Member III
Winter finally wound down and Connie @Stumblebunny and I had a yearning to get back on the trails. Since the experienced half of the Happy Our Overlanding gang had a prior commitment, Connie devised a fairly easy adventure that any beginner could enjoy. It would start with a known campsite area at the start and end of the five-day trip with several unique places to visit in between.
So off to planning the food, clothing, etc. and packing up the 4Runner which includes getting the roof top tent on.
Heading South out of RenoThis trip didn’t require very early starts each day because the distances were short and the closer to the low desert the higher the temperatures. Thus, our plan was to be driving during the heat of the day…for the most part at least.
As we headed to the first destination, we took a scenic detour around June Lake loop off Hwy 395 and stopped for lunch at Silver Lake with a beautiful backdrop of snow coming down the mountain.
Continuing around the loop, we passed a couple other smaller lakes and then came upon June Lake and its town surrounded with businesses, homes and cabins. It was obvious that this was the heart of the area.
The June Lake ski area was already closed for the season due to lack of snow.
However, the businesses looked as they were preparing for the spring summer season of hikers, campers, and boaters.
Let’s not forget the Jerky
If you’re traveling along 395 and go through Bishop, don’t forget to stop and taste the jerky at Mahogany Smoked Meats. Even though they have a location in South Lake Tahoe, it’s always a treat to stop here where they also sell sandwiches big enough to feed two.
The first stop—Alabama Hills
We pulled into Alabama Hills around 4:30 PM. It was in the mid-80s but would be cooling off to the 50s at night. We found our favorite campsite after a couple of wrong turns…but we found it… and now have it mapped on the GPS-map app so we can easily find it next time. The site elevation is at about 4500 feet, with a rocky rough landscape and beautiful views of Mt. Whitney. It has room for a couple of vehicles, a rock fire ring, and peace and quiet…at least during the week while school is still in session.
Time to set up camp and have a Happy Our Overland happy hour toast—boy that’s a mouthful—and get the burgers on the grill.
We enjoy stopping at Alabama Hills. It is a great place to break the time on the road when traveling to a long-distance destination. It’s just outside of Lone Pine California on Whitney Portal Road with a turn onto Movie Road.
For the past century the area was used as the location for many Western movies and TV shows like Bonanza. It also hosted the filming of some Star Wars and Iron Man sequences. We were too late for the film museum but agreed to tour it in the morning when we headed out. The memorabilia they have tells a great story of the film and TV industries use of the area. A definite stop by if you haven’t done so before.
After a leisurely breakfast the next morning, we eventually packed up and left around 10:30-11. We decided to do more exploring of the area, so we followed Movie Rd to the right and did a bit of 4wheeling off a side track that took us up a hill to a cool spot with a spectacular view. We were much higher and could see the valley and Mt. Whitney. We decided that this was the location for our last night on our way back home.
Our exit from Alabama Hills took us further on Movie Road which eventually connected with Hogsback Creek Rd that then looped us to Mt Whitney Portal Rd. It was the long way out but a fun little drive.
Second Stop—Trona Pinnacles
Continuing south on 395 we exited on 178 East to Ridgecrest. Stopped at Big 5 Sporting Goods to buy a small fan & batteries for the roof-top tent as temps at Trona Pinnacles would be in the mid-90s and 60s at night.
We continued NE on 178 towards Trona and stopped at Fish Rocks for quick pic then continued a couple of miles to Trona Pinnacles dirt road.
We were now at about 1400 feet. The dirt road to the Pinnacles was deeply rutted in a few places but we could easily maneuver around them and there was one railroad crossing. Then a stop at the overlook just before we dropped down onto the 4x4 roads into the Pinnacles. We headed out towards the Pinnacles further away from parking area with a pit toilet.
The Roads were rougher & required high clearance. These rougher roads would stop sightseers from coming that way. Riding around the Pinnacles, we only saw 3 or 4 other vehicles—one being a very large SUV from Utah that was parked right in the middle of the trail/road. With no way around unless you drove over plants and made new track, we turned around. There were no other roads to pass and no people were in sight. I accidently honked my horn & within a minute we saw someone running up to the vehicle...presumably to move it. Ha Ha serves them right.
