Death Valley Again! - March 2021

[ski3pin]

Another great TR. It always amazes me how you guys take some area that some (not us) would call worthless nothingness, to hot, full of rocks not fit for nothing and turn it into a great story(s) -yep people were here, they lived, worked, had dreams-some died!. The old archaeologist always likes the rock art. Me I use mud (probably not handy there) or Stingez (old BLM standby) for any insect bites. I'm ready now for part 3-please!

Smoke

Thanks Smoke! Nothing worthless out there at all - except for a few of our fellow visitors.

Part three will be right up your alley.

 

[ski3pin]

ski3pin- This TR certainly has more drama (humor?)
[SIZE=large]...where danger was omnipresent. Sidewinders and scorpions are hidden beneath every rock and bush, in every nook and cranny,[/SIZE]
than most of your posts, and is a little more risque too. Behind every rock and bush makes for a lot of sidewinders and scorpions; it's amazing any of those old prospectors and current explorers lived.
To think you get all that fun while I'm stuck painting and plastering in the pantry makes me think life is unfair at times!
Looking forward to your further reports....
dr.tucson
ps I’m sure the young man wrenching on the Ranger could just eyeball the tow-in.

Yup, its darned lucky anyone survived at all! Thanks for the comment. Your ps made our day.

 

[ski3pin]

Thanks for your always interesting trip reports. We love Death Valley and will be back there next fall likely. Your descriptions and photos remind us of our many adventures. You have been to many of the same places we have, but amazingly you find much that we had overlooked. There is always something new in the desert! Thanks again.
Tony

Thanks Tony! There is always something new in the desert.

 

[ski3pin]

We just got home and camped on that same exact spot. You have many of the same pictures too. 2 days ago though, it was cloudy, some rain/sleet and when we left yesterday, there was a lot of snow on the higher peaks!

Sorry, we don't leave lights on.

Hope you had a great trip. Our last night was in Panamint Valley when a front came through. 30 mph winds, dark clouds, and verga everywhere. Not a drop of rain hit the ground. Saw a report this morning of up to a foot of snow on Hunter Mountain.

 

[ski3pin]

Well, the story is finished. I need another trip to rest up from all the work. But that would only lead to more work.

The final chapter can be found here -

Death Valley Again! - March 2021

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Impressive finds, well done!

 

[Foy]

The second picture within the second narrows (22 of 64) shows what I think is a world-class rip-clast conglomerate, often referred to as an edgwise conglomerate in the old school nomenclature. They'll form within a shallow water depositional environment when still unconsolidated layers of clay or lime mud are ripped up by water currents, transported by the current, and settle out as the current slows. The clasts are often redeposited within a matrix of coarser sediment.

The geology of DV never fails to deliver! Ditto with your trip reports!

Foy

 

[ski3pin]

The second picture within the second narrows (22 of 64) shows what I think is a world-class rip-clast conglomerate, often referred to as an edgwise conglomerate in the old school nomenclature. They'll form within a shallow water depositional environment when still unconsolidated layers of clay or lime mud are ripped up by water currents, transported by the current, and settle out as the current slows. The clasts are often redeposited within a matrix of coarser sediment.

The geology of DV never fails to deliver! Ditto with your trip reports!

Foy

What a great explanation of the story in the rocks! Thanks Foy. In one of the driest places on earth we are looking at rock formed under water. Not only does it make me go imagining the the past but also consider what all this might look like in one or two million years in the future. We are riding on a very dynamic planet. Wow.

 

[ski3pin]

Impressive finds, well done!

Thank you very much, Mr. Sage.

 

[Missing Link]

Thanks for another amazing TR. It seems like the research that you two do prior to heading out almost always pays off. Marble Canyon has long been a favorite of ours but now you have provided new inspiration for a return trip.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Another great TR...thank you! I committed to a DV Lite trip for another couple and ourselves, I’m going to try and include a couple of your sites.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks Ski for the last episode of the great trip.
Once again the rock art you find is really great.

Frank

 

[Foy]

What a great explanation of the story in the rocks! Thanks Foy. In one of the driest places on earth we are looking at rock formed under water. Not only does it make me go imagining the the past but also consider what all this might look like in one or two million years in the future. We are riding on a very dynamic planet. Wow.

