How I did it: Picked thanksgiving 4-day weekend to go camping at death valley national park. first night we camped at eureka dunes. 2nd night at stovepipe wells near mesquite dunes. 3rd and last night at kelso dunes in mojave national preserve. just over 800 miles in total!!! its just amazing how far you can see in these lonely places of the world. it makes you feel small when considering the distances and the mountain ranges and dunes, yet makes you feel as human as you can be knowing that your brain is the one guiding your adventure through that unforgiving land. we took my discovery "big red" and that decision i totally not regret!!! the 4th and last day before coming back home we had 2 options to go around some mountains from kelso dunes to visit mitchell caverns: take the paved road down to the freeway and around the mountains, OR take the dirt fucked up road through the mountains!! Just guess which one we chose ;)

Lessons & tips: it was my first time doing such a thing and i can say it went pretty well, so heres my recommendations:

-money for gas!!
-make sure you know where you're going to gas up and how far you can go, we had an extra gas container on us just in case.
-pictures!!
-camping gear
-sleep well
-cold weather gear!!! the first night at eureka dunes it went down to 19 degress fahrenheit!! the water bottles inside the tents froze solid!!
-food and chips, plan it well
-be mentally prepared for long stretches of road and understand that you'll be sitting in the car for a long time and sleeping in tents
-and just enjoy the hell out of it

Resources: maps, research, and carl's jr.

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Dec 05, 2010, 10:37AM PST | 0 comments | 7 cheers