The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum - Fine Art Landscape Photography

Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Gas??

Posted By: James Morrissey

Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Gas?? - 03/31/08 10:04 PM

What is the world coming too? I am sitting in Stovepipe Wells in the office with a wireless internet connection. Absolutely amazing. I never expected to see the Parks add this as a feature. It is greatly appreciated - even if I have to be willing to travel a bit to get the connection (it does not work in the room).

However, as amazing as this is, what really floored me is the $5.169 for regular unleaded gasoline at the local Shell station in Panamint Springs. I was so amazed that I actually photographed the station, LOL. If you check out the attachment you will see that Premium is $5.359.

I am on a short break right now. We will be going up towards Badwater for this evening's sunset. This morning, we did the Dunes by Stovepipe and then headed up to Panamint to see Darwin Falls.

Cheers,
James



Attached picture 14248-_MG_9843_panamintgas.jpg
Posted By: glamson

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Gas?? - 03/31/08 10:20 PM

Quote:

What is the world coming too? I am sitting in Stovepipe Wells in the office with a wireless internet connection. Absolutely amazing. I never expected to see the Parks add this as a feature. It is greatly appreciated - even if I have to be willing to travel a bit to get the connection (it does not work in the room).

However, as amazing as this is, what really floored me is the $5.169 for regular unleaded gasoline at the local Shell station in Panamint Springs. I was so amazed that I actually photographed the station, LOL. If you check out the attachment (sorry, I cannot embed files right now while on the road), you will see that Premium is $5.359.

I am on a short break right now. We will be going up towards Badwater for this evening's sunset.

Cheers,
James




James,

I never even thought to check to see if there was a wireless connection. Of course I was staying in the campground across the street in our travel trailer.

I was trying to forget my Panamint gas debacle, but you've brought it all back. We left DV from Stovepipe and I had a half tank of gas in my pickup and figured I could make it to Trona on that. Big mistake. What I didn't factor in was that long grade out of the valley towing a trailer. My pickup sucked up that half tank and by the time I got to the junction I was running low. So we drove over to Panamint and had some sticker shock. But there was nothing I could do. I bought 8 gallons at $5.16/gal. Ouch. That is one record I don't want to break again.

Good shooting for the rest of your trip.

Geo
Posted By: dave_lines

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Gas?? - 03/31/08 11:17 PM

Ouch,,, I knew there was a reason I didn't go to DV last week,, DAve
Posted By: James Morrissey

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/01/08 05:59 PM

Hey Tony,

Thanks for the edit on my message to embed the photo. LOL, not my finest work, but I thought it was definitely worth showing!!

James
Posted By: James Morrissey

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/01/08 06:04 PM

Hey George,

Sorry to hear that you wound up giving them 8 gallons. Up the road at Stovepipe, the price is around 4.05/gallon. While it is still expensive, it is a heck of a lot better than the price at Panamint. I believe that Stovepipe has the lowest prices in the park...though I am curious to see what they are charging in Beatty (Nevada).

Chanthee and I got in from Dante's View this morning. What looked promising turned into a very hazy sunrise. I don't get why I have such difficulty every single time I go there. Outside of the first trip, with Steve Kossack, I have no gotten a good shot there yet. However, yesterday, we DID see the pup fish at the Salt Creek. A very cool experience, indeed. Also, we did the Salt Flats at sunset for the first time ever. I THINK they came out very nice - I will have to see when I get home.

In a few minutes, Chanthee and I are heading out to the Race Track. Last year we got there too late (it is about 3 hours from Stovepipe given how slow you need to go on the road)...combined with the fact that the sun cuts out early due to the mountain range, and I felt real cheated!! That will not happen today. :P

Cheers,
James


James
Posted By: Julie

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/01/08 11:29 PM

You know, it is really sad when you cheer when you find gas for $3.02 a gallon!!

$5.16 is TRUE highway robbery
Posted By: Peggy Sue

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/02/08 01:16 AM

James, this post has truly bummed me the whole day. I know that price is on our horizon but this sort of put it in a very clear light. Ick!

I hope you two are having a wonderful time. Hope to see some wonderful images soon - not the depressing kind like the above.
Posted By: Darren Rowley

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/02/08 05:58 AM

Do you remember the days when gasoline was cheaper than camera gear?
Posted By: Julie

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/02/08 01:14 PM

I remember filling my car up with $10 and driving for 2 weeks!

