Wednesday, November 10, 1993:  I woke up to a light dusting of snow in the Inyo Mountains, with the temperature in the low 20's.  I turned on the Bronco, to warm it up, hurriedly packed my gear, and headed west on Mazourka Canyon Road, back towards civilization.

After joining U.S. 395, I headed south until I came to the town of Lone Pine, where I topped off the gas tank and had a delicious breakfast of sausage, potatoes and eggs at the Totem Cafe.  Did I mention lots of hot coffee? Just the thing to warm a body up after spending a frosty night in the Inyo Mountains.

I left U.S. 395 and headed east of CA 190, towards Death Valley National Park.  As this was the first time that I'd ever been in this area, I marveled at the stark, yet beautiful desert scenery.  

After traveling a few miles, I stopped at the near-ghost town of Keeler.  Until about 1960, Keeler was the southern end of the narrow-gauge Carson and Colorado Railroad, that ran from near Carson City, NV to Keeler. Still standing at Keeler are the several buildings used by the railroad, including the station.  As you may know, I'm also a railfan; to learn more about the C&C Railroad, click on this great web site. It's interesting to note that at one time there also was a tramway that carried salt from the Saline Valley, 20 or so miles to the east, to the railhead at Keeler.  Also, as I gazed at the dry, crusty surface of Owens Lake, I found it had to believe that Keeler had once sported a pier, complete with a steamboat that carried freight across the lake.  Thanks to the City of Los Angeles, the lake is now just an alkali depression with a marshy puddle in the middle.

After leaving Keeler, I traveled east on the wild and breathtakingly scenic Highway 190.  I stopped at Father Crowley Point, at the top of the pass and got my first look at Panimint Valley; awesome!  As I descended, I shifted into second gear to help control my speed, as the grade is a steady 7% with lots of sharp curves.

As I passed Panamint Springs Resort, I was tempted to stop, but I wanted to head into Death Valley, as daylight is in short supply in early November.  So I continued east on 190 and stopped at the top of Towne's Pass to marvel at the stark and wild Death Valley below me.  At 4956 feet of elevation, Towne's Pass occasionally gets snow in the winter.

I continued east, passing the "freebie" Emigrant campground near the ranger station, and the junction of the Trona-Wildrose Road while marveling at the sight of beautiful Tucki Mountain to my east.

Just a mile or so east of the campground, the trail to Lemoinge Canyon takes off the left, or geographically west. Drive slowly and keep you eyes peeled, as the trail consists of tow faint tracks heading across the alluvial fan and is only marked by an inconspicuous sign.

After I left the paved road, I immediately shifted into four wheel drive, as the trail across the alluvial fan is mostly Class 2, with some sections of Class 3, due to washouts, rough conditions and rocks to negotiate and/or drive over.  

You travel across the alluvial fan for about three miles until the entrance to Lemoinge Canyon is reached.  The canyon closes in and immediately, the going becomes more interesting as the trail becomes a steady Class 3.

Left:  I take a breather as I cross the alluvial fan on the way to Lemoigne Canyon.  Death Valley and part of Tucki Mountain are in the background.  Right:  I'm traveling in the wash at the beginning of Lemoigne Canyon. Note the thunderstorm and the rough trail.

I 'wheeled about a mile until I came to a Class 4 waterfall which I stopped to check out. Since my truck is a daily driver and it is a long drive back to Merced, I elected to save it for another trip.  I managed to back up a couple hundred yards to a spot where I think I made a 20-something point turn around.  (I lost count after the first five!) Then it was off to Stovepipe Wells for gas and ice and eastward to tour Chloride City.

Update:  The California Desert Protection Act, passed by Congress in July, 1994, elevated Death Valley to the status of a National Park.  As a result of this act, many trails in the Park and surrounding areas were closed, as a result of actions and lawsuits by radical, socialistic environmental groups.  In 1995, Lemoigne Canyon was closed to vehicular traffic at about the point where I turned around.  The good news is that there are still many challenging and interesting trails open in Death Valley National Park and Panamint Valley.

Sea level is reached east of Stovepipe Wells, as you cross the Devil's Cornfield.  About five miles east of the Cornfield, you come to a stop sign, turn north for a quarter mile of so, and then head east towards Daylight Pass and, eventually, Beatty, NV.  When you're in this area, take a few minutes to check out the historical marker that points out faint wagon tracks, made by the '49'ers (not the NFL team!)  that can still be seen. It shows that the desert is a truly fragile environment and the practice of TREAD LIGHTLY should be followed at all times.

