View Full Version : anyone been to Death Valley, CA?
Reckless Rat
21-07-06, 08:49 AM
Ms Rat and I are off on our hols soon...
Part of the 'plan' is to spend a couple of days at Furnace Creek, Death Valley... I just looked up the local weather report... it's 47 degC :shock:
Anyone have experience of this sort of temp? Is that too hot to venture outside?
Am rather glad we're not on a bike!
RR
I went last year, well, i was going from Las Vegas to Yosemite and took the route Via Death Vally. Its quite a large area.
Roads are long and straight, temperature is very hot.
There are signs to turn off your air con due to excessive heat. Think we saw 109 degrees (that day we went from 3ft above sea level to 9500+ft above sea level).
Hot, yes, very!!! Not much shade, and most of DV seems like those small deser4t villages, tumbleweed rolling accross the road etc..
Still, worth a vist. Damn hot though. They have water stops for your car :lol:
One of the roads leading in.... Just over that hill/moutine..
http://images12.fotki.com/v204/photos/4/48802/2474149/DSC01383-vi.jpg
From the big fruit machine on-wards isthe death vally images....
http://public.fotki.com/DaimoB/general_me_-_pastti/usa_holiday/las_vegas_and_route_66/page5.html
rpwoodman
21-07-06, 10:52 AM
I've been there a couple of times.
I wandered about in jeans, shirt and deniem (sp??) jacket. I got a few odd looks from people but I was quite comfortable. My mate was in just shorts tho, and he was sweating like a pig (he's more than a little tubby tho, whilst I am (or was), skinny as a rake).
Vegas hit 41oC when i was there, buts theres almost no humidity, so its just god damn hot, but didnt perspire. Its an odd heat to be in.
Anonymous
21-07-06, 11:23 AM
Absolutely ghastly place. It's just chock-a-block full of Aliens and Extra-Terrestrials moaning that their landing sites have not been properly posted as National Memorials or Tourist Attractions.
If it wasn't for them, it would be an OK place.
We saw 5 cars on that whole road in about 3 hours...
As you can see from the images, it was 109degrees, but still with light cloud cover..
Never saw any alien nutters though.
Reckless Rat
21-07-06, 12:41 PM
There are signs to turn off your air con due to excessive heat.
Jeez... I drove LA to LV a couple of years back, and turned off the a/c for 10mins during which time the car became oven like... surely you can run a/c and keep an eye on the temp gauge?
Sounds like we're headed in the opposite direction. SF to LV.
Great pics, thanks!
RR
SF - You doing the fly drive?
We done
LA - Palm Springs - Lake Havasu - Route 66 to Grand Canyon (DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!) - Vegas - Death Valley - Yosemite - San Fran...
San Fran, love it, wish I had more time.
U'll love it. Drive from SF - LV is quite far, but the change of scenry is superb. As said above about the heights... One minute we were in the desert, the next we're driving up mountines covered in snow (Not UK snow, proper snow lol)...
I got loads of pictures in that link above of each location.
If you go onto Daimo's site there's an interesting pic under 'Me 'n' the boys', sheet 1, photo 7 :lol:
lukemillar
21-07-06, 01:27 PM
SF - You doing the fly drive?
We done
LA - Palm Springs - Lake Havasu - Route 66 to Grand Canyon (DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!) - Vegas - Death Valley - Yosemite - San Fran...
San Fran, love it, wish I had more time.
U'll love it. Drive from SF - LV is quite far, but the change of scenry is superb. As said above about the heights... One minute we were in the desert, the next we're driving up mountines covered in snow (Not UK snow, proper snow lol)...
I got loads of pictures in that link above of each location.
Last year we drove from San Francisco to New York! Clocked up about 4000 miles in 3 weeks. Even Rictus would be hard pressed to beat that!
If you go onto Daimo's site there's an interesting pic under 'Me 'n' the boys', sheet 1, photo 7 :lol:
Like a Virgin? Madonna style? 8) I was 19 then :lol: Just got more hair now :lol: (PS, thats a Screwball ice cream stick, not a fag ;) )
Last year we drove from San Francisco to New York! Clocked up about 4000 miles in 3 weeks. Even Rictus would be hard pressed to beat that!
two weeks...
Most of the time sat at "cough" higher speeds to give us more time at each location. It worked...
This was in 2 weeks though. Didn't use the car in San Fran for the 3 days we were there. Nor did we use it for 3 days in Vegas either!!!!
Damnnnnnn :lol:
http://images12.fotki.com/v200/photos/4/48802/2473819/DSC01607-vi.jpg
Reckless Rat
21-07-06, 03:15 PM
We're planning on spending 5 days in SF, then picking up a car and heading down to Monterey for 2 days, Yosemite 2 days, DV 2 days, then 3 days in LV.
Thought we'd better keep the car in LV as it's a bit of a nighttime place, with not
much to do during the day.... except visit stuff in the area!
Last time I drove LA to LV I couldn't believe the bikers wearing only vest/shorts through the desert (Hway 5?).... they must have been cooked!
RR
Nice, sounds like a superb trip. U'll love it. MOSQUITO repellent for Yosemite!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT FORGET IT....
GF got bitten 36 bites in an hour. I got 14 (i taste bad :lol: ). Thats an hour of fighting them off as well!!
I've got pictures of Yosemite also. Stunning place, SO many waterfalls.
I liked Vegas :lol: Didn't you go on all the rides and rollercoasters they've got there? Take a helicopter over Grand Canyon (Visit if you can, its amazing, nothing like pictures really) if possible!!
As for the bikers, mad boys out there!! :lol: We saw 2 guys riding with their bash hats, on the back seats.. When we got to Hoover Damn some cops made them put them back on. Wearing vests and combats... We did see two other bikes though and they were leatherd up.
it's 47 degC :shock:
Anyone have experience of this sort of temp? Is that too hot to venture outside?
Am rather glad we're not on a bike!
RR
Can I suggest an acclimatisation program? Come up to London and spend the day travelling on tubes and buses in this current weather. I believe the tube reached 47 degrees and the buses 52 earlier this week or last week. :shock: :wink: :lol:
My experience of Australia would suggest this to you. When youre travelling make sure you have plenty of water with you in case of breakdown. Wear a hat when youre outside. Use plenty of factor 30 suncream. :D
Well Oiled
21-07-06, 06:57 PM
When we lived stateside we did a big tour out there:
Flew to Vegas
Drove to Grand Canyon, couple of days there (Spectaclear !)
Into painted desert for a couple of days
back to Vegas for a night (happened to be 4th July - BIG fireworks !!
through Death Valley into California
few days in giant sequoia forest and Yosemite (brilliant - cooler and scenic)
couple of days in San Fancisco (cool city)
couple of days in LA (big let down - Hollywood is a dump)
last few days back in Vegas.
The heat ain't a problem - it's so dry that the sweat evaporates off your body immediately so it don't feel so bad. It was 120F in Death Valley when we were there and it didn't feel much worse than it's been here the last week.
Cheers Keith
vBulletin® , Copyright ©2000-2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.