Late Night Jogger
So after a day at Death Valley's Racetrack, we set off to find Homestake Campground. It's dark. Very, very dark. We are the only ones at this end of the playa. Off in the distance, we see a light bobbing. Now, I totally believe in spirits, ghosts and orbs so you can only imagine what I thought. Mike on the other hand is a skeptic and thinks there is a good, reasonable explanation for everything. Well, Mike won this one. It was someone running down the road with a flashlight. I was thinking to myself, "Who in the hell is jogging, in the desert, in the dark?" Mike rolls the window down and this poor, out of breath guy explains to us that one of their interior lights had been left on throughout the day and their battery was dead. He was so grateful that he saw other people so that he could get a jump start. So Mike and I go and help them out and promise that we will check in the morning to make sure that their pickup would start. To show their appreciation, he gave us a bottle of his family's pure maple syrup from back east. I had never had the real stuff, only Mrs. Butterworth's. If I had only known what I had been missing!
We found our campsite and started to prepare dinner. I'm sitting in my chair waiting for it to heat up and noticed mice running around. They were extremely fat and extremely friendly! The little suckers lived in the lap of luxury thriving on the scraps that campers (like Mike) threw for them.
We awoke the next morning and prepared for the day. The previous day we had talked about going out Lippincott Grade when we left The Racetrack. Mike had talked with some off roaders that had come up that way and they said it wasn't bad at all and we would have no trouble.
The people that we had helped out the night before (Tom and Theresa) had also expressed an interest in going out Lippincott Grade so we joined forces and headed out.
Remember that I am a sissy when it comes to off-roading. The road on Lippincott Road was not meant for a long bed, four door Dodge. Lots of cliff side views for me with slanting road and hairpin curves. The road was also extremely narrow. Mike kept reassuring me that all the wheels were on the road. I had visions of a wheel hanging off the cliff, the road crumbling out from under us. Not sure whether or not to wear my seatbelt. You know the thought; if I don't wear my seatbelt I might have a chance to jump to safety when we start to tumble down the cliff. Or, if I wear my seat belt I might be able to ride out the 15 rolls that it would take to get to the bottom of the cliff. My life in a nutshell at that point - TERRIFIED.
We reached a turnout where a view of the Saline Valley opened up. It was amazing!
Some ways down the road we stopped along the road. I went and explored while the others chatted. When I got back to them, Tom was telling Mike how cool it was when we went around corners and such because OUR WHEEL WAS HANGING OVER THE EDGE! I knew it. I just knew it. Mike was trying to get Tom to shut up but Tom was all hyped up.
Mike and I get back in the pickup and Mike turns to me and says "That guy is such an asshole!". I was flabbergasted. I had actually been enjoying their company! Then Mike laughed. Weirdo. Sometimes he can sound so serious. Mike and Tom actually hit it off quite well. Mike was just trying to shelter me from the sheer drop offs and Tom was giving up the goods!
We finally made it down to the flats. The drive is awesome if you have no fear or are an inebriated passenger. Once down you look back up the road and think of how misleading that straight dirt road can be!
When you get to the T intersection you can turn left to go to HWY 190 or turn right to go to the hot springs. We went left and wandered our way to Panamint Springs Resort. They have, hands down, some of the best pizza and beer. As we were waiting for our lunch with Tom and Theresa we could hear the jets flying in the distance followed by their sonic booms. Seems we were just a few days early for the air show!
DIRECTIONS:
From the end of the Racetrack go to the next right hand turn. This will be the start of Lippincott Grade. It's only 7 miles but please be sure of your off road skills. Not only do you need a 4x4, you will need high clearance. There is no cell service for most carriers. It might be a while before anyone comes along to aid you!