I forgot to mention yesterday about a close call on the road to Walker Lake. When i stopped for gas 50 miles from Willow Creek, i found my auxiliary ladder to the roof rack, which i transport strapped to the built in ladder on the rear of the Defender hanging only by a hook at the end of the bungee cord i use to secure it. Lucky me that i stopped to get gas at that point. Surely it would have broken loose in a few miles. It is not critical that i have that ladder, but i sure find it handy. And it is better on my Defender than under someone else's vehicle. This happened because i violated one of my rules, secure everything twice. A lesson learned, the second time on the trip.
The Defender has not gone without its other trials and tribulations. It took a hit on its windshield, which i need to get repaired before the snow and ice come. Also, the windshield spray devise blew off when i went to use it the day before. Fortunately, this happened when i was parked. Had i used it on the road, it would have blown off for good. Lucky me again. I now have it duct-taped in place so it does not happen again.
And one of my cigarette lighter outlets for charging stopped working. Fortunately, i have two others installed. Before, i could charge seven devices at the same time (i have about 12 devices needing recharging), but now i am down to five, more if i plug in the multi-port device i brought along.
The evening we spent at Walker Lake was absolutely terrific, alone right on the beach. If i was wondering why no one else was camped there, why there were no fire pits, picnic tables, site markers, or fee kiosk, or even evidence that other vehicles had travelled to where i camped, i found out when i drove a mile away from the camp on the way out- i was not in the camp. Oops, that wasn't the camp. Innocent mistake, but one for which i was handsomely rewarded by a great night.
By the time i awoke, a strong wind had set it. Try taking down a tent in strong wind alone. It is only for the hardy. I had to load the tent with all my gear to keep it from blowing away, and open all of the doors to have the wind sail though it. After much work, the job was done, and we set off for Death Valley.
But we did not quite get out of camp easily. You see, the whole park is covered with a deep sand. We got seriously stuck many times, but the Defender finally came through after we shoved it in low gear and tried for paths that looked like firmer ground, but in reality were not. If push came to shove, i would have been able to winch myself out, but would have lost an hour, and most likely the Death Valley camp site we got, below.
I have already posted photos with commentary about the drive down to Death Valley, so i will comment no more. I don't think i once thought that i was suffering from SVOD (Scenic View Overdose Disorder). Often, before the word Wow left my lips, another Wow was on its way out. What a mind-cleansing exercise this is.
As soon as we arrived at Death Valley at 330 and took our first road break in almost 100 degree weather, i started getting second thoughts about the tent site that i had reserved, one set back about 100 feet from where the Dd would have to be parked. Why didn't i reserve a drive-in site, i wondered. The reason was that site 139 was the first site on the web page i reserved on and and it was very difficult on the iPad to navigate that recreation.gov site. So, as soon as i pulled into the check-in kiosk, i asked if there were any drive-in tent sites open for five nights. I really didn't need five nights since i got the fifth night only because i thought i might be delayed a day or so in getting here . I only needed four. Much to my glee, and good fortune as well, they had only one drive-in tent site (101) available, but the attendant told me i could only have it for four nights, which is what i wanted in the first place. I will take it, i said, and drove away happy as a clam (disclaimer: I had clam chowder for dinner that night later to celebrate). I was even happier when i saw the site...treed to provide shade from the intense afternoon sun. I lucked out royally again. Thank goodness i did not bivouac at Berlin-Ichthyosaur after all. Another one of "those follow your instincts" decisions that'll paid off.
In the tent by dark (7pm), Donner started to have a very bad time with the e heat, breathily very heavily. I decided that if it continued, we would move on tomorrow. But then a strong wind blew in...and i do mean strong....and he settled down. We set up the tent without the rainfly to let the escape, and slept with the roof openings own and screen doors on, and it was a very comfortable night, even poetic - i could see the moon all night traverse along the roof of the tent, which made for a pleasant evening.
And so ended another saga that could have ended badly were it not for the intervention of good fortune and following my instincts.
I will be posting days 25-28 in a single posting on day 28, although i will be posting photos and "As It Is Happening" posts.
Ed and Donner, from the road
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