar expecting to see something small and quaint with about 20 people there. When we got there the place was a sprawling series of covered patio areas packed with more like hundreds. The band from Los Angeles was belting out covers on the outdoor stage. The whole place is a series of seating areas at different levels covering for shade, but open to the desert on all sides. Near the top of the property, closet to the parking there is a church like structure that is the first thing you can see on the drive in. When you get near it you realize it is only a face of a building, but it has served its purpose, to lure you to this desert church. We had beers and a cheap and basic turkey burger which we enjoyed along with the band and the shade and general people watching. Malachi the wonder beast sprawled in the middle of the aisle where we sat and was the recipient of many a pet.

On Wednesday we drove further into Arizona with the idea of staying somewhere near Lake Havasu. We ended up north of Lake Havasu City at another lovely little BLM spot called Craggy Wash. We ended up staying there for 2 nights as the weather much further north was reputably rainy and windy, but this area of Arizona was still relatively warm and toasty. There were a bunch of campers about a mile off the road in the first available areas, but we kept going and going. The little wash goes back for quite a ways and the further you head back in the less people there are. At some point we turned right off the main wash and ended up in a lovely little spot where we could just see Lake Havasu down below peaking between the hillsides. We hiked around on Thursday and clambered over rocks and we were treated to a beautiful rainbow. I am beginning to appreciate how different one spot can look in different lights at different times of days and with different cloud cover. The shadow play of light on a rocky hill can be a lovely thing. It makes me want to chase it like a silly old billy goat. Or I guess Big Horned Sheep would be more appropriate for this area.

Today we left San Diego again. This time we headed out toward Arizona with the idea of visiting the Grand Canyon in mind. We headed straight out east along Interstate 8. Just past Yuma we found a nice BLM campsite at Lake Mittry. The lake is a meandering swampy sort of lake. The camp sites are nice and feel very private as they are spread out in different alcoves along the lake and hidden by the reeds. There are 4×4 trails in the hills behind the lake. It was kinda warm and there were a few bugs, but it was awful pretty. The lake was serene and the sun hit it just right. It was quite and serene and we passed out early after a long day’s drive.

Unfortunately this leg of our adventure is wrapping up. Zack Attack has to be back in San Diego in a couple days to fly out for some training. Boo. In any event, we said goodbye to the magical Ojo de Liebre and went into the town of Guerrero Negro to get water and gas and the like. And also tacos. Any town visit means tacos. We decided to head north toward San Quintin for the night. We stopped for lunch along the way in a little roadside place that seemed to have pretensions to be fancy, but was also straddling the line of funky roadhouse for the bikers that come through. Beer cans were strewn from the ceiling while the tables were carefully decorated with red vinyl cloths and napkins artfully swirled in wine glasses. Needless to say, I quite liked it’s split personality.

San Quintin was a bigger town than I had expected or Zack Attack had remembered from a prior fishing trip, but we eventually made our way to the Old Mill restaurant hotel as it was getting dark. It was quaint and secluded and cozy, right on the water. We had dinner at the restaurant which included a margarita for me and just camped in their parking lot for the night. It was pretty much us and a group of guys on a motorcycle tour. After a walk around the waterfront in the morning we headed on and stopped back in Valle de Guadalupe for more wine and another taste of the heavenly food bits offered at the Adobe Guadalupe Winery Food Truck. We spent the night just down the road at a little rv park in a grove of olives. Another camper was there, but we never did see the host. Back to San Diego tomorrow and I’ll be staying out in Alpine in the Grolar Bear with the Wonder Beast while Zack attack journeys back east. Alpine is in eastern San Diego and a little bit more rural so a nice transition from Baja. Here the neighborhood dogs still run free and the coyotes can still be heard to lament to the moon. Jasper is my new doggo best friend. He knows I’ll throw the ball for him whenever he pleases and if he catches me unawares he can steal a bit of Malachi’s food. Not sure where we are going next, but it may be a couple weeks so I’ll definitely be ready for the next adventure.

We woke up and spruced ourselves up to see the whales. Luckily what had been a fairly windy night had turned into a mild morning. We walked over the the restaurant cum office where the tickets are sold to go out and see the whales in pangas. The pangas hold 10 people and the captain. We were behind a large group that needed 3 pangas to accommodate them so we milled around for a bit and chatted a bit with some of our fellow whale watchers. Eventually we were marshalled out a medium size dock down to our panga where our captain, Polo, awaited us. Once we were all settled, we motored out to the middle of the lagoon. We didn’t have to wait long until the whales came to us, The mamas and babies approached the little boat readily, with the mamas actually pushing their babies towards the boat. There was lots of oohs and aahs and murmers in both English and Spanish about the beauty of these grey whales. They were not quite as big as I thought, but that did not diminish my astonishment and wonder when I got the pet these lovelies and actually look them in the eye as they rolled around, seemingly, just as curious about us, as we are about them. Almost everyone in the boat had half their bodies hanging out of the boat with their sleeves rolled up for most of the couple hours we were out there. Everyone was eager to run their hands over the sleek, mammalian skin. I have to say I gave up on getting a really good picture after a bit because I just wanted to enjoy it and hang out with the whales as best I could, unmitigated by need to document the whole thing. I made a strategic error by sitting at the front on the boat, which road higher than the rest so my reach to touch the whales was longer than it would have been otherwise. I almost demanded that Zack Attack hold my legs whilst I dangled over the side, but controlled myself and just continued to coo at the whales puppies and stare in awe. Even their barnacles seemed beautiful to me – a vibrant yellow color that I hadn’t expected. I suspect part of the interaction with the boat is an opportunity for the whales to scratch some of the barnacles off along the bottom on the boat. They would pass under the boat and bump and rub just a touch and then pop up along the side for pets. The two hours were over before we knew it. We walked back to camp still feeling a little bit of wonder at it all.