Trip Report An Adventure in Death Valley and New Years in NAPA

jackjoh

Jack - KC6NAR
Supporting Member
Location
Riverton, UT
I believe it was November 1969 (Thanksgiving weekend) and the Roughwheelers 4x4 club had been staying at the upper springs in Saline Valley for a couple of years. We drove down the hill to the lower springs and saw the Manson Family bathing in the nude. Will continue tomorrow.
 

jackjoh

Jack - KC6NAR
Supporting Member
Location
Riverton, UT
The Manson family had recently burned a Park Service grader up by the Race Track above Saline Valley to the west. The previous day we had gone there to see it and were a little apprehensive about the group at the lower hot springs. Being four wheeler s in the desert we were well armed. I remember my daughter Susan saying "they have awfully small bathing suits with no tops". Of course she was referring to pubic hair and the girls not wearing tops or bra's. A couple of the younger guys strapped on side arms and went down to look at the girls and after awhile they came back and said the people were all nude and nothing special to look at. At this time we did not know who they were for sure.
Our next stop on our trip that morning was a stop at a rustic home on the east side of Saline Valley at the mouth of a canyon. A man met us at the gate with a rifle, barking dog, wife and some kids. We asked if we could go up to a water falls further up the canyon and he said we could walk up but no 4x4's. So we walked up to the falls. The guy said that the people down at the lower springs were bad people and he did not allow them on his property. We later learned he had a gold mine further up the canyon and it was active.
You gotta give us more info than that!
 

mesha

By endurance we conquer
Location
A.F.
That looks like an awesome trip. I have always wanted to go back to check that place out. My grand parents took me there when I was a kid.

The racetrack is on my list of things to check out.
 
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