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After a great visit to Scotty's Castle, we planned to make our way to the hot springs that are out in the middle of nowhere.There's a special appeal of natural hot springs, and up in Saline Valley there are some. Before that out-of the-way area became part of the park, people in the 60's and 70's built stone-cobbled pools and worked hard over the years volunteering to make it a true oasis. We had detailed maps and topos, and GPS co-ords to help - the question was which route to choose for getting there. Our first try was the southern entrance via Hunter Mountain, as this took us past Stovepipe Wells and Panamint Springs for gas, thence up the desert road to Teakettle junction and so on. When a road is closed it's usually for a good reason. Sometimes a careful exploration can yield good results if people are prepared and careful.

The first few miles of the road had been graded so was peppered with sharp pointy rocks, basically a typical class 2 desert road. The gradual ascent into the hills showed some washout erosion until we got to a great view down into Death Valley looking southwards.

Very soon after that the descent down canyon got rougher and rougher, which looked to get worse with washouts the farther we looked. Once you get down into that stuff, it's sometimes impossible to back out. So we decided to get out while we could and go in the northern route. Getting back to the highway took a couple of hours.

After our failed attempt to get through, we decided to head for Lone Pine and try getting a motel for the night. Since leaving San Francisco for Yosemite, we had been 9 nights straight in a tent, so a motel sounded very appealing. We managed to get a reasonably priced room that was clean and modern, and then went out and brought back pizza, wine and beer for an evening of lounging and maybe even seeing if there was anything good on TV.

Next morning we visited the Alabama Hills Cafe and Bakery, at 111 West Post St, right next to the laundry, and just off the main street. Delicious. We were just in time for some fresh bread that we took with us. They even made Jackie a breakfast wrap just as she likes them.

While they were preparing the food, I chatted with Dave, from Liverpool, one of a group of bikers parked across the street. They were touring and had met up with another biker who had come up from Ushuaia Argentina, down near Tiera Del Fuego. Now there was alternator trouble and tracking down parts was the first priority. I hope everything works out. Best wishes Dermot, Nigel, Dave, Helen and Johannes!

The last time we were here, Jackie and I went up into the sierras to Horseshoe Meadow via switchbacks with fantastic views of Owens Valley. This time, we decided to go up to Whitney Portal and do a brief Hike up towards Lone Pine Lake.

After about four hours out on the trail, we returned to the jeep and got ready for some driving. Now we were going to head for the hot springs, only this time, via the northern route leading off from Big Pine (once again).

Coming in from Big Pine and turning on the Saline Valley road brings you through the same remote region we travelled on the way to Mesquite Campground. Instead of following the road to Crankshaft Junction, we stick on the Saline Valley road, which passes by Jackass Flats and then descends through Whippoorwill Canyon. Then comes the long and gradual descent toward the Saline Valley floor. By now it was near sundown.

Now it's past dark at 10:30 and we're watching maps and GPS for the turnoff, which is basically a light sand track easily missed. After the turnoff it's pretty smooth a few quiet miles over the packed dirt.

But what's that little speck of light? It must be miles away in the mountains behind.....so why is it moving a little against the dark background?...

Finally, a little light atop the Batpole greets us and we stop for some photos

We finally spot a reflection which turns out to be near an official outhouse, and our first visitor to the window is a wild burro having a look. We find a rocky flat spot to camp and get greeted by the volunteer host, Dave, who chanced to see our headlights as we came in.

What a gorgeous spot and almost no-one here. After we talk with Dave for a few minutes, it's time to try a few creative night shots and some time exposures just for fun. In the morning we'll get a bigger picture of the area.