First death Valley Image

Sam

Here is the first image processed from my trip.

Sam

dseidman

Cool shot of the Racetrack. Were you and Dan in the area at the same time?
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing more of what you've got.

dlplumer

I didn't make it to the racetrack Sam. How difficult a ride was it?

Sam

Dan,

At first glance the road looks great. You will however change your mind in short order.

I was very fortunate to be able to borrow a friends Ford 350 crew cab 4 wheel drive truck with a 6 liter diesel engine.

Ground clearance isn't an issue. It's the wash board and sharp rocks cutting tires.

Standard cars can traverse the road but will take a beating, and street tires are more vulnerable to cutting.

If you need to get towed out it will cost near $2000.00.

We jarred all the screws loose on the over head DVD player. Knocked off a piece of interior molding and lost 2 drive shaft bolts. Please note we were driving carefully.

The best way is to take an air compressor with you and let air out of the tires. Take it down to about 20 psi.

Another option is to rent a Jeep. The cost for that is $220.00 for 24 hours and includes insurance for tires and towing.

Sam

kdog

Sam wrote:

We jarred all the screws loose on the over head DVD player. Knocked off a piece of interior molding and lost 2 drive shaft bolts. Please note we were driving carefully.

Maybe that's your problem. :giggle I usually fly down that road (ask Aaron ) in my Surburban and haven't had those problems. But... I can easily see those things happening. That washboard can shake a car apart. How did you discover the missing driveshaft bolts? A failure of the front universal can be fatal!

dlplumer

Sam wrote:

Dan,

At first glance the road looks great. You will however change your mind in short order.

I was very fortunate to be able to borrow a friends Ford 350 crew cab 4 wheel drive truck with a 6 liter diesel engine.

Ground clearance isn't an issue. It's the wash board and sharp rocks cutting tires.

Standard cars can traverse the road but will take a beating, and street tires are more vulnerable to cutting.

If you need to get towed out it will cost near $2000.00.

We jarred all the screws loose on the over head DVD player. Knocked off a piece of interior molding and lost 2 drive shaft bolts. Please note we were driving carefully.

The best way is to take an air compressor with you and let air out of the tires. Take it down to about 20 psi.

Another option is to rent a Jeep. The cost for that is $220.00 for 24 hours and includes insurance for tires and towing.

Sam

That confirms what I heard, and I am glad I didn't go.

schmoo

Sam wrote:

Dan,

At first glance the road looks great. You will however change your mind in short order.

I was very fortunate to be able to borrow a friends Ford 350 crew cab 4 wheel drive truck with a 6 liter diesel engine.

Ground clearance isn't an issue. It's the wash board and sharp rocks cutting tires.

Standard cars can traverse the road but will take a beating, and street tires are more vulnerable to cutting.

If you need to get towed out it will cost near $2000.00.

We jarred all the screws loose on the over head DVD player. Knocked off a piece of interior molding and lost 2 drive shaft bolts. Please note we were driving carefully.

The best way is to take an air compressor with you and let air out of the tires. Take it down to about 20 psi.

Another option is to rent a Jeep. The cost for that is $220.00 for 24 hours and includes insurance for tires and towing.

Sam

Talk about rough! Thanks for the tips in advance. I have a Mini.

Andy

Last time I went there, Marc & I stayed late - after dark - and we found out the mystery behind the 'Sailing Stones'