About

a portion of the old banner from the Exploring Wild Death Valley website

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Howdy, fellow travelers of the Wild Death Valley territory!

From a long-standing personal relationship with this diverse region comes my vision to assist others who have a desire to learn more. Through The Death Valley Journal blog, and my two Death Valley books, I sincerely hope to offer useful and enlightening information to all enthusiasts, both new and seasoned. Please feel free to contribute to this online journal presence by posting any new or fascinating comments you may have about the magnificent country called “Valley of the Red Ochre” by the resident Timbisha Shoshone tribe.

Many of you have been regular visitors of the Exploring Wild Death Valley website since its inception in 2004, my first attempt at sharing my knowledge with other Death Valley enthusiasts. That website has been integrated into this blog, and while losing its original look, now joins forces with DVJ to present even more information in one convenient online location. As are many online presences, this Death Valley blog will continue to evolve over time.

Thank you for visiting! I look forward to hearing from you.

Your friend and fellow territorial traveler,

Steve, The Old Trailmaster

“If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”

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Editor’s Note: The photograph appearing at the top of the DVJ pages was captured by Jack Freer of Gardnerville, Nevada while exploring Death Valley during the fall of 2009.

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(Click HERE to read about my 2009 trip to Death Valley on a tricycle.)

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

The three outlaws, picutred above at the Stateline mine ghost town in Nevada, are also known as: David A. Wright, Graham Cooper, and The Old Trailmaster. Exercise extreme caution if these mavericks are in an area that you are visiting, for their good humors, helpful natures, and all-around willingness to provide directions are certainly infectious. Pay absolutely no attention to their intimidating appearances, for all true desert rats become rather gritty after a few waterless days in the wild backcountry of the primal Death Valley territory.

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My two Death Valley books may be of interest to you also:

 

Below is the old movie archive of my tricycle trip to Death Valley, as filmed on a 1952 8mm Bell & Howell camera. The old projector was on its last legs when this movie was recorded from the screen, and suffered a meltdown after seven minutes of the movie had played, thus just when the big motorhome passes my trike and me going up Towne Pass, the image flickers and dies. Fortunately for us, we had a second copy in the works over at the restoration studio, so all was not lost as the film and projector said adios. If you would like to see the fully restored color version of this antiquated movie, mosey on over to the Tricycle Expedition page of this website, where it appears in all its glory … but this old version does have a certain ambiance the new one lacks (sorta’ fits in with the popular image of Death Valley better).

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>> Please be sure to visit my friend David Wright’s incredible travelogue website about the Great Basin region. It is packed full of terrain and road reports, along with scores of photographs, based on his many years of personal reconnoitering in this expansive territory. You will practically know the backcountry before even going there personally, that’s how detailed his reporting is. And if you know the area he is covering, you’ll surely enjoy reliving every turn in the old 4×4 trails with David. Click the link below to transport yourself into his remote reconnoitered realm:

http://www.gbr.4wdtrips.net/

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A FEW NOTEWORTHY THOUGHTS

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.“

- Aristotle

Greek philosopher, student of Plato, teacher of Alexander the Great (384 – 322 BC)

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“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the Earth are never alone or weary of life.“

- Rachel Louise Carson

Marine biologist, naturalist, & writer (1907 – 1964)

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“It is the challenge to not get wrapped up in useless and meaningless daily activities that do not support your spirit. It requires you to step out of the ‘machine’ and reconnect with what your heart desires.“

- anonymous

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“It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves – in finding themselves.“

- Andre Gide

French critic, essayist, & novelist (1869 – 1951)

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“Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.“

- Ray Bradbury

American novelist (1920 – )

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“The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.“

- Marcel Proust

French novelist and philosopher (1871 – 1922)

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“Who looks outside, dreams; Who looks inside, awakens.“

- Carl Gustav Jung

Founder of Analytical Psychology (1875 – 1961)

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“Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.“

- Andre Gide

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“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.“

- William Penn

Founder of the Province of Pennsylvania (1644 – 1718)

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“Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.“

- Albert Einstein

German theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)

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“Nothing at all will be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.“

- Samuel Johnson

English Author (1709 – 1784)

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“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.“

- Teddy Roosevelt

Twenty-sixth President of the United States (1858 – 1919)

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“Tis much he dares; and to that dauntless temper of his mind, he hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety.“

- William Shakespeare

from Macbeth

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