Golf and Pinnacles

A round of golf, last sunset and sunrise, getting buzzed by a military jet in Paniment Valley, and the night at trona Pinnacles.

A natural coaster, love it!

After getting back from the racetrack I got in one final round of golf and furnace creek. A bit disappointing but still fun. Including one great shot from the tee that I had to capture with this photo. Three regulation pars and one liars par, so pretty good round for David!

Splurged and bought another Death Valley t-shirt. Ric bought this and I thought it was a really attractive shirt so had to get one. Unfortunately bought it from the resort gift shop rather than the gift shop at the ranger station. So my money went towards the resort rather than the national Park service. But I like this t-shirt the most.

They are making progress on the two unit cabins at the ranch. These replace the really old rustic two unit cabins that used to be here.

On the drive down Panamint Valley I stopped to make myself some lunch and while I was in the RV a military jet flew overhead really low. Didn’t have a chance to get out to take a picture or look at it, it was gone so fast. Loud!

Drive to the racetrack

A story in which David starts to leave Furnace Creek with a half tank of ⛽ and stops and pays nearly $7 a gallon to leave with a full tank.

It’s a long drive to the racetrack so I thought that was. Little over 2 hours each way.

Hike!

A really nice hike today out of Furnace Creek to the east. I saw what looked like an interesting canyon on Google terrain view and marked the GPS coordinates on my Garmin and took off. Initially seemed disappointing but then found some very nice narrows and dryfalls.

I found this interesting old historic structure connected to the Furnace Creek water supply system. I could hear water running inside but couldn’t quite figure out what this structure was for. My initial thought was it’s where they hide the zombies.

I came across an old trail that had been heavily used in the past but didn’t look like it had been used in years. Perhaps the resort used to take guests up here decades ago?

A big dry fall with really cool lighting at the end of some narrows.

Interesting Rock if you zoom in. At least to me.

Zoomed in.

Another dry fall.

Beautiful sunrise and a hike?

Starting this post at 9:00 a.m. so not much to share about this day so far other than a beautiful sunrise and plans to get in a hike outside of Furnace Creek today. Photos to follow.

Golf and a bike ride

In which David gets out for a round of frustrating golf one day and less frustrating but very tiring bike ride the next.

One of the water hazards on the golf course. They drained the spring water from the pool and store it here and then use it to irrigate the Gulf course. If you look closely you can see through the clear water all the golf balls in the water including some of mine!

This picture doesn’t quite capture it but this was an insanely good 30 ft putt at a very steep angle, the ball almost took a right angle turn and went right into the hole. It left me somewhat dumbfounded since for the previous few holes I have just been playing terribly. So to sink an amazing shot out of the blue just left me with a WTF reaction.

The next day decided to engage in a less frustrating activity and got on my bike. I rode to stove pipe Wells and back, 50 miles round trip. I got way too hot on the way back. Should have started earlier in the day but I do like my slow mornings with lots of coffee.

Ice cream and hiking

Sadly not at the same time! Laid-back day of some work in the morning at the golf course bar (closed and apparently not opening soon. Covered in layers and layers of dust). Then got out for a nice hike.

New ice cream shop in one of the newer buildings they opened recently.

Wandering around some Foothills north of the turnoff to Beatty and hell’s gate. Interesting erosional features, at least me!

Some long forgotten tire tracks in the middle of nowhere. Appear to be years old, maybe decades.

Zoom in for good luck. I see these oddly weathered rocks that have been split apart by freeze thaw action frequently. Really odd looking. Only see them on these elevated benches that have not been subject to flash floods.

Zoomed in by a factor of 10 to get a picture of the subaru. It’s the little white dot.

Just a four and a half mile hike but was still a little tired with sore feet at the end.

Alas, the wandering hound walker wanders by himself

A day when Ramona flies home and the wandering Hound Walker realizes he has nobody to talk to but himself while doing dishes. But maybe that was always the case 🤔

Went for a gravel ride in a mountain biking area. Had to search out some smooth trails but found some but also got mixed up in some more technical stuff.

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/67727048

Desert art

Very cool use of rebar and a nice place to take a break

Which I did.

Bike rides!

A bike ride with Ric, a bike ride with Ric, Evelyn and Ramona, a walk in Las Vegas, and then a bike ride near Hoover dam.

A nice casual ride Ric and I took to Badwater and back. Very little traffic and only a slight breeze.

Ric drinks a stout! My corrupting influence, he has always been a Budweiser man through and through.

The next day the four of us rode out to artist drive and did the loop. Ramona and Evelyn smoked us on their electric bikes!

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/77407696

Evelyn made us mimosas for refreshments when we returned.

Beautiful sunset that evening and a really really interesting RV that pulled in late at night. Appeared to be military in origin. The owners were from France and apparently spoke little English or had zero interest in speaking to us in any event.

The next day we say our goodbyes to Rick and Evelyn and drive back to Las Vegas. We drove to the strip to use up the last of our MGM gift card and took a nice walk through the Venetian casino complex.

The weather forecast for Death Valley next week is looking nice!

The next day we decided to ride this loop trail that was recommended by a bike shop. Initially was a little rough with headwind and some very steep grades but then we really had a good time.

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/77525296

We stopped in Boulder City, about the halfway point, for a much-needed lunch break and beer.

Leaving Boulder City we came across an absolutely bizarre section of bicycle trail that was also a flood channel. This picture is looking up slope where the bike path leaves the flood channel on the right. But after this we re-entered the flood channel for a couple of miles.

To the right you can see where they are grading a gravel path that will be paved into a replacement bike path. But right now the bike path is this flood channel. Bizarre!

Lake Mead in the distance with us looking into the sun.

Climbing out of Lake Mead we followed a closed road that have been turned into a bike path for quite some distance. It was really a pleasant ride.

A bike ride and Ramona arrives

A few days in which David finally gets in a ride in Death Valley, Ramona arrives in Las Vegas and we both ride.

I found this cable lock lying in the dirt. Conveniently the dials were in the unlocked position so I know the combination!

Got out for a nice round of golf. Hit a perfect drive off the first tee and was tempted to hang it up and go have a beer.

Can you see my ball? Neither could I for the longest time but it’s there!

Ramona finally joins me after flying into Las Vegas. I think she likes the Sun!

And then we got out for two nice bike rides but I only got pictures of one of the rides. This ride in the Red Rock canyon area was absolutely spectacular!

A hike and, sigh, gas.

A tale in which David finally gets out for a hike, and finds, even after all the years of outrageous ⛽ prices here, Furnace Creek gas can still surprise.

I drove a few miles north and parked on the side of the road where the foothills looked interesting. Lots of nice hiking on smooth desert pavement.

A sand dune frozen in the rock. Nice example of cross bedding of windblown sand in a dune environment that was buried deep in the earth and with pressure and temperature turned into a rock.

Very pretty bedding with pink colored layers. Not sure what causes the pink color, some unique mineral that has oxidized I suppose.

The picture doesn’t bring it out well, but this rocky spire juts out of the canyon floor and has a nice hole drilled right through it by the water.

WHOA 😳 that has got to set a new personal record for gas prices here.