Death Valley 2008
6-9, February, 2008
Shortly after Shasta Trip #8, 2008, it was decided by Michele and myself to accompany Richard Kimbrough and Kevin McLeod halfway back to Arizona, with the destination of our "Post Trip" being the greater Death Valley Area, California. A day later, and there we were ... in Death Valley! These video clips tell a part of the tale in and of themselves, but for a greater understanding of the experience, watch them in conjunction with reading the Death Valley '08 Trip Report. The links to the videos are interspersed throughout the report, and are timed with what has been read.
!!!*IMPORTANT: If you see a bunch of code on your screen instead of a cool video, download the video before you attempt to watch it! Right click-"Save Target As"*!!!
(Anyone with a clue to help me get past this problem? Please advise!)
For an artsy Trip "synopsis" video, which has a bit of somewhat experimental processing on it, check this out:
Dust, Rust, and Sage: A Synopsis (19.2 MB, 320x240, 2:29, Windows Media Video)
Dust, Rust, and Sage: A Synopsis (smaller file)-(10.9 MB, 240x180, 2:29, Windows Media Video)
Ch. #1: From the Sierra Valley to Last Chance Springs Road--This first installment in the full-color series vaguely illustrates our descent from the California Sierra into the depths of Death Valley ... from snow to dust, and back again. Shot mostly at night, there is little to see, but you'll be able to share some of the lure of the unknown as we ascend the steep road to Last Chance Springs ...
Death Valley Video Ch. 1 (14.5 MB, 320x240, 2:05, Windows Media Video)
Death Valley Video Ch. 1 (smaller file) (8.06 MB, 240x180, 2:05, Windows Media Video)
Ch. #2: Last Chance Springs Road to Ubehebe Crater--From the start of driving on the first full day (just after a nice "walk" up a mountain and back)from the north end of Death Valley proper, along some gnarly window-shattering washboard straightaways to the incomparable Ubehebe Crater....
Death Valley Video Ch. 2 (16.5 MB, 320x240, 2:21, Windows Media Video)
Death Valley Video Ch. 2 (smaller file) (9.5 MB, 240x180, 2:21, Windows Media Video)
Ch. #3: Ubehebe Crater to Rhyolite--Hell, I didn't even know it was Rhyolite until the next day, but there was yet another good deal of "campsite hunting" before we ended up at the mouth of a strip mine just outside the ghost town of Rhyolite. You should have seen the spooky silhouettes of the ruins at night! Death Valley Video Ch. 3 (15.7 MB, 320x240, 2:20, Windows Media Video)
Death Valley Video Ch. 3 (smaller file) (8.54 MB, 240x180, 2:20, Windows Media Video)
Ch. #4: Rhyolite to Red Pass--A vivid and intense morning tuneup, a stroll through someone else's broken dreams, and then up one side of one of the most unforgettable roads in the area: Titus Canyon Road
Death Valley Video Ch. 4 (16.7 MB, 320x240, 2:21, Windows Media Video)
Death Valley Video Ch. 4 (smaller file) (9.64 MB, 240x180, 2:21, Windows Media Video)
Ch. #5: Red Pass to the Narrows (Titus Canyon Road)--On a road where each section is more intense and more overpoweringly beautiful, what can I say? Enjoy the video and the gallery pics with the knowledge that you just had to be there!
Death Valley Video Ch. 5 (23.1 MB, 320x240, 3:16, Windows Media Video)
Death Valley Video Ch. 5 (smaller file) (13.3 MB, 240x180, 3:16, Windows Media Video)
Ch. #6: Entering the Narrows to the End--as Titus Canyon Road wiggled its westerly way over rocky pass and through sandy wash, it now found its wiggle room increasingly defined by astonishingly immense, strangely-sculpted walls of rock on either side, forcing the road into a series of ever-tightening coils, only to be suddenly ejected into the awesome expanse of Death Valley itself. A nice bit of road to experience at a relatively high speed!
Death Valley Video Ch. 6 (20.4 MB, 320x240, 2:54, Windows Media Video)
Death Valley Video Ch. 6 (smaller file) (11.7 MB, 240x180, 2:54, Windows Media Video)
I hope you enjoyed the videos! If you have not already, look at the Death Valley '08 Galleries and immerse yourself in the imagery supplied your imagination, with cues from the verbose Death Valley '08 Trip Reports!
Better yet, pack your bus and go there yourself!