Looking for cheap thrills?
Try Death Valley west to east starting on 395 and go back eastbound on 136. Fairly benign for the first hour or so until you start down to Panamint Springs. We just did three weeks in the southern Rockies last month and never incurred anything half as scary as this stretch. :E.
Sheer drop off's of a thousand feet + with no shoulder and few guard rails. My bride said the views were awesome but 210% of my attention was on that very narrow road!
Once you bottom out east of Panamint Springs you get to climb back up the roughly 5,000' you just dropped. My V-10 powered 2012 24' C has power to spare but this grade pushed it to the limits. We cleared the summit at 40 mph after backing down from 45 as the trans fluid temp reached 230 degrees. Admittedly, despite a forecast high of 82 it was s little north of 100 by 1030 AM.
The drop down into the bottom of DV is a little easier if you keep it in second or third gear and you get to enjoy a little bit more of the view. The climb out to the east is a piece of cake compared to the the westbound exit of the valley. Saw a couple of large fivers headed west and wished them well.
Bottom line... Glad I did it, had not been to DV since I was 10. Would I do it again (west to east, anytime soon?), I don't think so.
:B
Sheer drop off's of a thousand feet + with no shoulder and few guard rails. My bride said the views were awesome but 210% of my attention was on that very narrow road!
Once you bottom out east of Panamint Springs you get to climb back up the roughly 5,000' you just dropped. My V-10 powered 2012 24' C has power to spare but this grade pushed it to the limits. We cleared the summit at 40 mph after backing down from 45 as the trans fluid temp reached 230 degrees. Admittedly, despite a forecast high of 82 it was s little north of 100 by 1030 AM.
The drop down into the bottom of DV is a little easier if you keep it in second or third gear and you get to enjoy a little bit more of the view. The climb out to the east is a piece of cake compared to the the westbound exit of the valley. Saw a couple of large fivers headed west and wished them well.
Bottom line... Glad I did it, had not been to DV since I was 10. Would I do it again (west to east, anytime soon?), I don't think so.
:B
