Death Valley Poker Run - March 22-25, 2013
 

Death Valley Poker Run - Friday, March 22 to Monday, March 25, 2013
The weekend AFTER St. Patrick's Day and BEFORE Easter. Should be open for everybody! :D
The route covers 175 miles of unpaved, off-road fun. This does not include the on-highway mileage, so don't forget to budget for that, too. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a highly technical, sheet metal-bashing obstacle course but rather a balanced mixture of terrain and sight-seeing with basic dirt roads, slick rocks & ruts, sand dunes and low-level rock crawling. The elevation changes will be huge - from a little over 8,000' to sea level... pine trees to salt flats.

The date of the run nearly coincides with the full moon so night wheeling is possible. There are animals to look out for, including Mojave Green Rattlesnakes and scorpions.

Temperatures on these dates are on average between 54° and 85°F. The record high for these dates is 100°F so it could be hot. Obviously we'll check weather conditions before we go, but be prepared for warm (or hot) weather just in case but normal high temps are around 85°. This is not the hot part of the year and we will not be going in the summer.

Those of you who follow the tv show "Top Gear USA" will recognize the route from Season 2, Episode 4 (which has apparently been removed from YouTube for copyright violations). I contacted the hosts and pieced together the route from what little they remembered and what I could see in the episode while it was still online, including the ghost town of Ballarat, the tough wheeling in Goler Canyon and the long West Side Road. We'll stop off at some of the better photo ops but keep moving for most of the days.

Wheeling Conditions from Death Valley National Park literature:

• Goler Canyon: "Rough 4WD. For experienced 4WD drivers only. Section over both sides of Mengel Pass is challenging, steep and rutted."
• Warm Springs Canyon: "High-clearance first ten miles to Warm Springs Talc mine and camp, then 4WD to Butte Valley due to deep ruts and rocky areas."
• West Side Road: "High-clearance due to washboard, deep gravel and dust pockets."
• Echo Canyon: "High-clearance first three miles, 4WD required beyond. Road to Amargosa Valley is rough 4WD, requiring short-wheelbase, narrow vehicles. Experienced 4WD drivers only. Vehicle damage is possible going over the dry fall. Travel with more than one vehicle recommended.
• Amargosa Big Dune: "A playground that covers about five square miles of dunes and dips, and its centerpiece is a peak that tops out at 500 feet. These hills, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, are a well-kept secret and mostly used by locals, but expect to find plenty of other off-roaders on the weekends. Remember to pack plenty of water and food. 1.5 square mile complex star dune that reaches 2,731 feet above sea level.

FRIDAY - DAY 1
SATURDAY - DAY 2SUNDAY - DAY 3Amargosa Big Dune
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MONDAY - DAY 4
Suggested Packing List... and this is only a cursory list:
- Extra fuel
- All the Water you can carry (at least 2 gallons/day during the summer months and 5 gallons for your 4-wheel drive vehicle).
- Adequate clothing (enough to survive a night out without a warming fire in the winter).
- Map and compass along with the knowledge of how to use them.
- First Aid Kit:

• Roll 2" gauze
• Snake bite kit
• 3x3 gauze pads
• Alcohol wipe pads
• Band aids
• Gauze swabs 1"x1"
• Saline eye wash
• Extra large band aids
• Roll adhesive tape
• Personal prescriptions
• Emergency blanket
• Sun screen

- Shovel
- Fire extinguisher
- High-strength tow strap
- Matches - stored in a waterproof case
- Snaplight Light Sticks
- Distress Whistle and Flares
- Small Pencil and Pad of Paper
- Flash light and/or head lamp and extra batteries
- Spare Vehicle Keys
- Tool & Equipment Kit including:

• Jumper cables
• An assortment of screws, hose clamps, washers, nuts....
• Electrical tape
• Baling wire
• Spare fuses
• Multi-purpose knife
• Multi-plier Tool
• Assorted screw drivers, wrenches, socket wrenches, hammer.....
• Duct tape

POKER RUN INFORMATION (What's a Poker Run?)

1. Poker Run begins at the Rendezvous Point (US-395 & Palmdale Rd. in Lancaster) and ends at Amargosa Big Dune.
2. There will be five stations that you must go to to collect a card concealed in a sealed envelope.
3. Envelopes MUST remain sealed. Damaged/opened envelopes will not be counted.
4. When you collect an envelope, we will write your license plate number on the outside of the envelope.
5. Each card will be numbered with the station number.
6. You MUST bring one card from EACH station to qualify your hand.
7. You are not allowed to switch envelopes with any other competitor. Doing so will forfeit your hand.
8. Competitors will meet at the office at 11 PM to open the envelopes & reveal their hands.
9. Best 5 card hand wins.
10. If two hands are identical apart from the suits of the cards then they count as equal and the pot is split between them.
11. Poker entry fees received will cover campsite reservations, then the balance will be split 50/50 between the poker hand winner and the Boy Scouts of America. If we get enough entries, we can do a group BBQ at Furnace Creek.

POKER RUN ENTRY FEE: $25 per vehicle before 8/31/2012 -- $35 per vehicle 9/1/2012 - 3/22/2013


GOOGLE MAPS LINK - Panamint Range to Vegas - Google Maps On the top right corner, mouse over the button that says, "Satellite" and check the box next to where it says, "Terrain."

GOOGLE EARTH FILE - http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?authu...70fd11826bc036

FEEDBACK IS WELCOME FROM ALL USERS... ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH LOCAL KNOWLEDGE! :-X06

Four signed up so far. (2 paid)