Day one in Death Valley

One of the places I had researched and planned to photograph was Rhyolite Nevada, I wanted to get be there early in the morning for the light and since it was 60 miles from my basecamp in Pahrump I had to leave early, This is one of two daytrips I planned where I go alone so I can stop every 500 feet to take a picture if I want to. The plan is to leave Pahrump at the crack of dawn an drive to Rhyolite to take my photos passing by Beatty near the Nevada test site and Area 51.

The Ghosts of Rhyolite Welcomes You

Here is an history of Rhyolite that I copied from Wikipedia:

Rhyolite is a ghost town in Nye County, in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located in the Bullfrog Hills, about 120 miles (190 km) northwest of Las Vegas, near the eastern edge of Death Valley. The town began in early 1905 as one of several mining camps that sprang up after a prospecting discovery in the surrounding hills. During an ensuing gold rush, thousands of gold-seekers, developers, miners, and service providers flocked to the Bullfrog Mining District. Many settled in Rhyolite, which lay in a sheltered desert basin near the region's biggest producer, the Montgomery Shoshone Mine. Industrialist Charles M. Schwab bought the Montgomery Shoshone Mine in 1906 and invested heavily in infrastructure including piped water, electric lines, and railroad transportation that served the town as well as the mine. By 1907, Rhyolite had electric lights, water mains, telephones, newspapers, a hospital, a school, an opera house, and a stock exchange. Published estimates of the town's peak population vary widely, but scholarly sources generally place it in a range between 3,500 and 5,000 in 1907–08. Rhyolite declined almost as rapidly as it rose. After the richest ore was exhausted, production fell. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the financial panic of 1907 made it more difficult to raise development capital.  In 1908, investors in the Montgomery Shoshone Mine, concerned that it was overvalued, ordered an independent study. When the study's findings proved unfavorable, the company's stock value crashed, further restricting funding. By the end of 1910, the mine was operating at a loss, and it closed in 1911. By this time, many out-of-work miners had moved elsewhere, and Rhyolite's population dropped well below 1,000. By 1920, it was close to zero.

The North Highway in Death Valley

After leaving Rhyolite I headed for Death Valley trough the Daylight Pass, once the mountains crossed I had 45 miles to drive on the North Highway that follows the valley floor.

My next projected target is the Ubehebe Crater from a volcano that erupted 2000 years ago, that is recent in geological terms. The road to the crater although narrow is nice and well maintained. After climbing the crater rim trail since it was lunchtime I ate my lunch sitting on the tailgate of the truck wile contemplating the crater.

Ubehebe Crater

The next photography target was the Racetrack where rocks moves on an ancient lake bed (nobody knows why or how) leaving tracks of their movements. I had done my research and I know I had to drive 27 miles on a narrow dirt road to get to the racetrack. As I entered the road there was a sign recommanding high clearance 4X4 vehicules, well that's fine with me I even have skid plates installed on the truck to protect the oil pand and the transmission.

Racetrack Road

So I get on the road, on these dirt roads they pass with some kind of equipment that makes
grooves across the road every 3 inches or so. I experienced a raod like that a few years ago taking a shortcut into Arizona from Utah and it shook so much that I had broken dishes in the cupboard. This time it was more intense also the road being about 10 feet wide there was no avoiding anything so after a few miles when the GPS and everything else was on the floor and it shook so much that I tought that my teeth fillings would fall off I had quite enought. I had tried different speed and almost skidded off the road, did I mentioned that it was also a road wfull of dips and curves, so after a while I found that the most tolerable speed was 15 mph. by this time I still have 22 miles or so to drive so 22 miles at 15 mph takes 88 minutes that is on and a half hour to go and the same to get back out plus the 85 miles to drive in the desert to get back to the base camp, so I decided to turn around, it took me another 2 miles to find a place to turn around, there was a dry river bed crossing the road and I turn in it, and it 4X4 low I was able to back out of it.
So after I got out of there I decided to go see Scotty's Castle since I was only 3 mile from it. Super nice place like an oasis in the middle of the desert.

Dust Storm passing near Stovepipe Wells

After that I drove back trough Furnace Creek and Death Valley Junction stopping along the way to take pictures. At on point I could see a dust storm in the dunes at Stovepipe Well from across the valley floor, also the sight of the salt flats on the valley floor at 190 feet below sea level.

Salt Flats on the valley floor with the Panaminth Mountain Range behind it

I got back to the camp in time to setup the BBQ and cook a good supper. That was my first day in Death Valley. Today It is raining a little and the sky is grey so I take a break, I went to the gym here at the resort, I am going to look at the 350 pictures I took yesterday and get up to date with my internet stuff. I also have some minor repairs to do on the trailer. Tomorow If the weather is nice I'll go back to Death Valley, I still have to go to Bad Water and Dante's View.