The Last of Death Valley

 I was at Death Valley for over two weeks, so, I really did do a lot of things.  But here is last post about the activities, including the 49er Encampment (which was the reason I was at Death Valley to begin with).

Some of us did a hike of Golden Canyon/Gower Gulch, a total loop of about 4-5 miles.  Some only did Golden Canyon, which was a little shorter. 

Here is close to the beginning of the Golden Canyon hike.

Here we have turned into Gower Gulch and climbed to the top of the hill.  They don't call these badlands for nothing.  It's really pretty desolate.  Not even a shrub grows out here.

At one point, it even narrowed into a slot canyon.

Finally, we spot death valley again.

Another day, Max and I took off to visit the beehives, but we saw some interesting things along the way too.

Stan Jones, once a NPS Ranger, lived here with his wife when he worked at Death Valley.  It was while he worked here he wrote 'Ghost Riders in the Sky'.  His song writing eventually took him to Hollywood and he left his job as a NPS Ranger.

Designed by Swiss Engineers, these Beehive Charcoal Kilns were built in 1877 by Chinese laborers.  Although they have been stabilized, these ten remaining beehives are among the best preserved charcoal kilns known.  It is said they were only used for about two years, which is why many believe they are in such good shape today.

This sign is all that is left of the ghost town of Skidoo, CA.  Once the home of a gold mine, which produced $1.5 million in gold, there is no trace, not even foundations left, to show where this once thriving town (from 1907-1917) was once located.  The sign is said to be located in the middle of what was once main street.

The Friday morning breakfast at the 49er Encampment had an Navy helicopter show up.

It was actually just a part of the emergency services display.

But we were there for the music.  This was one of my favorite singers, Dave Stamey.

Belinda Gail also performs in Branson, MO.

Chaparrel were also very good.

Although it was a little chilly out, quite a few of us made it over for the 8am music.

In other areas of Furnace Creek Ranch, they had demonstrations of gold panning.

But the big event of the day was the arrival of the wagon train and the riders.

The wagon train travels, over a period of a week, from Wade Monument to Furnace Creek Ranch.

Mary Kaye autographed the CD I purchased and also took a picture with me.  Would you believe this woman has ten kids?  Unbelievable.

Here are the riders as they arrived.

How many hats do you really need to wear Joanne?

Here is Joyce getting ready for the parade.  I believe she got the most attention of anyone participating in the parade that day.

We had quite a group participate.

They always have a musical tribute to honor the veterans.  The young girl with the fiddle is only 11 years old.

Well, another encampment is over, and I am glad I was there.  It was lots of fun, but after two weeks at Death Valley, I was ready to return to Glendale.

More Death Valley-Rhyolite, Titus Canyon and the 20 Mule Team

The start of the 49er encampment saw the 20-Mule Team arrive.  A 20 mule team like this one, with two wagons for hauling 40 tons of borax, along with a water wagon, was pulled approximately 165 miles to the nearest railspur.  

In actuality, the mule teams can be less or more than 20, depending on the size of the load they pulled.  20 Mule Team Borax, a cleaning product, took its name from the mule teams which hauled the borax.  But mule teams only hauled borax for six years, from 1883-1889.  

They had the mules hauling the wagons about 2 miles up to the old Borax plant, and then back to the visitor center.

The trick is turning a corner.  The back mules have to jump over the harness to keep the wagons straight while the rest of the team is starting the turn.  Otherwise the wagons would turn too sharp.  

Here the mules took the wagons off the road at a precarious angle.  The mule wranglers had a hard time trying to get them back in line.

I thought the wagon was going to turn over for a while.

But they eventually got everything back on the road.  Notice how the back set of mules have jumped across the harness and are keeping the wagon straight.

One of my favorite groups to play during the encampment was South Coast.  They were here four years ago too.  They provide a folksy sound, reminding me of the folk music from the 60s.

One day a group of us decided to take the scenic trip through Titus Canyon.  On the way there we stopped at the old ghost town of Rhyolite.

Outside the historical museum (which has always been closed everytime I've been there), was this colorful idea of a couch.

The town of Rhyolite sprang up in 1905 after some mines were opened nearby.  This is the old train depot.

By 1907 the town had electricity, running water, hospital, school, opera house and even a stock exchange.  At one time the town boasted a population of 3500-5000.

Sadly, the town declined as rapidly as it bloomed.  They say by the time this school building was completed, there were only three students to attend.  By 1910 the mine was operating at a loss and the mine closed in 1911.  By this time most of the population had moved on and by 1920 the population was 0.

