Death Valley Deep Dive 2024

[Beardilocks]

I took a little sidequest that ended up bearing no fruit, but I thought that I would share anyway. 

I had spotted a small drylake on satellite that was surrounded by black volcanic rock (great for petroglyphs) and decided I had to at least take a look.  Nearby was the remnants of the old Grapevine Ranger's Station, so I looped that in as well. 

The old Grapevine Ranger's Station is on my 1960 USGS maps but not on my 1980 maps.  So I'm assuming it was moved somewhere in the late 60's or 70's. 

As you can see there's not much left.  A nice flat spot with foundations here for a building or parking


Some old pipe and various junk.  If we cleaned up camp as well as the old monument staff did we'd be arrested.  Lol. 


The old road out of the former Ranger's station going up to the spring that supplied it with water.


Not as wet as it used to be, but there was some water and greener life further down the wash.


Up-wash from the spring there was a nice tight little canyon that I wandered up. 


After a couple of nice tight turns I hit this grotto/dryfall.  It definitely could have been climbed but this canyon was a sidequest within a sidequest. 


I climbed a different drainage and came out into this wide wash/dry-lake.


I then proceeded over the hill on the right in above photo to get to the dry-lake that was my target. 


Cute place but absolutely zero signs of life, habitation, travel, or even so much as burro passing through.  Other than the 1937 benchmark on the south corner or the lake. 


I decided to hit Mesquite BM since I was there. 

This is not the benchmark and I have no idea what it signifies.  BM is up the hill to the right.


Nice view of Mesquite Springs Campground and the northern end of the Cottonwoods.


Looking south towards Tucki and SPW.


Interesting piece of the old infrastructure but I struck out on anything older.