Saline Valley Warm Springs

Each year we camp out at least one night at Saline Valley Warm Springs. This year Dannielle and Britt (the animal attractors) came with us.

The north side of South Pass descending into Saline Valley always holds snow the longest. This year we have had a lot of snow, so there was still a lot of snow left on the road. This picture is not a good representation, but Andrew had the truck in four-wheel drive and had to give it gas to go down hill.

The entrance to the Warm Spring area is marked by the Bat Pole.

It's a beautiful place to camp.

Our favorite soaking pool (pictured below) is beside the palm trees behind Andrew.

We had a visitor at camp that night, a cute, little kangaroo rat. The thing that amazes me about them, is that they can go their entire life without taking a drink of water. They are nocturnal animals, and all they get all the water they need through their food. That is desert adaptation for you.

When we all retired to our sleeping quarters that night we listened to the eerie sounds of braying donkeys. That is a startling sound when you are not expecting it. The next morning the burros were still hanging around. There were eleven of them. That is the largest group we have ever seen in the park.

It's Eeyore!

A braying burro.

The burro on the left seems to be the omega of the group. No body likes him. :( The other burros were kicking and biting him.

Poor burro

This one has a few wounds too, including a halfway bitten off ear.

Tres Amigos

We went down to the lower spring to check things out as we were leaving the next day. We always camp and soak at the upper spring, it seems to be a bit more private.

How would you like to take a shower here?

Or a bath here?

~

The plan was to make a loop out of the Warm Springs and the Racetrack, so we headed over to the Racetrack that afternoon. Someone left an old bull dozer in the middle of the Saline Valley Road the week before. We heard it took several people four days to dig around the piece of equipment. The path was clear when we passed through the day before, but over night a couple of huge rocks had fallen off the hillside. Andrew and Britt hooked up a chain and tow strap to the rocks and drug them out of the way.

Now the path is clear again.

The Lippencott Road

Even though it hadn't rained in a week and a half, the Racetack was full of water. We were amazed. So, no walking out to see the moving rocks this time.

On our way back to Furnace Creek, we noticed the park service had put up a new Teakettle Junction sign.