Sunday, March 11, 2018

A Graveyard on the way to Death Valley

As i'm sure you all know, last week was my 36th birthday (thank you for that lovely gift you got me, it was fantastic), and I took the opportunity to ditch a few days of work and pack up the truck, grab one of my favorite carbon based life forms, and head north. While the eventual destination was Mammoth Lakes, our route took us east through Death Valley, and along the way, the road brought us to the edge of a fairly breathtaking overlook. We pulled off the side of the road for a bit of a stretch and to take in the sights, when I noticed the carcass of what appeared to be a mid80s/early 90s domestic sedan, lying far below us on the rocks. A quick look around revealed nearly a dozen other cars in various state of decomposition, as well as a number of tractor tires, hundreds of bottles and cans, and even a frisbee. My best guess is that this is the fastest way to get rid of an unwanted shell, for the residents of Trona, CA, and the surrounding area.

A quick scramble across a very unstable rock hillside took us face to face with these assorted skeletons, ranging from what i can only guess was a late 60s sedan, all the way up to a mid 70s japanese wagon, with a boulder placed perfectly across the dashboard.

This trip was in no way planned to involve anything car related, which is a rarity for me. Somehow it ended up that way without effort. Even the most beloved cars can sometimes meet undeserving fates. Hopefully these ones will continue to bewilder and amuse any traveler lucky enough to spot them.


the road is out of frame, above us on the left, and continues off in the distance. multiple remnants of cars directly ahead, and more below on the lower right

click the image for a larger size, additional photos here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2042790939272467.1073741832.1611210679097164&type=1&l=3dde3ba134

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