The wind abated a little overnight but it was still windy and the temperature was barely above freezing when we got up just after 7 am. We had planned to skip breakfast at camp in favor of picking something up once we were on the road but we weren’t sure how long that could be and with hundreds of miles to drive we thought it best not to start the drive hangry so we had quick and easy granola and a cup of tea. Between the wind and the cold temperature it took forever for the kettle to boil.
Packed up and on the road it was about a 5 hour drive to Death Valley. We stopped en route to resupply food and gas so we were all set for the next few days.
Fleeing Joshua Trees winter storm warning we had no idea what was waiting for us in Death Valley and we arrived to find 35mph desert winds. At least it was warmer than Joshua Tree but wholly cow, the winds were fierce. We arrived at Texas Springs 1st come first served campground a little after 2 pm and snagged one of the last sites. Putting the tent up in the wind was a major undertaking and when leaving to go sightseeing for a couple of hours we had no idea if it would still be standing when we returned.
We got back just before dark and high fived when we saw the tent wasn’t shredded but then were dismayed to unzip it and see everything inside covered in a thick layer of dust; gritty sleeping bags, gritty pillows, everything covered, ugh!
It was too windy to cook and too cold to stay up so at 6:30 pm we clambered into our dusty tent with a beer, some cheese and crackers and a tin of dolmas. It was enough. We also had milk and mini eggs and the lights were out by 7:30 pm. Spicers living it large!