We went to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to check on road conditions and the camper just barely fit under the covered parking. Most roads were still closed from the flash floods including CA 178 south of Badwater where 10 miles of pavement and roadbed were destroyed. The damage was so extensive, it took almost a year to repair.
With strong winds blowing again, we drove to Badwater then back to Furnace Creek before leaving the Valley on CA 190 to Death Valley Junction where we turned south again on CA 127. The Amargosa Hotel where I once stayed was now abandoned and decayed.
At Tecopa Hot Springs we decided to stay once again at Delight’s Hot Springs Resort because they had the best hot pools. Delight’s was a funky old place, especially if you rented a cabin or room, but the pools were as hot, clean, and private as in the past.
Another ritual we continued was a visit to China Ranch Date Farm for their wonderful date shakes and dates. We purchased a years’ supply of dates to freeze when we got home. China Ranch has great hiking trails but we did not have time to take advantage of them.
It was still incredibly windy when we returned to Delight’s but that did not deter us from taking multiple hot soaks.
Perhaps because of the high wind, the stove would not stay lit. To cook dinner, one of us held the knob while the other stirred the food.
