Although it was nice to visit Las Vegas and stay in a hotel,
we were excited to be heading to a new destination that neither of us had
visited before: the remote Saline Valley and its hotsprings. Saline Valley is a
deep, broad valley partly within Death Valley National Park. The 60 mile-long
valley has a wonderful variety of desert landforms, including massive alluvial
fans, sublimely undulating sand dunes, and a saline lakebed/playa. A 100 mile
long dirt road of varied maintenance runs north to south through the valley,
and is conservatively classified by the Park Service as 4x4 only. Would Goldi
make it? There was only one way to find out!
We awoke early among tall Joshua Trees above Lee Flat, where
we had camped for the night on the way into Saline Valley. A truck drove up
next to our camp and we were greeted by two guys, Mo and Danny, asking for
directions into Saline Valley Hotsprings, where they were to meet some friends.
Mo owned a Westfalia van similar to ours, so we chatted a bit and gave them
directions, letting them take a photo of our map for future reference. We told
them we were headed that way as well and would be on the road soon, but that it
was still 45 miles distant and might take 3-4 hours to get there.
We drove along the road towards Hunter Mountain- the road
that traverses the high divide known as South Pass, providing magnificent views
of both the Saline and Panamint Valleys- and eventually turned north into the
deep canyon that steeply dropped into Saline Valley. Although the going was slow
(10-15mph), Goldi performed magnificently on the frighteningly steep and rough
road, rolling over countless large cobbles and small boulders, and fording two
stream crossings before reaching the valley floor. Locals would later express
surprise that we had travelled this road in Goldi. Saline Valley spread before
us in all its glory, and we could see 50+ miles to the north end, including the
palm-surrounded oasis where the springs are located.
About an hour later, we ran into Mo and Danny again, and reassured
them of their correct route, deciding to caravan to the springs together. After
about 4 hours of gut-wrenching travel over rough roads, we finally reached the
springs, where Mo and Danny hooked up with their friends Wyatt and Nick, and
thanked us for guiding them in. As coincidence would have it, Wyatt was a good
friend of a friend, so we ended up hiking nearby canyons with this quartet for
the next several days, enjoying the warmth of their campfire and camp
hospitality. They ended up giving us quite a bit of food and ice when they
departed- thanks guys!
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| Danny and Mo |
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| Nick, Wyatt, and Toyota "Snake Eyes" |
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| Exploring Paiute Canyon |
We selected a camp on the outskirts of the hotsprings
campground with a panoramic view of the entire southern valley and the massive 10,000’+
peaks of the Inyo Mountains beyond. The springs were absolutely beautiful. Wild
burros, coyotes, and coots frequented the springs and adjacent area, while
ravens and the occasional raptor soared in the sky above. As dusk descended on
the springs, bats darted every which way, flying within inches of people’s
heads and occasionally splashing down in the water for a drink. We met some
nice folks while camped and decided to stay for a week in total: the longest we
had been in one place since embarking on our journey nearly 10 months before. The
sweetest part of the experience was the 70+ degree weather we had most days. The
occasional loud roar of fighter jets over the camp somehow strangely matched
the awesome and vastly spacious beauty of the valley. Sad to leave, we headed
out the freshly graded and more pleasant North Pass Road after hiking on dunes
in the valley. We were headed to spend Thanksgiving with Kristen’s folks John
and Peggy at Panamint Springs Resort, so although we travelled nearly twice the
distance going out the North Pass and looping back south on 395, the better
road conditions made it well worth it.
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| Enjoying the sunshine at camp |
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| Views from camp |
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| Magnificent views while hiking nearby ridges |
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| The lower springs |
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| Bat Rock Road into Saline Valley Hotsprings |
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| Exploring the dunes |
On our way to meet John and Peggy, we camped for a night at
the Alabama Hills outside of Lone Pine, and did a little climbing the next
morning before continuing onward. Later that day, we arrived at Panamint
Springs Resort, a quirky, semi-rustic resort on the western edge of Death
Valley National Park, where we would stay for the next several nights. We spent
the next days exploring some of the park’s attractions: Darwin Falls and
Scotty’s Castle. The resort also graciously hosts a sliding scale donation
Thanksgiving meal that is well attended
by tourists and locals from the surrounding communities. Jim and Jane, folks we
had met the week prior in Saline Valley, joined us for the wonderful feast. The
weather had unfortunately cooled a bit, but the Mojave Desert was still
beautiful in the low-angle sunlight of late autumn.