Just past this area, you come to a junction Hwy 190 and Hwy 374.  I elected to turn east on Highway 374, as I was headed to the ghost town of Chloride City, and had planned to spend the night at Rhyolite.  

As you drive in the direction of Daylight Pass, be sure to check out the geologic formations and you'll see how it got that name.  Also, I looked to the left and had to marvel at Corkscrew Peak; the way the light was shining on it made it, indeed, look like a corkscrew.

I traveled a couple of miles further east, keeping my eyes open for the trail to Chloride City.  I managed to find it, but it's easy to miss, as it is a TRAIL and there's just a little, brown, low-down sign that simply says "Chloride City." On the signpost, there's also a little picture of a car with a red line through it.  I would think that anybody in a car would take one look at the trail and think otherwise.  Anyway, at this point, you might as well lock your hubs and engage 4WD, as you'll be needing it soon.

The trail starts out for the first couple of miles or so as Class 1, but as Keane Spring is reached, it deteriorates to Class 2.  Yes, on a good day, you could take your wife's Bravada on this trail, but I wouldn't recommend it.  After you pass Keane Spring, the trail narrows down, high centers appear, the grades get steeper, and there's even a bit of off-camber to add some spice to life.

Chloride City is located mostly in a bowl-like depression, about a half kilometer across. There are many ruins of various wooden buildings located on the cliffs overlooking the bowl.  In the bowl, there are lots of collapsed wooden buildings, "cousin jack" dugouts, mining machinery,  and the ever-present tin cans.  All in all, really not a whole lot to see but it was interesting to look around in the ruins.  

Left:  The Class-2 trail near Chloride City.  Right:  Collapsed ruins of Chloride City hotel lie in the foreground with a view of Death Valley  and the Panamint Range in the background.

One thing you don't want to do is to drive down into "the city" with a vehicle that is not well-equipped.  You could have a slight problem getting out, as there is NOTHING to winch to.  (Remember, travel with a buddy?)  With me being a "newbee" there, I drove down, and had to climb a steep, loose slope to get out of there.  The lockers sure paid for themselves!

After an hour or so of exploring Chloride City, I decided that it was time to head for Rhyolite.  I decided to skip ChIoride Cliffs and save them for another trip, as daylight was starting to get to a premium.  So, I drove back on the same trail that I 'wheeled in on, although there is a road that takes off to the east from the ridge above Keane Spring that will eventually join Hwy 374 near Rhyolite.  At the time, I wasn't so sure, so I decided to do a safe and sure thing and go back the route that I'd come in on.

After I joined the highway, I continued east on Hwy 190 and crossed Daylight Pass and a short while later, crossed into Nevada.  Then, it was all downhill to Rhyolite.

Rhyolite is off to the left.  You can see it for miles away.  Words can't describe how I felt when I saw it for the first time.  What you're seeing are the ruins of a city, located in a desolate, unforgiving land, populated by rocks, sagebrush, greasewood, jack rabbits, rattlesnakes and coyotes.

I turned off the highway and proceeded down the gravel road to the ruins of Rhyolite.

What a place!  You can see that it was really a city, not just by the imposing ruins but by the streets that are surveyed and laid out in a grid.  I won't do into the history of the place, except to say that it was built on high expectations that never really came to fruition, and that the city had a life of only about 10 years or so.  

Left:  Trail to Chloride City, looking at the Grapevine Mountains in the shaded background.   Right:  Ruins of three-story Cook Bank building on Golden Street, in Rhyolite, Nevada.

So I spent a couple of hours poking around the ruins and walking all over the place. What an experience!  When you're in the area, be sure to visit Rhyolite.  Please remember to look, but don't touch, enjoy, but leave everything as you found it, for the next visitor to enjoy.  Take only pictures and leave only footprints.

Left:  The Rhyolite school, which was only used for a couple of years after the town died, frames the left of the photo, as the picture captures Rhyolite, near sunset on November 10, 1993, near 1530. Right:  Here's a good overview of the city of Rhyolite, circa 1993, with the famous Cook Bank building framing the photo to the left.

Photo:  How can I resist taking a photo of a beautiful sunset?  Sunset at camp, about 3 miles west of Rhyolite.

I drove a couple of miles west of town on a dirt road and made camp for the night. Dinner consisted of canned menudo and green beans, heated over my trusty Coleman stove.  After sitting around a nice, warm campfire and smoking a stogie or two, it was off to bed.  I fell asleep to the sound of coyotes howling in the distance, perhaps coming from the one-great city of Rhyolite.