Hi everyone,

Well, I finally got the video done and am ready to post a trip report. So, here it goes.

My friend and I decided to head down to Furnace Creek in Death Valley to do the half marathon and to check out Chicken Strip in early February (just a few weeks ago). We left from northern UT around mid morning and were on our way to Furnace Creek via Tonopah. I really hadn't flown over this area at all and was looking forward to some sightseeing, but some of that was hampered due to the scattered clouds that we ended up having under us around the eastern side of Nevada. After a short bathroom break in Tonopah, we were on our way to Furnace Creek. It was pretty cool to see some of the old hangers and to read of the WWII history associated with the area.

Approaching Death Valley, it was pretty impressive to see the valley drop to below sea level. It was fun to see the altimeter wind through sea level while on short final to Furnace Creek, which sits at -211 MSL. On the ground, we stretched our legs, checked out the airport, and decided on what to do next. We had planned on flying down to Bacon Strip, but we were later getting to Furnace Creek than we had planned and weren't really looking forward to another long ride since we had just been in the airplane for 4 hours. So, we decided to run over to Chicken Strip to check it out. That ended up being just about right. By the time we went over, checked out the strip and got back to Furnace Creek, the sun was about to set.

After tying the plane down, we got a ride in to the resort, had some dinner, and checked out the general store before walking back to the airport in the dark (about 25 minutes). Back to the plane, we pitched our tents under the wing and got to bed since we would be up early the next morning for the race.

The next morning, we woke up, threw our gear back in the plane, and headed over for the race. It looked like there were 300-400 participants and we had a great time running the race. I had a new personal best shaving 5 minutes off of my half marathon time. The whole run was below sea level. After lunch at the general store and grabbing some supplies, we caught a ride back to the strip. We had thought about running down to Bacon Strip after the race, but by this time, we thought getting over to Chicken Strip, setting up camp, and soaking in some hot springs sounded like a better idea. So off we went to Chicken Strip.

With camp set up, we spent the rest of the day visiting with other campers and soaking in a couple of tubs. They even have a cold one which was good for soaking our legs after a run! We walked up to the Palm Springs and, as others have noted, it didn't take long to see people communing with nature in the buff. We also saw some F-18s buzzing around right after we arrived, but they weren't very low. Soon the sun was setting and it was time to wander back to camp to get something to eat and to enjoy the evening in camp.

The next morning, as I was enjoying the surnrise, I heard my friend say, "Oh boy, I wasn't expecting that!" I said, "What?" To which he replied, "My Jetboil is on fire!" I looked over there and saw the glow of flames through his tent material and saw black smoke rising. Well, it ends up that it was next to his tent, not in it. His coffee brew that he put in boiled over and caught on fire! I ran over and was able to turn the gas off and, after a handful of dirt followed by a quick photo op, I put the rest of the flames out with some water.

Before we left, we went down the the windsock to try to give it some more life. It was torn in several places and we patched it the best we could with my sewing kit and some safety pins that we had with us. By mid morning, it was time to head home since we promised our wives we'd be home in time for the Super Bowl party that he and his wife were hosting. We had a beautiful flight over to Bishop, grabbed some fuel, and headed home south of Austin, NV, over Wendover, and back to Ogden, UT.

What a great trip in some really beautiful country! Chicken Strip is something else and we are so glad we had the chance to check it out. We really hope to get our wives down there to check it out. Again, thanks to RAF and the BCP guys that had a hand it getting it open again. It was a wonderful weekend of hanging out with a great friend, a good run, great camping, and amazing flying.

Thanks for the report. Really enjoyed the pictures and video!

Nice video and music. I have been thinking of heading down there as soon as there is a break in the Northern Idaho weather. Anything that surprised you in Death Valley ?

Nice job guys.......

Ben.

You are getting very good with that camera- Bravo!!!

Great video. Enjoyed it!!

A good trip video, alright! Glad to hear you had a great trip.

Very Nice, Indeed

They did a nice job outlining the strip with white rocks-- makes it easy to be sure from the air that you have the right place.

Thanks guys! It was a great trip. I am hoping to learn more of what Magix can do for the footage I'll take later this flying season. I know I am just scratching the surface so far.

IDmaule, I didn't really come across anything that surprised me...other than how really cool the area is. If you read the other threads on this forum that talk about the strip and the military activity in the area, I think you should be good to go. Best fuel price was in Bishop. Coming from the north, Wells by far had the best price...$4.70ish if I remember right. Have a good trip down if you come...it is well worth it. I wish I had made it to Bacon and Giant Boulder, and some of the others, but it wasn't in the cards for this trip. Someday I'd love to hook up with some locals that could show me around. Kern Valley looked great from Rob's photos. That is another place I'd like to check out.