Tom Kelly's bottle house.  Built in 1905 with thousands of bottles, most beer bottles from the 53 saloons which were located in the town of Rhyolite.  The three room house was finished in five and a half months, but Tom Kelly never lived in it.  He sold raffle tickets for $5 and the winning family, the Bennet's, lived there until 1914.  The inside walls were plastered so you could paint or wallpaper. When I was here four years ago you could walk right up to the house and even look in.  But now they have a large fence around the entire area so you can't get too close.

Outside the house are quite a few interesting statues and figures made from concrete and bright colored glass.  

This large miner is standing in front of the historical museum.  I'm not sure what the smaller statue is supposed to be, but it looks like a penguin to me.

In another area of Death Valley is Stovepipe Wells.  The story says this was one of the few fresh water wells in the area.  Since the water would be tainted if it reached the alkali surface, and since the nearby sand dunes would cover up the well after a sand storm, someone stuck an old piece of stove pipe into the well.  It has been long blocked off and unused, but a hundred years ago this was the lifeblood of those travelers trying to cross Death Valley.

Stopping on top of Red Pass for lunch.

It looks like Phil found a comfy, shaded spot to sit.

The view from Red Pass.

The ghost town of Leadfield.  The townsite dates to 1925 and 1926 and at its peak only had a population of 300, although it did have a post office.

  

Standing in front of one of the mine openings.  Notice they have it blocked with bars.  This leaves space for the bats to come and go.

Looking down into the mine you can see the shaft supports.

Titus Canyon is a 26 mile trip, one way, but only the last few miles are really in the canyon itself.  Then you have several miles of narrow, steep rock walls.  It is a beautiful drive and I enjoy it every time I go to Death Valley.

Death Valley-Scotty's Castle and the Racetrak

One day several of us headed north towards Scotty's Castle and the Racetrack.

The race track has the science world mystified.  These rocks leave these tracks across an old lake bed.  But no one has ever seen them move and no one knows what moves them.  Theory is the lake bed, after any slight moisture, becomes a slick, clay bed and then if there are heavy winds, which are known to get up to 60mph, they will slide the rocks along.  The sliding motion leaves the track as you see.  The lake bed is quite large and I was looking in the wrong area.  Mark got to the right area and took this shot.

I spotted this unique sand dollar (placed there, I'm sure).

This was about the best track I saw in my wanderings around the lake bed.

The trip to see this phenomena was 27 miles along a very bumpy, washboardy, rough road.

Just six miles from the racetrack we came upon Teakettle Junction.  Many of the teakettle's were dated and many were placed there recently, but some had dates as far back as 2009.

Ubehebe Crater, unlike many craters, is dated as only 2000 years old, not millions of years old.

 Next stop was Scotty's Castle was built in the 1920 by Albert Johnson.  It cost between 1.5 and 2.5 million dollars.  Mr. Johnson, from Chicago, was convinced by 'Death Valley Scotty', a scam artist, to invest his money in a non-existent gold mine.  Eventually Mr. Johnson came out to Death Valley to inspect his gold mine and discovered the hoax.  But he fell in love with the area (it improved his poor health) and although he lost his money in the scam, he still befriended Scotty and they were lifelong friends.  

After the stock market crash, Mr. Johnson started giving tours of the the Mission Style and Spanish Colonial Style Villa.  Since Scotty was there and gave many of the tours, most believed it was Scotty who owned the castle.  Even when Mr. Johnson was in the room and listening to Scotty's spiel, Mr. Johnson did nothing to dissuade people from this belief.  In realty, Scotty's home was about a mile away, and was not much more than an adobe hut, with no electricity or running water.

Scotty's Castle

The gates to the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard.

One of Mr. Johnson's autos.

The living room.  Almost all the furnishings are those of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, who lived here until their deaths.  The castle was then given to a religious organization which Mrs. Johnson was affiliated.  They owned and provided tours until the National Park Service bought the property in 1970 for $850,000.

The property was quite modern for the 1920s.  Electricity was provided by their own power plant, even including an electric refrigerator.  I just loved this beautiful, fully tiled kitchen.

The only way to see the inside of the castle is by a guided tour.  The tour guides dress up in period dress and take on the persona of one of the characters who once lived here.

The music room with both a player piano and player pipe organ.  Both are still in operating shape, and a concert is given once a year.

Never finished, this pit was to be a pool.

There were several other dwellings nearby for the ranch manager and other employees, and later, used to house paying guests.

Some of the equipment from the original power plant.  The park service is in the process of revitalizing and restoring the power plant and making it operative again.

I missed seeing Scotty's Castle when I was here several years ago.  I won't miss it again.  It was a wonderful experience.