You all want to choke at a gas pump? Come stand with me as I fill up my 34' Class A motorhome. That is unpleasant! At least it is a gasser vs a Diesel! The pusher sure are nice, but, owie.
Posted By: Peggy Sue

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/02/08 01:52 PM

I understand, Julie, since my best friend is looking at retirement as a full timer in her RV. Looks like she will be up on blocks instead of traveling with the USA.
Posted By: Julie

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/03/08 01:23 PM

Funny thing is, that the RV'ers aren't really putting up their motorhomes. While going down the interstate, you see pretty much just as many as ever.

We went down to camping world to get some stuff and in their dealership part, they were packed and there were salesmen in the process of signing contracts.

RVing is so expensive anyhow, you don't buy it to save money. It is a luxury people make a choice to spend money on.

I just don't travel that far in mine and will not take it over the mountains for short trips. I am going to Perry in it and will come out about even vs staying in a hotel. Even if it is a bit more expensive, it is worth it for the convenience and comfort factor, ESPECIALLY with the kids!!
Posted By: glamson

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/03/08 04:11 PM

Quote:

RVing is so expensive anyhow, you don't buy it to save money. It is a luxury people make a choice to spend money on.

I just don't travel that far in mine and will not take it over the mountains for short trips. I am going to Perry in it and will come out about even vs staying in a hotel. Even if it is a bit more expensive, it is worth it for the convenience and comfort factor, ESPECIALLY with the kids!!




Julie,

No, there's no saving any money with an RV these days with the price of fuel. We got our 22' travel trailer for a couple of reasons. We really enjoy camping "in the wild" on BLM land. We like to get really way out there on the mountain trails with our dirt bike and ATV. There really is nothing like being 20+ miles from anything under the stars. It's been a while since we did any park camping and on this last trip to Joshua Tree and DV, we really felt crowded in the designated campsites.

The other reason is we just don't like to travel without our dogs and our dogs don't like us to leave them home. There's nothing my Goldies like more that exploring wide open spaces. So many smells, so much freedom. RVing is definitely worth it for us.

Geo

Anza Borrego Desert, California


Stoddard Valley, California
Posted By: Julie

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/03/08 04:20 PM

That first shot looks like an RV ad!!!!

The only reason we have a motorhome, is because of the dogs. We decided against a TT or a 5th wheel because I couldn't fit the dogs and kids in a truck. If I just had kids or just had dogs, it would be another story
Posted By: glamson

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/03/08 04:38 PM

Quote:

That first shot looks like an RV ad!!!!

The only reason we have a motorhome, is because of the dogs. We decided against a TT or a 5th wheel because I couldn't fit the dogs and kids in a truck. If I just had kids or just had dogs, it would be another story




Julie,

I hear ya. Our dogs take up the whole back seat in the truck and even then there are times they have trouble getting comfortable. Fortunately (I think) our kids are too old now to travel with their parents.

Geo

BTW with a 5th wheel trailer, people and dogs can actually ride leagally in the trailer. I don't know how comfortable that is but I've seen people do it. While I'm not fond of hauling a trailer, I really like the fact that you can drop it when you get to your destination and use the pickup to explore with. I took a 34' motorhome on trip of the Southwest a couple of years ago, and I really hated having to drive that monster around every park we visited. You also can't take them on those exciting jeep roads like you can with a 4 wheel drive pickup.
Posted By: dave_lines

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/03/08 05:06 PM

love your first shot. We have a pop up camper that fits on the back of the 4x4, about 1500lbs. It cuts the milage down a bit but still cheaper than moteling it. Our Grandson lives with us to, so it works out good there too. DAve
Posted By: Jim Rickards

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/03/08 05:53 PM

That is one gorgeous night shot! I use a large tent trailer (3000 lbs), just to be able to stop where I want - Parks, remote areas etc. Even campgrounds in a pinch :-)
Posted By: James Morrissey

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/06/08 12:14 AM

Hi George,

The first shot is really quite spectacular. Thanks for sharing it.

James
Posted By: James Morrissey

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/06/08 12:15 AM

Welp, we are back in the City as of a couple of hours ago. LOL, the place is a real wreck. It is going to take a bit to clean everything up and then get the computer up and running to dump all of the files off of. Over-all, I have about 200 or so files that I like...I am hoping to narrow that down to about 25 or 30 for presentation to everyone.

Cheers
James

PS I did a search on gas prices, it turns out that there is another station in California that is actually slightly more expensive (it was $5.20/gallon) here in the continental USA.
Posted By: Visceral Image

Re: Death Valley - Wireless Internet and $5.16+ Ga - 04/10/08 08:24 PM

OUCH, $5.20/gallon
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