patrick.net

Wait! What? The earth was hotter in 1913?

Onvacation says

Wait! What? The earth was hotter in 1913?

Fucking SUVs!

I'm shocked that a place called Death Valley could get like this.

Ceffer says

I'm shocked that a place called Death Valley could get like this.

Electing Trump has consequences!

Interesting thing about Death Valley in summer... Most common tourists are German. I guess they're fascinated by a place that can get so hot.

Here's an interesting LONG read about a German family whose disabled rental vehicle was found in a VERY remote canyon. It was over 10 years before an amateur sleuth traced their steps over an intense mountain range after deducing the man assumed a military base seen on the map would be patrolled by guards. I was in Butte Valley the fall after they disappeared, saw very few people the whole time but it was the talk of the area. The canyon they were stuck in is a gentle sandy slope like walking down a down escalator. You can SEE the lights of Shoshone, and it reaches the main road out of Death Valley. They were also less than 2 miles from an active spring and 2 well stocked cabins

https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/

Automan Empire says

Here's an interesting LONG read about a German family whose disabled rental vehicle was found in a VERY remote canyon.

Taking only one vehicle there was a mistake. Taking a fucking minivan was insane.

PS. My off-roading friends tell many stories of people in rental vehicles they met on the Death Valley trails. Most of the time it involves some kind of rented "cute-ute" (like Jeep Compass and such), drivers having no idea that they need to air down (or means to do so), no real spare tire on board, not enough water, etc.

I should start a travel club for Liberals. Give them a coupon package for a Death Valley get away complete with a rental Prius.

Automan Empire says

https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/

I read first two chapters and then the website started asking for username/password to read further. :(

Eric Holder says

PS. My off-roading friends tell many stories of people in rental vehicles they met on the Death Valley trails

I take 2 spares when I go, but am solo. Once I was driving through a sandy part of Mengel Wash (53 mile Jeep only trail the Germans were heading toward) and came upon a Range Rover club that had stopped 8 vehicles mid canyon. I tried to drive around and one of the chucklefucks stepped out in my way so I had to stop, and promptly got stuck in the deep sand. While I busied myself getting unstuck, the Range Rover group milled around a few more minutes, then all got back in their cars, started them, and drove off leaving me stuck in the sand without a word. Took 30min in the hottest part of the day to get rolling again.

Eric Holder says

the website started asking for username/password

It came up on Reddit last week so must have gotten the Hug of Death hogging bandwidth.

Automan Empire says

Eric Holder says

PS. My off-roading friends tell many stories of people in rental vehicles they met on the Death Valley trails

I take 2 spares when I go, but am solo. Once I was driving through a sandy part of Mengel Wash (53 mile Jeep only trail the Germans were heading toward) and came upon a Range Rover club that had stopped 8 vehicles mid canyon. I tried to drive around and one of the chucklefucks stepped out in my way so I had to stop, and promptly got stuck in the deep sand. While I busied myself getting unstuck, the Range Rover group milled around a few more minutes, then all got back in their cars, started them, and drove off leaving me stuck in the sand without a word. Took 30min in the hottest part of the day to get rolling again.

Cocksuckers!

Eric Holder says

some kind of rented "cute-ute" (like Jeep Compass and such)

Had a GF with one of those stupid "City Jeeps" as I derisively called it. Buzzy 4 cylinder engine, CVT that worked well for the engine size, and front wheel drive with a pegleg differential that relied on traction control applying the brakes to control wheelspin, costing more momentum on steep slippery hills than it saved. Absolute shit off road capability no better than any other street econobox on the road. Not worthy of the Jeep badge.

There once was a time when every factory stock Jeep had to be capable of running a certain trail in Moab.

I traveled through the Baja desert way back then during the summer thousands of miles with a brand-new rental PT cruiser from CA. At some point there were no roads and the rocks so big you had to remove them first before continuing at 5 miles per hour. Aaah, young and reckless but that rental car was done after its first rental. Also I used to go to DV, loved to stay in stovepipe wells in the summer and go swimming at night. Also badwater basin and the moon over zabriskie point highly recommended.
In other news 2020 is on track for the 2nd warmest year after 2016, so unless it rallies there will be no record this year. But GW is totally out anyways in the era of Covid.