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| Camping and climbing at Alabama Hills |
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| John, Peggy, and myself at Scotty's Castle |
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| Kristen and I at Darwin Falls |
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| The feast with Jim and Jane joining us |
After Thanksgiving, we departed with Peggy and John southbound
towards the San Bernardino area to visit some of Kristen’s family. On the way,
Peggy treated us to a delicious lunch at Emmy Lou’s Holland Burger in
Victorville… if you’re ever in the area, stop by for a juicy burger and frosty
shake! We spent a day driving through San Bernardino, where John was raised,
and visited his Aunt Gen, Uncle Bob, and brother Paul nearby. We also visited
my father’s grave at the nearby military cemetery before heading east to Joshua
Tree National Park, which Peggy had never visited before. We somehow convinced
John and Peggy to camp for a night with us, and they were real troopers to
agree to it. As the evening glow descended onto the desert landscape and the
Joshua Trees appeared magnificently silhouetted against the backlit sky, we all
realized how great it was to be spending time together in such a beautiful
landscape. It had been a great extended
weekend with John and Peggy, and we were sad to say our goodbyes as they
departed northward back to Quincy the following morning.
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| Delicious burgers and shakes! |
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| Visiting Uncle Bob, Aunt Gen, and Uncle Paul |
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| My father's grave |
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| Climbers atop the Headstone |
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| Mesmerizing evening light silhouettes rocks and climbers |
Once again, as an illustration of how small the world
appears sometimes, we coincidently ran into one of Kristen’s old friends from
Quincy, Brett Marty and his girlfriend Dana, who were in Joshua Tree climbing
for several days. We decided to camp and climb together over the next few days.
Although it was still a little cool at night, temperatures were very
comfortable in the day and it felt great to be climbing again in the sun. The
last day we were there Kristen and I had the pleasure of climbing a classic 3
pitch 5.7 route called “The Swift.” The weather started to turn that day in
advance of the oncoming storm, and the winds were howling over the granite
crags as we finished the climb. We decided to camp on BLM land outside of the
park that evening, and strong winds with occasional light rain buffeted Goldi
through the night.
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| Brett following Dana up a route |
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| Brett and Dana at sunset, northern Wonderland of Rocks in background |
We had hoped to meet up in Joshua Tree with our friends
Blake and Kate and their kids, but the change in weather meant that we would
travel to Ventura to visit them at their house. On the way, we biked and hiked
into Deep Creek Hotsprings outside of Hesperia. Originally a state highway
allowed easier access, but the narrow, winding, one-lane dirt road had been
closed, so we biked 5 miles up the closed highway and then hiked two miles back
into the Deep Springs canyon to access the springs. Deep Springs canyon lies on
the east side of the Coast Ranges north of LA, in an area of high desert, with
cactus, yucca, and sparse vegetation. The springs were an absolutely welcome
sight on a day with gusty winds and occasional snow flurries. We were lucky to
have them to ourselves for the afternoon!
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| Deep Creek Canyon |
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| Deep Creek Hotsprings |
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| Kristen relaxing in the springs |
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| The area around the springs |
The following day we continued on to Ventura, and met Blake
and Kate later that evening. We had last passed through nearly a year before,
when we had started our adventure, and it was great to see them and their kids
Lucy, Mitchell, and Madeline again. No surprise in retrospect, but astonishing
at first sight, their kids had really grown a lot! We spent the weekend with
them, lending a hand when we could and biking around Ventura. Not wanting to
wear out our welcome, we headed out for a backpacking trip up above Ojai in the
Los Padres National Forest during the following week. We could also leave our
valuables at Blake and Kate’s place before parking Goldi at the trailhead for
the Sespe Wilderness.
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| Madeline and Lucy play in the back yard |
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| as Mitchell watches from afar |
After driving high above Ojai into the chaparral and pine
forest covered mountains, we parked at the Rose Valley trailhead. We helped
another pair of hikers change out a flat tire on their truck that had been
parked at the trailhead that day. To add insult to injury, they’re truck had
also been broken into, and we noticed other broken bits of auto glass scattered
about the trailhead parking lot. Thankfully we had left our valuables at Blake
and Kate’s, but we still debated the wisdom of leaving Goldi at the trailhead.
Eventually, we decided we should just go for it… and hope for the best.
The 16-mile one-way trail followed Sespe Creek, a lovely,
semi-arid mountain riparian zone set in a deep canyon high in the Coast Range
southeast of Santa Barbara. We camped on the sandy beaches along the creek’s
edge during the cold nights, and passed colorful, craggy tilted sandstone
outcrops during the pleasant days. At the end of the trail was another set of…
you guessed it… great hotsprings. The Sespe hotsprings turned out to be some of
the hottest we had visited yet, with a constant temperature in some of the
lower pools of about 108 degrees F. For three days and 32 miles we hadn’t seen
anyone else, except on the last day as we anxiously neared the trailhead. We
were relieved both that Goldi appeared unmolested and that we would not spend
another cold night on the ground, as we had forgotten to replace our summer
sleeping bags with our warmer, winter sleeping bags before departing on this
leg of our journey.
