Monthly Archives: May 2023

Charcoal Kilns and the Panamint Loop

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Stone kilns from 1877.

Unlike our previous visit which was part of an extended road trip, we planned a more streamlined experience this time:  flying to Las Vegas, renting an SUV, and “car camping”, literally, in the desert.  We brought the essentials:  sleeping bags and pads, collapsing camp chairs, a minimalist stove for heating water and canned or dried food, and of course, our French press coffee maker.  The idea was to shift our gear around at night to make room in the back of the car so we could sleep there.  All we needed was a place to pull off the road far enough to qualify for “dispersed camping”, and we could roam freely in the back country of Death Valley, hiking and exploring by day and capturing pictures of the sky at night.  It was a romanticized image which we didn’t quite achieve.

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Death Valley Days, and Nights

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At Dante’s View, overlooking Death Valley

“Death Valley Days” is the title of a long-running television series that I vaguely remember but did not watch.  Now I wish I had.  Thanks to my early-adopter dad, we had a small black-and-white television, the only kind available back then. It would have been just fine since the episodes were shot in black and white. There was no color in those days. 

I have since had the pleasure of visiting Death Valley, several times.  My first visit was in 1995,  a brief weekend departure from a trade show that involved stealing a blanket from the hotel.  I spent the night with it in my rental car, at Dante’s Overlook, which provided a bitter cold but spectacular view of sunrise on the Panamint Mountains across the valley.   

I wrote about a more recent visit, experiencing the magic of Racetrack Playa, and I was excited to return this year and explore the park further.  Over the next few essays, I’ll try to convey some of my experiences in this unique place on the planet.

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