When the carbonates (limestones and dolostones) now exposed in Marble Canyon were deposited, they were deposited on a stable continental shelf bordering the western side of the North American craton. If I recall correctly, they are late Paleozoic--Carboniferous or Permian--so between 250 and 350 million years old. A SWAG about the exact outcrop is that it may have been ripped up by a turbidity current (outflow from an underwater landslide). The beds on the left side of the outcrop look to have been ripped up just a bit and the spaces immediately filled with lighter colored sand or silt. On the right side of the outcrop there appears to be a greater degree of damage done to the soft sediment--looks like a carpet pushed up and rolled around and difficult to piece back together.

Yeah, the planet is dynamic to say the least. Sea levels have risen and fallen by tens to hundreds of meters hundreds of times, and climates have ranged from Snowball Earth to Hell on Earth over the last 4.5 billion years, all with zero influence from man. Methinks we're just along for the ride for the most part.

Foy

 

[heinphoto]

The petroglyphs and habitation sites you found are quite spectacular. Thank you for the respect you always give to these special places!

-Scott

 

[goinoregon]

great report. these finds of yours are incredible. thx for taking the time to walk us through it, and giving the history and its space/place wherever..
i spent a day on a great basin dry lake bed last week, and happened upon at least one obsidian tool, and who knows what with an agate type rock.

 

[ski3pin]

Another great TR...thank you! I committed to a DV Lite trip for another couple and ourselves, I’m going to try and include a couple of your sites.

Thanks Ski for the last episode of the great trip.
Once again the rock art you find is really great.

Frank

Thanks guys!

 

[ski3pin]

When the carbonates (limestones and dolostones) now exposed in Marble Canyon were deposited, they were deposited on a stable continental shelf bordering the western side of the North American craton. If I recall correctly, they are late Paleozoic--Carboniferous or Permian--so between 250 and 350 million years old. A SWAG about the exact outcrop is that it may have been ripped up by a turbidity current (outflow from an underwater landslide). The beds on the left side of the outcrop look to have been ripped up just a bit and the spaces immediately filled with lighter colored sand or silt. On the right side of the outcrop there appears to be a greater degree of damage done to the soft sediment--looks like a carpet pushed up and rolled around and difficult to piece back together.

Yeah, the planet is dynamic to say the least. Sea levels have risen and fallen by tens to hundreds of meters hundreds of times, and climates have ranged from Snowball Earth to Hell on Earth over the last 4.5 billion years, all with zero influence from man. Methinks we're just along for the ride for the most part.

Foy

Thanks again, Foy for your contributions to our geological knowledge!

 

[ski3pin]

The petroglyphs and habitation sites you found are quite spectacular. Thank you for the respect you always give to these special places!

-Scott

great report. these finds of yours are incredible. thx for taking the time to walk us through it, and giving the history and its space/place wherever..
i spent a day on a great basin dry lake bed last week, and happened upon at least one obsidian tool, and who knows what with an agate type rock.

Thank you for the kind comments!

 

[ski3pin]

Thanks for another amazing TR. It seems like the research that you two do prior to heading out almost always pays off. Marble Canyon has long been a favorite of ours but now you have provided new inspiration for a return trip.

Thanks Missing Link! This was the first trip ever where we had success with every search, and more! Research is the key along with dogged persistence.

Taking research to the field can be an adventure in itself. In researching one site, online I found a long narrative about two people searching and their methods of covering an area. It was 6 pages long. I printed it out and brought the narrative along. I pulled it out when we reached their starting point. We sat down and I read it aloud so we could associate the narrative with the actual terrain. I believe the narrative was genuine and not a ruse, but it made no sense to us as to how these two tackled the terrain. Only a tiny bit was usable information - only because we had previously been in the area. The narrative ended up being an amusing little side story.

But, it all goes into the adventure.

Thanks again, Richard!

 

[Ronin]

Thanks for another great set of TRs. I admire your get-out-ed-ness!! It's always amazes me to see mud on those canyon walls 30 feet above. Makes a person think about getting caught up in even a small flood coming down those narrows!!