It was hot. The sun was beating down, so we found an area where a Pinnacle provided some shade. And lucky us…it had a fire-pit, so we set up camp there. Though it was a bit buggy, we walked around to check out the landscape then had a cocktail and prepared dinner. On the menu tonight—Connie’s homemade lasagna with a salad—Delish!
Don’t Store Jerky in an Ice Bag
On a humorous note, Connie discovered that all the jerky we bought for ourselves and Lori & Barry was still in the cooler bag and most of the ice had melted!! She forgot it was in there and since the jerky bags aren’t airtight…well let’s just say the meat was getting reconstituted. She did manage to save 3 out of 6 bags. It was sad to see Connie throw away a bunch of newly bought jerky. Well I guess that calls for another stop at Mahogany Smoked meats on the way home.
Back to Dinner
Built a fire with the last of the wood in the nice big fire pit. We sat around the fire for a while, ate the delicious lasagna dinner, and chatted. Then suddenly the wind kicked up and embers started flying. Even though the wood had mostly burnt down, and the pit was on deeper side, we decided not to chance it and doused the fire and buried it. So off to bed.
The next morning, we ate breakfast, packed up, and headed to the next stop 2 hours away.
Third Stop—Furnace Creek and an Oasis in Death Valley
It would be around a two-hour plus drive to our next stop as we headed North on 178/Trona Rd to 190 Northeast near Panamint Springs. While driving N 178 we were buzzed by a military jet. We saw him bank right and head straight up 178—exciting. I flashed his lights in hopes of getting a wing dip, but it was not in the cards.
Further up the 190 we went over the Panamint Range at just under 5 thousand feet which proved to be a bit cooler than the valley temps. However, we were headed to a hot spot at sea level, so this was just a brief interlude of coolness.
Onwards via 190NE. It was getting hotter as the noon hour approached – climbing to the high 90s F, so we had a quick stop at the Mesquite Flats Dunes to see if it was worth coming back at sunset.
Then off again down the road to Furnace Creek, our elevation now was sea-level.
It was blazing hot- reaching over 100F. but in the distance an Oasis appeared. What a nice sight for a sweaty brow. Through the trees a nice Spanish looking building appeared surrounded by palm trees. Oh joy, we couldn’t wait to enjoy the shade at an oasis in Death Valley.
The Oasis at Death Valley
Sometimes it’s fun to spoil oneself while traveling the desert roads. And this looked like the perfect place to try out that theory. The Oasis at Death Valley was recently restored and reopened in 2018 and is best described as a Spanish hacienda styled hotel.
Surrounded by very tall palm trees, a spring feeds the property, fountain and pool. A serpentine path snakes downhill between the rooms shaded by the palm trees. Following the path leads to secluded sitting areas or better yet—to an outdoor pool with bar, spa, and exercise room.
After checking in, we ate lunch in the bar consisting of appetizers of Rabbit Empanada & Pork Carnitas Masa Cakes. The spoiling definitely began. Soon it was time to change into our swim suits and head along the shaded path to the pool. It was now 104 degrees, so we opted for shaded cabanas and ordered Mai Tais and just chilled. Eventually we got into the spring fed pool and the 84-degree water felt cool compared to the outside temperature. Well spoiling ourselves like this didn’t do well for motivation. Needless to say—we didn’t make it back to the dunes for sunset.
We decided to eat in the Bar area just outside the dining room since they served the full dinner menu. We found a perfect table for two at the window overlooking the three-tiered fountain as the sun set. First the bread basket came—Fresh bread made daily and very very tasty. Then after sharing a spinach salad, a duck breast for me and bone-in stuffed pork for Connie arrived—both served on warm plates. You know a restaurant is good when they take time to warm the dinner plates. Both meals were excellent with very generous portions.
Dessert in the Desert
For dessert we shared a chocolate bourbon cake. It really was more like chocolate pudding on bottom and a light airy chocolate brownie/cake top and then powdered sugar. It was bitter sweet and very yummy. Oh! and the wonderful bread basket and butter they brought before dinner—it had 3 types of house made bread - one was a ginger/date dense bread, another was wheat date nut bread and then a regular bread that we didn't try. We ended up taking a box of the wheat date bread with us. Our server said they throw out the uneaten bread, so he was happy to bring us several slices. For a hotel that just reopened, we expected some ‘oopsies’ in the service and food prep, but there were none to be had.
