Big plans to see the giant Sequoia’s today! The drive from Barewood Inn was to take us into the Sequoia National Forest before heading to our next night near Death Valley. After a motel room breakfast of porridge and fruit we headed out down the long route into the giants. GP took us on the journey into the depths of the forest on the long gravel road only for us to discover that the final leg of the route was closed!! The winter snows and ice were still blocking the road and this was the only way to the giant trees from the south. The only solution was to retrace the drive out the gravel road and continue on to our next stop. Michael took a few shots in the area (the first 2 river shots below), but no trees of import. Very disappointing!
Once we left the forest zone, the drive north to Panamint Springs was through the outskirts of Death Valley – so quite barren. As we neared our destination, we stopped for a photo op and to stretch our legs at Father Crowley Overlook. It turns out that it overlooks Star Wars Canyon, so named for its proximity to the location used to film sequences of Tatooine in the original Star Wars. We did not realize that at the time, but cool after fact! It was at this stop where Andrea was surprised by an encounter with her co-worker from Ottawa who was CYCLING her way through Death Valley to Vegas (vague memory here). She was cycling alone on this challenging, desolate route – routine for this lady though! I was happy to climb back into the van…
We arrived early at Panamint due to our abbreviated visit to the trees. The Panamint Springs RV park offered the only accomodation for miles with a ‘rustic’ combo of caravans, cabins and camping grounds scattered with interesting residue. As our cabin rooms were not ready, we headed for the hike to Darwin Falls. The 2.5 mile ‘4 wheel drive only’ dirt road into the parking lot made for a hairy drive, and we were a bit concerned about the rental agreement insurance coverage, but in the end all was fine. It was a nice little hike into a green zone in an otherwise barren area. Back at the rooms Jade and I settled in for sleep while the others went for dinner at the restaurant. Michael brought me back some food and that was us for the night.
