Gary-Summer: November 21, 2019 - Death Valley and Natural Bridges

Thursday, November 21, 2019

November 21, 2019 - Death Valley and Natural Bridges

Title: November 21, 2019 - Death Valley and Natural Bridges
Hike Info : Description : Menu : Extra Photo's

Trail head: Natural Bridge Trail Parking Lot

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking; Car

Trail: Natural Bridge

Destination: Natural Bridge

Actual 1.4 miles ¹

Start Time: 4:30

End Time: 5:30

¹No GPS. The mileage is based upon maps , a book and guessing.

Description:

It seemed like I slept a while last night. About 6:30 I woke up to light streaming in through the bathroom window. Sherri wakes up shortly afterwards. We sort of take it easy. Then head over to the main room for breakfast. Not too bad, even with the pancake maker out of commission. Eggs, bacon, sausage, cold and hot cereal. I ate to my fill.

When we come out of breakfast, there is the Sierra Nevada looking down on us. Even more special is a snow covered Mt. Whitney. I finish up last Sunday’s blog and post it. Then get ready to go. It does not take long to load the car and get checked out of the hotel. It is about 9:30 by this time.

Gary and Mt Whitney

We go and get gas (at $4.09/gallon)-I do not know what the price of gas in Death Valley will be, but betting that it will be higher than this. I am glad we did as we put in about 7 ½ gallons-more than I thought we had used. Better to fill up now than try to figure out if we can get gas in Death Valley. (We can, just about 25% higher than in Lone Pine). We are off now. When we turn left off of Highway 395, there is a visitor center. We are suckers for stopping at these. Also talk with the information officer about various places-turns out these places are not in the Inyo NF, but mostly in the Sequoia NF. We also buy some items-Sherri a map and I two map bandannas.

More Mt Whitney

Now to get settled for a long drive. We continue on the road by the Visitor Center, Highway 136, which turns into Highway 190. We stop at a point of interest marker for Cerro Gordo, an early mining activity which racked in $17,000,000. Not bad in those days. We are mesmerized by the hills and mountains beside us. As we go further from the Sierra, they recede, along with the snow covering. But the hills now take on more starkness, more subdued color. Something which catches our attention is a jet fighter banking in front of us. I would guess less than 500’ off the ground, but I do not know for sure.

Cerro Gordo plaque

Rainbow Canyon

When we enter Death Valley National Park, we shortly come to Father Crowley Point. Off of the point is Rainbow Canyon. Because of the subdued light, there is not much color being brilliant. You can see why it might have got its name, just not today. Second, this canyon is where a lot of jets come through to practice their narrow confines runs, just none during the half an hour we are there.

High MPG, but to be broken later

Onward we go. We reach Panamint and then cross its valley. I note that in our new car, we have gotten now 34.1 mpg-a high point so far. And then we rise over the Panamint Range. No wonder I feel like the drive from 395 to Death Valley is so far. On the map it does not seem like it should take this long, but I know it does. After topping the range, we make a long descent into Stovepipe Wells. We still have not decided where to camp or focus our attention during our stay here.

It is time to register our presence for the Park Service. But the station is closed and the electronic ranger here does not recognize our Senior Pass for the parks. So the decision is made for us-we will go down to Furnace Creek and see what we can find there.

It is about another 40 minute drive to Furnace Creek, but one which we take advantage of acquiring new scenes, at least new to us. Such as the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Funeral Mountains to the east of the road, and then the great expanse which is Death Valley. When we get to the Visitor Center at Furnace Creek, we make ourselves regular with the Park. We actually enjoy the volunteer who gives us the pass-enjoyable character. Also giver of good advice, such as the best places to do night sky watching. He also thinks that Texas Springs is a good place to do tent camping.

Natural Bridge at Sunset

So off we go to Texas Springs Campground, only about a mile south of the Visitor Center. It sits up on a hill. We choose the lower loop because it is tent camping only and find that site #15 is to the most to our liking. The campsites in general seem pretty much bunched on top of each other. I am glad there is only two of us as it would seem to be hard to find a large enough area without stones for more people. Each site comes with a fire ring and a picnic table. A rock mound dividing line separates us from the next site. Hope the neighbors are quiet.

Natural Bridge Trail Head

After pitching the tent and putting out sleeping bags, Sherri fixes us dinner, even though it is only about 2:30. Dinner is burritos-left over beans and hamburger with cheese and other stuff on it. Sort of light weight, but filling. By the time I finish washing dishes, it is about 3:30. We decide we are up to a short hike. Sherri finds one about 20 miles south at a place called Natural Bridge.

We get there about 4:15pm. A car had been recently abandoned on the road in-a warning to all those who come by, like an ox skull on the old Western trails. The sun is setting behind the Panamint Range, but there is still light. My flashlight batteries have given out, but Sherri has hers. The bridge is up a wash and the climb up it is steeper than I thought it would be. A couple of people are on the way out. When we look back, there is some nice views of the sunset.

Natural Bridge

In what seems like a lot longer than a third of a mile, we see the natural bridge over our canyon. According to the book, at one time the water would go over the bridge-there was no bridge at the time. But the rock of the bridge being harder, the water eventually dug under the hard rock forming the bridge. Since that time the wash keeps on growing deeper. Eventually the bridge will come down.

Turn Around Point

Canyon at Sunset

There is still light, so we decide that we would go further up the wash. We see a side canyon. Then after another third of a mile, we come to a 15’ dry waterfall. These dry waterfalls will be a determination about how for we go up canyons through out our stay. The book says that it is possible to go up, but not recommended for mere mortals, only to experienced rock people-there is the slight problem of getting down. So we return.

By the time we get back to the car, it is almost all the way dark. The ride back is uneventful. We decide to stay in the car, reading and writing. It is getting a bit cool outside. We see a motorcycle pull in a couple spots away and we offer to help put up his tent. He is grateful. After Yonni’s tent goes up, we retire to our tent for reading and sleeping.

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Oatmeal and add-ins, such as dried peaches, strawberries, nuts, granola. Tang.	Ritz Crackers, Tortillas, Peanut Butter, Nutella		Clif Bar, GORP, Propel, CytoMax, Scratch, Coffee Candy, Jelly Belly