Fourth Stop–Site Seeing in Darwin and China Garden Spring
Friday, we had a leisurely morning of coffee and left-over wheat nut date bread. Cleaned up, packed up, and got out by 10. Headed back on 190 to Panamint Springs with a stop at the Mesquite Flat Dunes. It was a dusty windy day, Connie jumped out and ran up the path to get a few shots. Maybe we should have gone the previous evening before sunset...oh well - next time. Onto our next camping spot—the new spot we found at Alabama Hills.
Detour to Darwin
After gassing up at Panamint Springs, we drove West along Hwy 190 about 18 miles until we found the turn-off for Darwin. Then another six miles to Darwin.
We were following a path taken by someone who publicly posted it on Gaia GPS-a popular hiking/travel app. Since I was using Gaia GPS to map the entire trip on my Android phone, Connie was using the app on her iPhone to follow the route that the person mapped.
Getting to Darwin is an easy-paved rough road—to go to China Garden Springs was a dirt road trail beyond Darwin. Since there were so many offshoot roads we wanted to make sure we had a path to follow. This was the first time we used the app with someone else’s route. It proved to be easier than was expected.
A Living Ghost Town
Darwin is a living ghost town – not more than 50 residents/artists and others who want isolation. There is also a mine there that seems to be operating again. If you at this link , there is an interesting read about Darwin.
Basically, there are some dilapidated houses that haven’t been lived in for years while others still show signs of life. However, you do notice some indoor and outdoor art studios. Driving through Darwin takes less than 5 minutes—we took some pics but saw no one.
China Garden Spring
We continued to follow the Gaia map to China Garden Spring—an easy 4-wheel drive route with a descent into the Darwin wash. Along the wash there were some excellent geological examples of earth movement. About 15 minutes later we pulled up to China Garden Spring.
The Spring feeds the town of Darwin their water and the site used to be an old mine with some structures’ foundations still there. Back in the 1940s someone put Koi fish in the spring and they have been there ever since—maybe not the original fish but their relatives. We can only guess, but maybe this is why someone named the area China Garden Spring or maybe it’s the close proximity to China Lake Naval Air Weapon Station.
After exploring the area, we fed the Koi fish some crumbled bread sticks. It is pretty extraordinary to think that we were feeding Koi fish at a spring in the desert.
After lunch we headed back up the wash to Darwin. Took a few more pics in Darwin & actually saw a few people sitting on their porches… Connie waved but didn’t see them wave back ☹.
Fifth Stop—Back to Alabama Hills
We said goodbye to Darwin and headed up 190 to 136 to 395 into Lone Pine. A few blocks later we were back on Whitney Portal Road and heading into Alabama Hills. We wanted to stay at the new site we found so drove up there about 3:45pm only to find that someone else beat us there—Bummer! We stopped to exchange a few niceties with the couple and then went back to our usual spot which thankfully was still available. There were a whole bunch more people coming up on the weekend than there was during the week.
To get some protection from the sun and give us good airflow—we set up our tarp off the back of the rig and used rope which we tied around rocks. Next it was Happy Our Overlanding happy hour--cocktails with no ice since Connie forgot to remind me to stop (It's never the guys fault LOL). However, the yeti tumbler Connie got for Christmas worked beautifully with chilled vodka & ginger beer. Dinner was as good as dinner at the Oasis Inn—BBQ'd buttered corn, perfectly seasoned baby Yukon potatoes and Nevada-made white sausages. Everything came out perfectly.
It was slightly breezy, so we used our propane fireplace...put on some music and enjoyed the evening. As night fell we looked at the stars and tried to identify them. Since it was almost a full moon, we couldn’t see some of the constellations. Soon it was bedtime.
The next morning, I started the coffee. It was still windy, so I made it in the back of the vehicle. It was also chilly compared to our last few early mornings in the desert. Connie fried up the left-over potatoes & sausage with egg for breakfast—Yum! ...then packed up and headed out about 10:30.
