Day 3Awoke to discover why we were all so cold overnight:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Headed up to the Lippincott Mine sites to do a little exploring before the rest of the group had broken camp yet. This was the view looking down on camp with the "Racetrack" and "Grandstand" visible in the background:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Exploring the sites:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Others soon came along for the fun
:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Upper mine sites:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
In we go:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
REALLY deep shaft with ladder to the lower portion of the mine:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
This spot clearly had some kind of large fire:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
This was a really cool mine!
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
And the views from the top were AMAZING!
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Moving along to the Racetrack:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Found two rocks that were ACTUALLY racing one another. Pretty much neck and neck over the past few thousand years:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Then off to Teakettle Junction, where Chris Haynes' trailer suffered an unfortunate fate:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Some amazing Jeep folks stopped to lend a hand (and a welder!) and they had a really cool dog with them:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
This is what a major trailer repair operation in the middle of the desert looks like - basically like a small settlement:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Half of the group peeled off and headed for camp at the Hot Springs via Hunter Mountain Road. Stopped at a nice overlook to grab some shots of Death Valley:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Continued up the road for a bit. This was a really cool drive:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Found some mud blocking the road - only one way across!
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Just after the mud holes. Notice the snow on the ground in the far right of the image. It was COLD here!
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
BEAUTIFUL view of Death Valley from the top of Hunter Mountain Road where it intersected with Saline Valley Road:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Motorpig and his "desert camouflage":
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Saw a pack of really cool wild burros along the road to the hot springs. The sun was going down and they were curious about us but didn't want to get too close:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
The rest of the group catching up to us (after finishing the trail repairs to Chris Haynes' trailer) just as we hit the turnoff for the hot springs:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015
And finally, the "bat sign" as we entered the area of the hot springs:
Death Valley National Park, November 2015