Death Valley in the Rat: Starting from the Panamint Springs Resort

150+ years ago, some settlers trying to get to California made two fatal mistakes.  The first is that they left late, and the second is that, to make up time, they tried to take a short-cut.

The short-cut they took was to try to go over the Panamint Mountains instead of around them, as most settlers did.  They didn't make it.  Two of them died, and the rest had to eat their oxen to survive.

When finally through all of this, one of them said:  "This was really a death valley."

The name stuck.

This was our sixth time in Death Valley.  Obviously we like it.  Actually, obviously we love it.

But this trip was different.  For all of our other trips we were in the "Turtle" (i.e., our camper).  This time we were in our "Rat" (i.e., our new Toyota 4Runner).

Because we were in the Rat, we could get to the interior parts of Death Valley, the parts that are dirt/rock roads that even our camper on our 4WD Dually pickup can't reach.

We chose Death Valley for this trip because it was on our way back to Whidbey Island.  We had planned on spending 10 days to 2 weeks there.  Those plans got derailed, but nevertheless we had another great experience.

We spent our first night at the Panamint Springs "resort."  For real. The name actually has the word "resort" in it.

You can look at this "resort" in two ways.  One way is to compare it to other resorts, in which case the idea is laughable.  Our "resort" was a room with no TV, no coffee maker, no refrigerator, no microwave, no air conditioning (IN DEATH VALLEY?), no room service, no swimming pool, no pictures on the walls, no nothing except a bed in a room with ONE wall outlet.

The whole "resort" has dirt roads.

Does this sound like a "resort?"  No?  Well.........let's be fair.

To look at it in the other way, fairly, it is in the middle of nowhere.  To even have a room (a pretty expensive one actually) was appreciated.  There was even a gas station with overpriced gasoline.....except it cost a lot to have someone deliver it there so it wasn't really overpriced.

And for the time of year......the off season....it was fairly busy.  It fills a need.

We have no complaints.  Here are some photos, and I'm sure that anyone looking at this room would gasp with how primitive it is.  But, as we say, it was appreciated.  It is what we needed in order to enter the back country of Death Valley.  It was a fine jumping off place.

We had a good night's sleep, actually.  The next day we entered the heart of Death Valley in our Rat.

The Panamint Springs Resort--an over priced motel.  Just what we needed.  Thanks!