On our way back home, we did stop again in Bishop to replace the jerky we lost.
The four-night five-day excursion as half the gang was over. However, our discussion on the way home centered around our next Happy Our Overlanding adventure with the entire gang which you can read about at our website.
So off to planning the food, clothing, etc. and packing up the 4Runner which includes getting the roof top tent on.
Heading South out of Reno
As we headed to the first destination, we took a scenic detour around June Lake loop off Hwy 395 and stopped for lunch at Silver Lake with a beautiful backdrop of snow coming down the mountain.
Continuing around the loop, we passed a couple other smaller lakes and then came upon June Lake and its town surrounded with businesses, homes and cabins. It was obvious that this was the heart of the area.
The June Lake ski area was already closed for the season due to lack of snow.
However, the businesses looked as they were preparing for the spring summer season of hikers, campers, and boaters.Let’s not forget the Jerky
If you’re traveling along 395 and go through Bishop, don’t forget to stop and taste the jerky at Mahogany Smoked Meats. Even though they have a location in South Lake Tahoe, it’s always a treat to stop here where they also sell sandwiches big enough to feed two.
The first stop—Alabama Hills
We pulled into Alabama Hills around 4:30 PM. It was in the mid-80s but would be cooling off to the 50s at night. We found our favorite campsite after a couple of wrong turns…but we found it… and now have it mapped on the GPS-map app so we can easily find it next time. The site elevation is at about 4500 feet, with a rocky rough landscape and beautiful views of Mt. Whitney. It has room for a couple of vehicles, a rock fire ring, and peace and quiet…at least during the week while school is still in session.
Time to set up camp and have a Happy Our Overland happy hour toast—boy that’s a mouthful—and get the burgers on the grill.
We enjoy stopping at Alabama Hills. It is a great place to break the time on the road when traveling to a long-distance destination. It’s just outside of Lone Pine California on Whitney Portal Road with a turn onto Movie Road.
For the past century the area was used as the location for many Western movies and TV shows like Bonanza. It also hosted the filming of some Star Wars and Iron Man sequences. We were too late for the film museum but agreed to tour it in the morning when we headed out. The memorabilia they have tells a great story of the film and TV industries use of the area. A definite stop by if you haven’t done so before.
After a leisurely breakfast the next morning, we eventually packed up and left around 10:30-11. We decided to do more exploring of the area, so we followed Movie Rd to the right and did a bit of 4wheeling off a side track that took us up a hill to a cool spot with a spectacular view. We were much higher and could see the valley and Mt. Whitney. We decided that this was the location for our last night on our way back home.
Our exit from Alabama Hills took us further on Movie Road which eventually connected with Hogsback Creek Rd that then looped us to Mt Whitney Portal Rd. It was the long way out but a fun little drive.
Second Stop—Trona Pinnacles
Continuing south on 395 we exited on 178 East to Ridgecrest. Stopped at Big 5 Sporting Goods to buy a small fan & batteries for the roof-top tent as temps at Trona Pinnacles would be in the mid-90s and 60s at night.
We continued NE on 178 towards Trona and stopped at Fish Rocks for quick pic then continued a couple of miles to Trona Pinnacles dirt road.
We were now at about 1400 feet. The dirt road to the Pinnacles was deeply rutted in a few places but we could easily maneuver around them and there was one railroad crossing. Then a stop at the overlook just before we dropped down onto the 4x4 roads into the Pinnacles. We headed out towards the Pinnacles further away from parking area with a pit toilet.
The Roads were rougher & required high clearance. These rougher roads would stop sightseers from coming that way. Riding around the Pinnacles, we only saw 3 or 4 other vehicles—one being a very large SUV from Utah that was parked right in the middle of the trail/road. With no way around unless you drove over plants and made new track, we turned around. There were no other roads to pass and no people were in sight. I accidently honked my horn & within a minute we saw someone running up to the vehicle...presumably to move it. Ha Ha serves them right.
It was hot. The sun was beating down, so we found an area where a Pinnacle provided some shade. And lucky us…it had a fire-pit, so we set up camp there. Though it was a bit buggy, we walked around to check out the landscape then had a cocktail and prepared dinner. On the menu tonight—Connie’s homemade lasagna with a salad—Delish!
