Death Valley

We first visited Death Valley in January of 2011. We were instantly enamored with this land of contrasts and extremes. Death Valley is a huge park and difficult to fully experience in a single trip. We had been wanting to return since 2011 and this was the perfect time. There is so much of the park yet to explore, and we are left wanting more after this second trip. We have managed to arrive in Death Valley both times following recent flooding, which restricted access to areas of the park. We packed up and headed out in the evening the last night we had planned to camp. A storm came through that afternoon bringing intense wind. Our tent was filled with sand (the rain tarp was on). The wind was expected to increase, and snow was predicted for the mountain passes we had planned to traverse the next morning. We decided to leave and traverse the passes before the snow arrived. We made it to Ridgecrest with no difficulty, but encountered the snowstorm between Mojave and Bakersfield the next morning. Though it is never fun to drive in, it was quite beautiful. It was bittersweet, entering the San Jouquin Valley and heading north. This was the last leg of a trip that had started 2 months earlier. Part of me didn’t want it to end; didn’t want to return to the reality of work. Another part of me was tired and craved the return of a daily routine. We were excited to return to Oregon and move into the RV we purchased back in August. It was time to begin a new chapter.

Arches National Park

We arrived to Arches late in the morning. Blue skies and harsh light adorned the landscape, but I was still taken by it. It is a fairytale land of red rock, carved slowly over time. As the afternoon progressed, clouds moved in: the storm we experienced in Antelope Island seemed to have followed us south. It softened the light and chilled the air, which I didn’t mind. We had reservations to take a hot air balloon ride over Canyonlands in the morning, and it was looking unlikely that the weather was going to be agreeable for that. We pitched our tent in the least likely place to be swept away in the event of a flash flood; which was not level and was positioned over a large, hard, bumpy rock. The view was amazing. The rain began shortly after the sun set and continued through the night. We woke at 4:30 and bundled up to meet up for the hot air balloon ride, which seemed a bit insane. As we drove through the park, we obtained cell service and had a message confirming cancellation of the flight. It was dark, cloudy, and raining. We pulled into the parking lot at panorama point and drank coffee as we waited for the sun to rise. At dawn we headed off to delicate arch in hopes of beating the crowds and seeing it in delicate light. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it there. The road was flooded and more rain was on the menu. The road was passible then, but it didn’t seem to be a good idea. We hiked to sand dune arch and broken arch instead. The rain slacked off and we had an enjoyable hike in soft light and cool, fresh air, scented with sage. The rain picked back up and we went into Moab to get fuel for ourselves and the car. On the way back to camp we noticed the road to delicate arch was officially closed. We tried to take a nap, but our bedding was damp. We agreed that if the rain slacked off, we would pack up camp and stay the night in Moab; and that is exactly what happened. As we headed out of the park, the clouds parted, and you could see the storm brought snow to the peaks of the La Sal mountains. It made me hopeful there would be snow in the San Juans as well.

Leslie Gulch

The second stop on our journey was at Leslie Gulch, a canyon in eastern Oregon not far from the Idaho border. Just minutes east of Bend, the landscape changes as you enter the vastness of the high desert of eastern Oregon. We drove through miles of sagebrush and distant mountains before reaching the 25 mile gravel washboard road that would lead us into the canyon of striking tuff formations. Leslie Gulch is BLM land and has a free primitive campground. We were the only ones camping during our visit. The rugged landscape is remote. Solitude is easily obtained here; unless you include the company of flies. Flies loved it here and were abundant. If you have ever seen the movie “The Proposition”, there is a scene with swarms of flies that I was reminded of. Luckily, the flies dissipated as the sun set and we enjoyed a peaceful evening alone in the wilderness. The flies returned with the morning sun and we decided to make the first of many changes to our initial “plan”. We had planned to camp here 2 nights, but decided to cut it short and let the flies find someone else to swarm. I have no regrets of taking the time to visit this remote area and would consider visiting again; though I would research the best time to minimize the potential of flies!

the road to experience

Tag Archives: desert

Death Valley

Arches National Park

Leslie Gulch