Wednesday, November 5, 2003- Well, it seems that I got off work at 0800  (yeah, I work the night shift) and in the parking lot, my buddy Jonathan Dolan was waiting for me with his awesome '00 'TJ.  We left work, headed east on U.S. 50 and stopped at Cameron Park for a quick breakfast at the local Carl's Jr.  (They make good coffee at that place.)  Then, it was nonstop east on highway 50 until we turned off at Tamarack Pines Road to fill the ice chests with snow, in order to keep the beer cold.  We're firm believers in getting free "coolent" for the ice chest at any place we can find it!

Photos:  Looking down into Panamint Valley from Father Crowley Point.  The high mountain in the right background is Telescope Peak, at 11,084 feet, the highest peak in the Panamint Range.

After a rather uneventful drive over Echo Summit, we turned south on CA 89 and over Luther Pass.  We were amazed, as snow had fallen just yesterday, that the highway was dry and snow-free.  We'd expected the worst and had prepared for it.  However, due to snow, CA 89 was closed over Monitor Pass, so we had to take a detour over CA 88 to Minden, MV and head south on U.S. 395.  That was a 40-something mile detour, but that's what happens after the snow falls and CalTrans closes the passes for the season.

Photo:  Base camp, Panamint Valley Days, 2003, with the Argus Mountain Range in the background.  Right: Jonathan and I set up our camp.  At 6-foot tall, it didn't bother him to sleep in the back seat of his Jeep!

We stopped in Lee Vining for gas, and, at $2.39 a gallon, we weren't happy campers. You don't want to stop for gas at Lee Vining or Bridgeport unless you have to, like we did. The rumor is that the same guy owns all of the gas stations in both towns and has artificially raised the prices to a rather high level.  All I know is gas is much less expensive in places to the north and to the south.

Left:  After we set up our camp, Jonathan couldn't resist clowning around for the camera.  Right:  Safety check at base camp, a very important component of every CA4WDC event.

We stopped to gather firewood near Deadman Pass at the top of Deadman Summit, in the Inyo National Forest. When you're headed to Panamint Valley Days, which is held the second weekend in November, it gets dark around 1700 so a nice, warm, cheery campfire is a must. Deadman Pass is the last place where plentiful firewood can be found in this part of the country.  As we're firm believers in the TREAD LIGHTLY school of thought, we gathered only dead wood that was lying on the ground and we avoided the areas that the Forest Service had posted as off-limits.

Left:  Registration and run sign-up at base camp.  Right:  These folks are registering for the event.

Left:  Notice that this "registration assistant" is dressed appropriately for the cool weather.  Right:  Heinz Leuschner, the friendly t-shirt guy gives my camera his award-winning smile.

At Lone Pine, we topped off our tanks with much more reasonably-priced gas, and headed east on CA 190, towards beautiful Death Valley National Park.  Jonathan wanted to stop at Panamint Springs resort to phone our wives and tell them that we were "here", but there was a problem:  No commercial phone service is available at Panamint Springs resort.  As the sun was fading, it was time to head to base camp and make camp.

Left:  The sun sets on Telescope Peak.  Notice that it is lightly-dusted with the season's first snow.  Right:  Paul and Jonathan relax in our camp on Friday, November 7, 2003 at 1700 in the afternoon.

We headed south on Panamint Valley road and after a 10-mile or so drive, saw the familiar PVD  sign, as hosted by the California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs.

So, we made base camp early and had time to set up camp before sunset.  We had an awesome feast on cold, canned food right out of the can.  After dinner we made a campfire and somehow, Jonathan managed to mangle a lawn chair.   The weather was perfect; the best we'd ever seen during Panamint Valley Days.

Photos:  After dinner, we built a nice, cheery, campfire, as Jonathan and Paul tip a few beers and enjoy the warmth of the fire, and the scenic beauty of Panamint Valley.