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| Tilted sandstone beds along the Sespe |
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| Sespe Hotsprings |
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| Fossiliferous sandstone cobble in the Sespe Canyon |
We returned to Blake and Kate’s for one last day of fun with
them and their kids. It was great to see them all again, and we are so thankful
for their hospitality. Taking advantage of the weekend timing, we decided to
continue north and visit some other friends and family in San Luis Obispo. The
eventual goal was to be in Santa Cruz for Christmas, so we were looking forward
to spending several weeks cruising through the central coast and Big Sur.
It was a beautiful, sunny day as we drove along the scenic
coastline from Ventura to San Luis Obispo, where we settled in for the night
with friends Bob and Jaime, and their toddler twins Oscar and Albert. Their
twins had also grown quite a lot since we saw them last nearly a year ago! Another
night of great food and great company (thanks Hill clan!), and we were off to
visit Kristen’s cousin Rebecca, who also lives in SLO. Much to our delight,
Kristen’s Uncle Jim and Aunt MaryAnne were also in town, and we enjoyed a nice
breakfast together. As a storm began to roll in, bringing light wind and rain,
we resupplied that afternoon for the next week that we would be camping on the
Big Sur coast. Being cheap and not wanting to pay for a spot that night, we
conveniently crashed on a quiet street in Morro Bay as rain softly fell on
Goldi’s rooftop… ah, the joys of “bandito camping.”
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| The Hill Clan |
We spent the next day enjoying the dramatic coastline from
Morro Bay up to Gorda, and stopped for a visit in Hearst Castle. It was a
showery and cold Monday in mid-December, which meant that Hearst Castle was
nearly empty, and we practically had the place to ourselves. The smorgasbord of
architectural delights arranged by Julia Morgan in the early 20th
century was really something to behold. It was also interesting to learn about
William Randolph Hearst, the man behind the mansion, and his proclivities. We
spent that afternoon perusing the nearly empty grounds, admiring the pools,
statues, sarcophagi, and other relicts of interest. The awe-inspiring grounds
are matched by the commanding views of the stunning coastline and adjacent
southern Santa Lucia Range.
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| Zebras below Hearst Castle |
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| Hearst Castle |
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| Famous Poseidon Pool |
The weather forecast called for uncannily fair weather for
the next week, and we lucked out as the sun shone brightly for the majority of
the time. We spent several nights camped off a forest service road above Kirk
Creek in southern Big Sur, and went to Sand Dollar Beach during the day. We
were lucky to have the place nearly to ourselves, and also to have such
pleasant weather during this time of year. After our fill of beach time, we
drove into the hills on a rough, but passable road headed for Prewitt Ridge.
There we set up camp, seemingly on the edge of an abyss, overlooking a vast
expanse of rugged coastline for the next several days, and enjoyed some
Chanterelle mushrooms we had found on the way in to camp. The views and great
hiking were absolutely magnificent. We spotted a bobcat lazily meandering about
in camp. We were sad to leave such a great spot, but wanted to continue north.
Before leaving Big Sur, we biked/hiked up the road and trail to the top of Cone
Peak, a mile-high peak that rises abruptly from the rocky seaside cliffs below.
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| Our amazing campsite perch |
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| Campsite bobcat |
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| Statuesque oak trees above the ocean |
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| Goldi during the Golden Hour |
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| Biking up Cone Peak Road |
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| Cone Peak |
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| Cone Peak lookout |
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| Views from Cone Peak |
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| Our breakfast nook before leaving Big Sur |
On the way to Santa Cruz, we stopped by to see Dave (an old
High School buddy of mine), and his wife Aparna and their son Ravi in Pacific
Grove. It was Dave’s 40th birthday party, and it was great to
celebrate (as much as one “celebrates” such a thing!) and see some other old
friends as well, some of whom I had not seen in a long time. Seeing these old
friends fit in well with a return to Santa Cruz, my hometown. In Santa Cruz, we
were graciously hosted by Tim Fisher, another old family friend, who lives in a
quirky house with incredible coastal views perched on the bluffs above Pleasure
Point. We were lucky to stay for nearly a week, since I got the flu during this
time right before Christmas, which would
have been made much worse had we been staying in Goldi.
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| Myself with Nick, Dave, Ravi, and Aparna |
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| Tim Fishers posh digs in Santa Cruz |
My 40th birthday was also quickly approaching,
and it had me thinking (like many age-based milestones do) about life in
general and the meaning not of life, but of quality of life. The past year has
been filled with great life experiences for both Kristen and I. While our
adventure has seemed tremendously self-indulgent at times, we know that at some
point we will return to a more normal life of work, community, and other
responsibilities. And while we also consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have
embarked on, and nearly completed, our epic journey, it took quite a lot of
deliberate planning and saving on our part to be able to afford such an
endeavor. I can’t say that I ever imagined I would be living and travelling in
a van with my wife when I turned 40! The photo frame saying at a friend’s place
was perhaps a little cliché, but it did seem very timely: “It’s not the years
in your life, but the life in your years.”
