Part of the fun of planning your trip is getting out a good map and choosing where you want to explore. Guide books are very helpful in deciding where to drive and camp. Just be aware that back roads and campsites can change dramatically due to the harsh elements. Just because there is a route on the map, doesn’t mean it won’t be rough or impassible in real-time.
Adventure planning
A favorite 4×4 road into Death Valley was impassable the last time we visited Goler Wash. A large rock slide had enveloped the road making progress so slow and rough it took the fun out of the journey – nearly an hour to travel 1 mile in our F-150 pickup.
We like the Goler route as it’s usually a “shortcut” from the west side of the Panamints to visit the Barker Ranch, Stella’s Cabin, Stripped Butte and other scenic campsites. Otherwise, it is a very long way around via the Park’s main highways. So, have a plan B for camping if the desert has changed the terrain from what your favorite guidebook reads.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s with corned beef and cabbage
Sample itinerary with menu
I am posting a sample itinerary of a trip we took that you can customize to your own liking. This itinerary includes several places to take a break from camping to get a hot shower, get gas, do laundry, restock the ice chests, and get a prepared meal. These locations also have telephones in case the family needs to leave us a message.
Click here for our “Sample Itinerary” link for a PDF file to give you some ideas for places to explore and for simple food preparation.
Sample Itinerary and house sitter info
I send out our planned itinerary to family in case we don’t come out of the backcountry and are in need of help. We have had to walk and hitchhike out in the past due to a disabled vehicle.
We’ve since created our own easy-to-use template to leave instructions for our house and pet sitter to give all concerned peace of mind while we’re in the backcountry. Click here to check out our FREE Home Base Handbook which also includes making your own trip itinerary tool.
a favorite Camp Recipe
What are the “camp potatoes” listed on my menu? These are a traditional staple on our menu that I prepare before our trip to cook on the BBQ while we sit outside to enjoy our camp spot with a drink and good cigar. The potatoes take a while to cook giving us plenty of time for conversation and relaxation. We don’t cook these if we need to eat dinner in less than an hour.
Roger’s Camp Potatoes
Ingredients:
Yukon gold or russet potatoes
large onion
bacon slices
To prepare:
wash and scrub potatoes
slice onion
split each potato with a knife lengthwise being careful not to completely cut in half
insert an onion slice(s) inside the slit
wrap the potato with 2 slices of bacon
then wrap the potato with aluminum foil, wrap once and then wrap again with another 2nd square of foil
Set the foil-wrapped camp potatoes on the BBQ for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, depending upon the size of your potato.
Squeeze (or poke with a fork) the potato to test if it is done. Unwrap and prepare your taste buds for a delicious treat.
Breakfast on the truck tailgate
We “boondock in a 22′ travel trailer, pulled by our 4X4 truck. We are looking for sites that offer a road in and out while pulling our rig. One that we have found is “Corn Springs” south of I-10 Between Indio and Blythe CA. Not a “TRUE” boondock, but free of lights that intrude on our use of our telescope, Never see more that one other camper.
Stormy Dayotn
Thanks for sharing this camp spot, Stormy. Sometimes we just need a place off the highway to get some shut-eye along this long trek when going to Mesa from California to visit family.