RESN&GB4x4 - Stovepipe Well, Death Valley

Death valley national park stovepipe well original b2 bomber

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Death Valley
Stovepipe Well
A Study in Paradox

The Death Valley sand dunes – restless, all consuming, smothering anything and everything that dares to be in their presence. Be it plant, beast or man. With each wintertime storm gust, or springtime gale, the sand marches onward, conquering all.

The Death Valley sand dunes – one doesn't normally associate water with sand, except at the ocean. And the nearest ocean is 262 miles in a straight line west to Monterey Bay on the blue Pacific. And if the ocean was near to the Death Valley sand dunes, it would cover them with over 100 feet of water. But there is water to be found beneath the sand dunes at Death Valley.

The Death Valley sand dunes – look at them, there are mesquite thickets perched all over them. The sand does its best to bury that fact, and it generally does. But the mesquite continues to grow. Because there is water under the sand. Animals instinctively know there is water there and they utilize it. Just like the mesquite utilizes the liquid of life.

The Death Valley sand dunes – man knew there was liquid under the barren sand. But he was always in search, because, as it was said before, the sand smothers all. Man labored and dug, man found, which sand then hid.

The Death Valley sand dunes – some nameless soul dug, found and then shoved a length of stovepipe into the sand. That made it easier for man to find, harder for sand to smother. And so, Stovepipe Well was penned to a surveyors map and the traveler's psyche from that point forward.

Early Stovepipe Well

Stovepipe Well – a crude station was built here. It was built to serve man and beast. It provided water, whiskey, grub and a dirty cot. Sand snuck in through the cracks and into one's clothes, bedding, grub and whiskey. But it was far better than being exposed out in the sand during a storm.

Stovepipe Well – during the mining boom of 1904-1908, Pope Toledos, Maxwells, Wintons, Thomas Flyers and other early automobiles were a paradox to the former sight of a man on two feet and a pair of burros trudging behind. But, Stovepipe Well was a paradox in itself, for it provided some measure of comfort to those who cared to stop in to sample something other than a mouthful of sand.

The old Stovepipe Well used to be accessed by an automobile road, north of the present California Highway 190 and east of the present modern Stovepipe Wells Village, but is no longer accessible except by foot. The experience in the modern world is pleasant – cool, pleasant, whiskey, soda pop, a clean cot with not a grain of sand to be found.

But take a pleasant stroll a couple of miles north of the highway – unless, of course, you are in one of Death Valley's legendary sandstorms. But if you take the time to come, you will likely be alone. And you can experience the true ambiance of Death Valley.

And so it was that once came to Stovepipe Well in January 1997 and experienced my own paradox. I came enjoy history and quiet. I found history, but the quiet was not forthcoming. Because there was an alien presence. At the time the road to Stovepipe Well could still be legally followed. I found the historical marker and the stone base with the well casing designating Stovepipe Well – no old length of stovepipe is used today. Not a soul was seen nor heard.

Z Original Stovepipe Well

But a strange sound was soon detected overhead. It grew louder and then impossible to ignore. My head turned skyward. And that's when I found an alien presence – and yet another Death Valley paradox. A paradox that in days of old was as alien as a Maxwell or a Pope-Toledo chugging its way across the valley. For high above my head was the fabled and semi-secret B2 Bomber, along with its attendant chase plane.

It was a surreal scene that day – alone in the middle of Death Valley. Not a soul in sight. My feet planted in the timeless sands of the wild west – in touch with Shorty Harris and his burros, in touch with Alkali Bill Brong, in touch with all those who passed this way and maybe died along the way as well.

All the while above, the future roared passed. Not once, but three times as the two planes circled and passed by before finally flying off into the wild unknown.

Come to Stovepipe Well. Who knows what you will find!

Last Revision: 3/3/10