Don’t Store Jerky in an Ice Bag
On a humorous note, Connie discovered that all the jerky we bought for ourselves and Lori & Barry was still in the cooler bag and most of the ice had melted!! She forgot it was in there and since the jerky bags aren’t airtight…well let’s just say the meat was getting reconstituted.
She did manage to save 3 out of 6 bags. It was sad to see Connie throw away a bunch of newly bought jerky. Well I guess that calls for another stop at Mahogany Smoked meats on the way home. Back to Dinner
Built a fire with the last of the wood in the nice big fire pit. We sat around the fire for a while, ate the delicious lasagna dinner, and chatted. Then suddenly the wind kicked up and embers started flying. Even though the wood had mostly burnt down, and the pit was on deeper side, we decided not to chance it and doused the fire and buried it. So off to bed.
The next morning, we ate breakfast, packed up, and headed to the next stop 2 hours away.
Third Stop—Furnace Creek and an Oasis in Death Valley
It would be around a two-hour plus drive to our next stop as we headed North on 178/Trona Rd to 190 Northeast near Panamint Springs. While driving N 178 we were buzzed by a military jet. We saw him bank right and head straight up 178—exciting. I flashed his lights in hopes of getting a wing dip, but it was not in the cards.
Further up the 190 we went over the Panamint Range at just under 5 thousand feet which proved to be a bit cooler than the valley temps. However, we were headed to a hot spot at sea level, so this was just a brief interlude of coolness.
Onwards via 190NE. It was getting hotter as the noon hour approached – climbing to the high 90s F, so we had a quick stop at the Mesquite Flats Dunes to see if it was worth coming back at sunset.
Then off again down the road to Furnace Creek, our elevation now was sea-level.
It was blazing hot- reaching over 100F. but in the distance an Oasis appeared. What a nice sight for a sweaty brow. Through the trees a nice Spanish looking building appeared surrounded by palm trees. Oh joy, we couldn’t wait to enjoy the shade at an oasis in Death Valley.
The Oasis at Death Valley
Sometimes it’s fun to spoil oneself while traveling the desert roads. And this looked like the perfect place to try out that theory. The Oasis at Death Valley was recently restored and reopened in 2018 and is best described as a Spanish hacienda styled hotel.
Surrounded by very tall palm trees, a spring feeds the property, fountain and pool. A serpentine path snakes downhill between the rooms shaded by the palm trees. Following the path leads to secluded sitting areas or better yet—to an outdoor pool with bar, spa, and exercise room.
After checking in, we ate lunch in the bar consisting of appetizers of Rabbit Empanada & Pork Carnitas Masa Cakes. The spoiling definitely began. Soon it was time to change into our swim suits and head along the shaded path to the pool. It was now 104 degrees, so we opted for shaded cabanas and ordered Mai Tais and just chilled. Eventually we got into the spring fed pool and the 84-degree water felt cool compared to the outside temperature. Well spoiling ourselves like this didn’t do well for motivation. Needless to say—we didn’t make it back to the dunes for sunset.
We decided to eat in the Bar area just outside the dining room since they served the full dinner menu. We found a perfect table for two at the window overlooking the three-tiered fountain as the sun set. First the bread basket came—Fresh bread made daily and very very tasty. Then after sharing a spinach salad, a duck breast for me and bone-in stuffed pork for Connie arrived—both served on warm plates. You know a restaurant is good when they take time to warm the dinner plates. Both meals were excellent with very generous portions.
Dessert in the Desert
For dessert we shared a chocolate bourbon cake. It really was more like chocolate pudding on bottom and a light airy chocolate brownie/cake top and then powdered sugar. It was bitter sweet and very yummy. Oh! and the wonderful bread basket and butter they brought before dinner—it had 3 types of house made bread - one was a ginger/date dense bread, another was wheat date nut bread and then a regular bread that we didn't try. We ended up taking a box of the wheat date bread with us. Our server said they throw out the uneaten bread, so he was happy to bring us several slices. For a hotel that just reopened, we expected some ‘oopsies’ in the service and food prep, but there were none to be had.
