Death Valley

Calendar Nominations

I was leafing though the photo albums, looking for something special for the 2010 Firecloud Calendar.

When I got to the Death Valley stuff, I realized that at least one might rate the June cover page.

We drove though last June on the way to the California Redwoods,


The RV dash air-conditioner was kaput again, but the midday temperatures of 110 degrees did not bother us.
We saw some Chevy Volts out on a desert test drive. Actually, they were "mules" with the volt drive train in a Cavalier body.

The Death Valley National Park is a strange and oddly lovely place.

No Zombies here.

It's a worthless, blasted place except for the Borax.

Still, it has it's own strange beauty.

I drove 200 miles to see Mom today. We walked about two miles in a park and then had lunch at Chili's. We had tortillas soup and half a turkey sandwich. I ordered a margarita and they brought me two in accordance with their 24/7 happy hour policy.

גַּ֤ם כִּֽי־אֵלֵ֨ךְ בְּגֵ֪יא צַלְמָ֡וֶת לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֤א רָ֗ע כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי׃

Someone had blunder'd:

Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

20 Mule Team Borax

Death Valley, California



Borax or Sodium Borate has a number of interesting uses:

• Cleaning out a skull brain cavity prior to mounting.
• Neutron absorber for nuclear reactors and spent fuel rod pools.
• Welding flux.
• Insecticide
• Detergent
• Food additive (banned in most countries as it causes liver cancer)
• Fire retardant
• Gives fire a green tint.

Borax was mined on the floor of Death Valley for a period of time. It was hauled 167 miles over the desert to the rail head in Mojave by teams of twenty mules in a trip that took ten days each way.



One of the most brilliant and lengthy marketing campaigns in history cashed in on the mystique of Death Valley. The campaign to sell Borax detergent, douches and other Borax products evolved as technology changed:

• At first the mule teams and specially built wagons made appearances all over America during circuses, parades and other special events.
• In the 1920s, the marketing shifted to billboards as automobiles became more common.
• From 1931 to 1946 the radio program "Death Valley Days", hosted by a grizzled Old Ranger were a regular half hour feature.
• From 1952 to 1972 A TV program of the same name was produced by Gene Autry and sponsored by 20 Mule Team Borax. The Old ranger hosted 558 shows from 1952-65 and was replaced by Ronald Reagan. This program was the longest running American Western. The stories were based on true Death Valley events.

Here's a picture of the specially built desert wagons. The mules hauled twenty tons of Borax in a rig that included two wagons for the Borax and one for mule water.

Chevy Volt Seen in Secret Death Valley Test Drive

Death Valley, California

It's a long way between service stations in Death Valley. Dante's Peak at 6,000 feet offers a spectacular view of the desert floor 300 feet below sea level.

The 13 mile spur drive up to the peak is a hard climb with slopes of up to 15 degrees. We have to drop the Toyota down to first gear for sections because it lugs and threatens to stall in second gear.


Three white cars pull in next to us in the viewing area. They have masking tape over what appears to be Chevrolet grill and trunk emblems. Telltale 120-volt male plugs dangle near the front bumper.


The teams of drivers rev up what sounds like a high performance electrical generators. They plug laptops into the dashboard perhaps to analyze battery levels and generator output. Hoping for more privacy, they move to a more remote area and open the hood of one vehicle. I wander over and see a FUCHS logo on one mechanical part. FUCHS makes high performance air filters.


The driver slams shut the hood. I ask if these are Chevy Volts and the driver grunts, "NO!", but he is lying. The Volt is a all electric plug-in with the performance of a 260 HP V-6. It runs 40 miles on electric. When the batteries get low a generator kicks in. These cars are a long way from an electrical socket.


Maybe it's time to buy GM stock?

Death Valley National Park is the largest park in the lower 48 states. We were surprised by the geological diversity and beauty of the desolate landscape.