After breaking camp and taking pictures in the Alabama Hills, it was time to head east to Death Valley. The plan was to meet Yeng and Chen coming from Socal and Steve, Stella and Steve's friend Steve from LV around noon to 1pm.

As it turned out, I was way early. We had changed plans due to the high temperatures that were expected in the lower elevations and instead, decided to camp at Mahogany Flat the highest campground in Death Valley at over 8000'. As I began the drive up into the Panamint Range, I started wondering how many other people were thinking the same thing. Then there was the issue of whether or not the road was passable for Yeng. As I passed the Charcoal Kilns and made the last push towards the campground, I passed someone coming from the camp and they said they had just left the best site. I soon reached the campground and there were a few available sites and the road wasn't an issue.

Next up, the waiting game, noon came and went and still no Yeng or Steve. Eventually Yeng showed up and after he and Chen got set up, we went down to the valley for some hiking and photography. On the way down, some Beavertail Cactus blooms caught our attention so we stopped and photographed them. When we arrived at Stovepipe Wells we stopped and got some ice cream then made the short drive to Mosaic Canyon and hiked up it a little ways. The primary destination for the afternoon was the sand dunes. We had timed it so we would be there for sunset and it was quite nice.

We got back to camp well after dark and found a party at our campsite. Steve and company had arrived and the fire was going and food was on the barby. They had even invited a French-Canadian woman who had just climbed Telescope Peak. We had an enjoyable night with lots of fun and frivolity while celebrating Stella's birthday. After everyone had turned in for the night, Steve and I watched a fox poking around the campsite unbothered by our presence.

The next morning, everyone besides me was leaving for home, I had a few more days in DV and decided I would head to Devils Racetrack on this day (after a visit to Furnace Ck), Saline Valley the following day and back to Furnace Creek the last day. As we left camp, someone said, "Don't get a dead battery" referring to my getting stranded a few years ago at Willow Camp. After my visit to Furnace Creek, I made my way towards Devils Racetrack, getting gas at Panamint Spgs and taking the route past Hunter Mountain. This was my first visit to Hunter Mountain and its quite pleasant with its higher elevation and pine trees. Eventually, I made it to the Racetrack, walked out to the middle and took lots of pics. When I got back and turned the key on the ignition...Click....click....click. Damn! DEAD BATTERY....AGAIN! and nobody within many, many miles. Looks like camp will be at the Racetrack.

The next morning it took a few hours before folks started trickling in. Eventually one of them had a charger and I was back on the road again. I would have to drive 5 hours to Pahrump for a new battery so I decided to flip-flop my next two days. Several hours and about $90 lighter, I had a new battery and I was heading back to DV and making camp at Texas Spring near Furnace Ck. The thing about Furnace Ck is that it's the touron capital of the park. There's restaurants, visitor centers, a bar, tennis courts, showers, pools, hotels, golf course...I decided to take advantage of this so after going out for some afternoon photography, I headed over to the bar for a few beers and to watch Florida beat Ohio St for the NCAA basketball championship.

The next morning, I had time on my side; it would be a long drive to Saline, but I didn't want to arrive there until late afternoon as I knew it would be hot. I got up before sunrise and went to Zabriskie Point then Badwater before getting back to camp and slowly packing up. Next, I went to the DV social hub and purchased a shower ticket and took a long shower. Feeling clean again, I then went to the cafe and settled in for an early lunch. After lunch, I checked out the visitor center then began the long drive to Saline. I made it to Saline at around 4pm, setup camp and then soaked in the hot springs. If you've never been to Saline Valley, it's a whole different world and definitely worth a visit.

The next morning, after watching a wild burro meander through camp, I packed up and made the long drive out of Saline and began making my way to Mojave. I stopped at Shoshone for lunch before continuing south. See the 2007-04 - Mojave album for details.