Fourth Stop–Site Seeing in Darwin and China Garden Spring
Friday, we had a leisurely morning of coffee and left-over wheat nut date bread. Cleaned up, packed up, and got out by 10. Headed back on 190 to Panamint Springs with a stop at the Mesquite Flat Dunes. It was a dusty windy day, Connie jumped out and ran up the path to get a few shots. Maybe we should have gone the previous evening before sunset...oh well - next time. Onto our next camping spot—the new spot we found at Alabama Hills.
Detour to Darwin
After gassing up at Panamint Springs, we drove West along Hwy 190 about 18 miles until we found the turn-off for Darwin. Then another six miles to Darwin.
We were following a path taken by someone who publicly posted it on Gaia GPS-a popular hiking/travel app. Since I was using Gaia GPS to map the entire trip on my Android phone, Connie was using the app on her iPhone to follow the route that the person mapped.
Getting to Darwin is an easy-paved rough road—to go to China Garden Springs was a dirt road trail beyond Darwin. Since there were so many offshoot roads we wanted to make sure we had a path to follow. This was the first time we used the app with someone else’s route. It proved to be easier than was expected.
A Living Ghost Town
Darwin is a living ghost town – not more than 50 residents/artists and others who want isolation. There is also a mine there that seems to be operating again. If you at this link , there is an interesting read about Darwin.
Basically, there are some dilapidated houses that haven’t been lived in for years while others still show signs of life. However, you do notice some indoor and outdoor art studios. Driving through Darwin takes less than 5 minutes—we took some pics but saw no one.
China Garden Spring
We continued to follow the Gaia map to China Garden Spring—an easy 4-wheel drive route with a descent into the Darwin wash. Along the wash there were some excellent geological examples of earth movement. About 15 minutes later we pulled up to China Garden Spring.
The Spring feeds the town of Darwin their water and the site used to be an old mine with some structures’ foundations still there. Back in the 1940s someone put Koi fish in the spring and they have been there ever since—maybe not the original fish but their relatives. We can only guess, but maybe this is why someone named the area China Garden Spring or maybe it’s the close proximity to China Lake Naval Air Weapon Station.
After exploring the area, we fed the Koi fish some crumbled bread sticks. It is pretty extraordinary to think that we were feeding Koi fish at a spring in the desert.
After lunch we headed back up the wash to Darwin. Took a few more pics in Darwin & actually saw a few people sitting on their porches… Connie waved but didn’t see them wave back ☹.
Fifth Stop—Back to Alabama Hills
We said goodbye to Darwin and headed up 190 to 136 to 395 into Lone Pine. A few blocks later we were back on Whitney Portal Road and heading into Alabama Hills. We wanted to stay at the new site we found so drove up there about 3:45pm only to find that someone else beat us there—Bummer! We stopped to exchange a few niceties with the couple and then went back to our usual spot which thankfully was still available. There were a whole bunch more people coming up on the weekend than there was during the week.
To get some protection from the sun and give us good airflow—we set up our tarp off the back of the rig and used rope which we tied around rocks. Next it was Happy Our Overlanding happy hour--cocktails with no ice since Connie forgot to remind me to stop (It's never the guys fault LOL
). However, the yeti tumbler Connie got for Christmas worked beautifully with chilled vodka & ginger beer. Dinner was as good as dinner at the Oasis Inn—BBQ'd buttered corn, perfectly seasoned baby Yukon potatoes and Nevada-made white sausages. Everything came out perfectly.It was slightly breezy, so we used our propane fireplace...put on some music and enjoyed the evening. As night fell we looked at the stars and tried to identify them. Since it was almost a full moon, we couldn’t see some of the constellations. Soon it was bedtime.
The next morning, I started the coffee. It was still windy, so I made it in the back of the vehicle. It was also chilly compared to our last few early mornings in the desert. Connie fried up the left-over potatoes & sausage with egg for breakfast—Yum! ...then packed up and headed out about 10:30.
On our way back home, we did stop again in Bishop to replace the jerky we lost
.The four-night five-day excursion as half the gang was over. However, our discussion on the way home centered around our next Happy Our Overlanding adventure with the entire gang which you can read about at our website.
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