On January 16, 6007 the Northern Types gathered together and headed south after a long year’s wait for another great desert trek. Present were XNGH “Rotten Ron” Gilbert, XNGH Bob “Motor” Morthole, XNGH Russ “Herr Wagon Master” Cupp, XGNR Wild Bill “Foghorn” Wensrich, XPBC Read Livingstone, XPBC Erick “El Ammo” Ammons and future PBC Hugh Hayden. The goal for the first day was to reach Panamint Springs near Death Valley and set up camp. Hugh was wondering and worrying what the stories were all about when the Brothers told him tales of the notorious Etruscan and Vituscan nights.

Arriving at Panamint Springs, the hearty Northern Vituscans found the winter elevation at “the Springs” to be about 2,000 feet above sea level. The wind was blowin’ and the water frozen when the Redshirts awoke Thursday morn. Due to a family crisis, Erick and Hugh had to depart and return home. They were given suitable food and drink for the return trip—a little Glen Livet so they could “live it" up on the way home. We kept the cigars for ourselves.

After a hearty breakfast served up by ClampChef Wild Bill Wensrich with the assistance of AssClampChef Bob “Motor” Morthole the five remaining Northern Types set off on the first day exploring. Our goal for the day was to take the route around Hunter Mountain, see Death Valley's famous "Racetrack" and possibly return via Lippencott Pass road. Northern Vituscans of course can’t read, so we proceeded on ahead into the forbidden Hunter Mt. zone.

Saline Valley Road near Panamint Springs

A big ol’Joshua Tree along Saline Valley Road with Wild Bill posing for relative sizing.

Panamint Valley viewed from Hunter Mountain road

  
An old International dump truck at Goldbelt Spring

When the five Northern Vituscans reached the Racetrack it was time to discuss taking a route none present had crossed,... the feared Lippencott Pass road. After reading harrowing tales in a book ‘Not So Wild’ Bill and 'Rotten Ron' decided on the Ubehebe Crater route back to camp. Russ, Bob and Read decided on the Lippencott route. The route from the Racetrack is all downhill, very steep in places and with switchback turns that required a spotter to get the long, long, long bed of the Dodge RAM around some tight corners unscathed.

One of the few wide spots on the Lippencott Pass road

View of Saline Valley from the Saline Pass grade

On Friday the Northern Types broke camp at Panamint Springs and headed south to meet up with the Vituscan Missionaries albeit a short side trip to view the Trona Pinnacles en-route.

The Trona Pinnacles

The pinnacles were formed about 20,000 years ago during the Ice Age when Lake Searle’s covered this area. They were formed when springs in the lake bottom carried dissolved calcium minerals that built up as columns underwater. When Lake Searles dried up the columns were left.

The Vituscan Missionary Clampsite was found about forty miles north of Barstow, California within the vast Mojave desert. We verily enjoyed the Billy Holcomb-Bill Mann history lessons of the area and are now all solid petroglyph hounds. Remember, if you dare venture into the Inscription Canyon or Black Canyon territory and read the modern petroglyphs that say “A. Tillman was here – 1874,” don’t be surprised to find out when you get home that your Widder has a new tattoo on the right side of her butt that says “A. Tillman was here (while you were out dinkin' drinkin' sinkin' and stinkin' in the desert).” On Saturday, January 19th the mysteries of the Mojave became clear to all of us as noted above.

Black Canyon Petroglyph

The “Birdman” Petroglyph

Vituscan Missionaries getting enlightened on the area

A. Tillman left his mark

  
The Billy Holcomb Bar near the end of the trek
First time the Beer has been on Billy Holcomb in all the treks we’ve attended! Satisfactory!!!

Saturday night at the Vituscan Clampsite in the high Mojave the wind turned up somethin’ fierce to about 40 M.P.H. plus with gusts far exceeding that figure. And it was cold! So, the Wagon Master says to Wild Bill, "break out the red wine - all 12 bottles." The "Motor," our wine keeper was hidin' from the wind in the Expedition, so he didn't know what was goin' on. Clampchef Foghorn made a grand feast of hor d' oeuvres. By the time all the food was laid out the Wagon Master called out, "hey these cucumber slices are frozen." Well, we still had the red wine. It was some night with the wind and the wine.

Sunday morning the Northern Types broke camp and headed north to Death Valley. We stopped at Saratoga Springs and took in the sights. On through deep sand to Ibex springs as we rounded out the day. The sand gave the Dodge RAM a little trouble considering its highway tires and almost 8,000 pounds of weight. The Expedition did a high-speed float through the sand when the Wagon Master said, “keep your speed up.”

Saratoga Springs, Death Valley

Ibex Springs, Death Valley

Monday, January 21st saw the Northern Vituscans laid over at Shoshone. We enjoyed a night on the town followed by our trip over Dead Man’s pass to Greenwater and then on to Furnace Creek. We aren’t gunna talk about Dodges getting pulled out of the sand by Fords on this part of the trip. It wouldn’t be good for the camaraderie that comes by way of these trips.

Greenwater Valley Road

The last remaining building in Kuntz

On the way to Greenwater

Greenwater Monument, Death Valley

Tuesday, January 22nd, the hearty Vituscans visited Johnson Canyon and Hungry Bill’s Ranch. Below is the marker for the Bennett-Long Camp. In January of 1852 two young men named Manley and Rodgers left the party in Death Valley while they walked 150 miles out of the valley to get help.

Monument at Bennett's Long Camp, Death Valley
(Click on picture to read plaque)

Johnson Canyon was named after an entrepreneur who farmed a valley on the east side of the Panamints to feed the hungry miners on the west side of the Panamints located at Panamint City. The boom at Panamint city died, and William Johnson left the valley. Hungry Bill, an immense Shoshone Chief of large size moved onto the terraced property that Wm. Johnson developed. Very little remains of the Johnson/Hungry Bill ranch. The hike is a worth while effort.

An arrastra next to the trail to Hungry Bill's Ranch

An arrastra is a device the miners used to crush ore. A burro would walk around and around pulling a beam attached to a vertical shaft. A bolder would be attached to the beam and be dragged around the circle. The miners would drop ore into the path of the boulder and pan gold from the crushed ore. It was crude but it was inexpensive and it worked.

The trail through Johnson Canyon

A rock wall at Hungry Bill's Ranch

 
The gravesite of Shorty Harris and Jim Dayton

Wednesday, January 23rd, found the Northern Vituscans ridin' through the Hole in the Wall where they attempted a climb at the famous “Slit” hiking trail. Two sheer walls, 12 and 50 feet kept the Vituscans at bay, who resounded they would return one day and conquer the wall. Now don’t get this “hole in the wall” mixed up with the hole in the wall that Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch used in the late 1800s, nor should you get this hole mixed up with any of those you may have mined during your Wanderin' Widder days.

Hole In The Wall road

Bill climbing the first dry waterfall

Thursday, January 24th--The end of the trek came far too soon and fast. We high tailed it back to Northern California via the inland Nevada highway 95 route seeing a few interesting sights such as Walker Lake below.

Stay tuned for more adventures of the Northern Vituscans. Our travel and stories will thrill the reader with tales of extended Vituscan missions.

Walker Lake, NV