Hot Springs to Furnace Creek to The Pads

After crossing northern California from the coast at Fort Bragg to the Reno area of Nevada, we went back into California to soak in the hot springs near Bridgeport.  The Nevada detour is kind of on the way, but necessary to stock up on cheaper fuel, propane and food!

First order of business in Bridgeport is to take the annual photo of the fuel prices there - always the highest I see over the winter.  Compare the diesel price here with the $3.58 I paid just up the road in Gardnerville, Nv!  With all due disrespect, the prices are pretty much the same in Lee Vining, just down 395 a bit further!  

The new truck has a much larger fuel tank than the old one, so with the addition of 2-5 gal cans of spare fuel I carry, my distance between fill-ups has about doubled, allowing me to pick the best prices in the area.  I was glad to see that my favourite camp spot near the Travertine hot springs was empty, so we wasted no time moving in and getting set up.  This was actually the first time unhitching and putting out the slides since leaving home!  Weather was perfect for the high elevation.  It would just get down to freezing overnight, then warm up beautifully every day.  Not sure why, and certainly not complaining, but even with the awesome weather, I found the number of people there down considerably!  Several times I saw the main parking lot completely empty - a rarity in the past.  That is likely a good thing though, as the BLM has closed the main concrete tub by the parking lot (water was too hot?), and a few of the unofficial ones that seem to spring up from time to time.  This of course, puts more pressure on the remaining tubs.

(night shot of my camp spot) 

 

 While in the area, I also drove across the valley to Buckeye hot springs, but didn't check the water.  There was an awful lot of vans and other campers in the area though.

I don't normally use my Starlink in the winter down south, but carry it along mainly as a backup, in case i end up camped somewhere without cell coverage, and I really have to get online.  I have the account paused all winter, which used to be free, and I would fire it up once a month or so, just so it could download any available updates.  But now, Starlink charges $7 (CA$) a month for 'pause', BUT that includes 'unlimited' data at a snails pace.  I have found that it works just fine that way for e-mail, some light surfing, and even Youtube videos, if you aren't in a real rush! Here, I just set it up on the tailgate to take care of it's updates.

I guess none of us are surprised by a bit of deceptive packaging and labeling of food products.  But I admit I was a bit disgusted to open this box of cereal, and find that the inner package could not be pulled up to within an inch of the top of the box, and  it appears like about an inch space on either side as well.  The price may be the same, but you sure don't get what you paid for anymore!

After close to a week enjoying the hot springs and area around Travertine hot springs, it was time to move down the road a bit - to yet another hot springs, near Mammoth Lakes, Ca.  

 There are a lot of springs in this area, spread out over several miles.  I was able to find a spot I could park near Hilltop hot springs.  It was a bit more crowded there, so we only spent one night. 

 

 I did manage to get it to myself for a little while ...

Next stop along the way south on 395 was in the Alabama Hills, near Lone Pine.  The area is very scenic, and is known as the location for a lot of movies, especially westerns.  The Whitney Portal road leading from town washed out in a catastrophic flood a few years ago, and it was closed for about two years before repairs could be completed.  The road is open now, and good access is once again available.  Unfortunately BLM has closed a lot of the camp spots in the area, so it can be challenging to find a spot - especially with a larger rig.  There is still a decent selection for vans or car campers.

I arrived early in the day, and after a bit of scouting and walking around, I was able to find a good spot.  Some of the roads (trails) here can be a bit sporting, not to be traveled by a larger rig without first checking them out.

While biking around one day, I came across this structure.  Not sure what it was supposed to do?  It appears to have a smooth, but not level concrete floor, and concrete supporting the rocks around the edges - not unlike something designed to hold water, but I could see not water within miles.  It also seems to have a small fireplace at the center - which would indicate some type of dwelling?  But, there does not seem to be an obvious doorway or entry ... I thought it might have been constructed as a movie set, but when I inquired at the movie museum in town, no one knew.  I also asked a fellow born and raised in the area, but he was unaware of it's existence.  Anyone know?  Ideas?

Tailgating with Bailey!

(Some night time photos of camp)

Went for a drive one day, up to Horseshoe Meadows, and nearby collection of campgrounds and trailheads.  You can drive up to over 10k feet, and hike or take horseback trails even higher.  At this time of year, it looked pretty much abandoned, and I assume the road closes when conditions deteriorate.

Next on our route was Death Valley.

There are some long and steep grades when coming in to the valley from the west, but the truck handled it all without breaking a sweat.  On the steep downgrades, the 10 speed transmission and exhaust brake made traditional braking a thing of the past.  Conveniently, traffic was extremely light, so I could go as slow as convenient.

Just out of the park on the east side is a convenient spot to spend a night or two called The Pads.  It is a long abandoned campground, or industrial camp, with 10 or 20 large concrete pads to park on if you choose.  Obviously the camp had full services at one time, but now only the concrete pads remain.  There is zero cell service, so once again the 'paused' Starlink was called into action to provide convenient communication and entertainment.

An overview of the whole camp area, with highway 190 in the background.

While at the Pads for a couple of nights I made a run into Pahrump for some more cheap fuel, and to re-stock the fridge.  Heading south of Death Valley Junction (check out the Opera House!) and Shosone on 127, we detoured over to another access into Death Valley, leading to Badwater, but did not go any further.

Luckily, the water was not too deep in some of the washes along the road!  In this spot, the bottom of the wash is a good 8-10' below the bottom of the sign - so it must be rather impressive if/when it floods!

We're headed down towards Baker, Ca, and the Mojave National Preserve, but timing, route and stops yet to be determined.