Death Valley Furnace Creek, CA - March 2009 (Plus, Donation Opportunity)

[ScottSchmidt]

In March, we took an unexpected trip to Furnace Creek which is located in Death Valley, California. We were visiting Las Vegas with some friends for a couple of days and had the weekend free. A front was moving in on Sunday so we decided to head over the Furnace Creek for one night which was only about 85nm west of Las Vegas. Friday afternoon we launched out of North Las Vegas to Furnace Creek.
Immediately out of Las Vegas, you are using all 260 HP to climb over the mountains which had snow on them even though it was 80 degrees when we left and 94 when we landed in Furnace Creek.

Looking back towards Las Vegas




Furnace Creek is a small resort in the middle of the desert. Here is their website. http://www.furnacecreekresort.com/
It consists of two hotels, a couple restaurants, a store, golf course and lots of camping and RV spots.

Death Valley is home to the lowest point in North America which is 232 feet below sea level. The airport is located at 210 feet below sea level.
http://www.airnav.com/airport/L06

As you approach Furnace Creek from the east, you start to see a green area in the middle of the desert. The runway appears to be much longer than it actually is. Only 3,000 feet of the runway is paved and the rest looks like they either tore it up or never finished it.





You can start to see Furnace Creek in the distance.

[ScottSchmidt]

As I mentioned there are two hotels, Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort. The Furnace Creek Inn is about twice as expense as the Ranch Resort. The Inn is up on the hill and the ranch is located in the larger area.

This picture shows the Inn on the hill.


We landed and they have a phone at the airport where you can call for a van to pick you up. They were there within 5 minutes.

Here is a good picture of the golf course, which of course is the lowest golf course in North America.






This is a cool picture of the Cheltons on the ground. You don't see that everyday.




It really is a flat desert our there.

[ScottSchmidt]

The only room available was located at the Furance Creek Inn. We were lucky to even get a room it sounds like.
The Inn was built in 1927 and has been updated. It is a great hotel with a nice pool. They also have a garden that makes you feel like you are in Hawaii, not the driest place in America.
It appeared to me that Furnace Creek has been placed on the map recently. More and more people were visiting during the winter months and it was being featured in many travel magazines. I asked them why it had become so popular lately and they told me that in 2004 (I think) they had some flooding and it caused the best wild flower blooming ever. There were flowers that they had never seen before. This made the news all over and really caused a buzz for Furnace Creek and Death Valley.

Here are a few pictures of the Furnace Creek Inn.









This is a great getaway for your spouse with a nice pool, warm winter sun, great margaritas and massage. To end the day, we had a good dinner at the Wrangler Steakhouse which is located down at the Ranch Resort, and enjoyed the walk back. There were NO lights which provided a great view of the stars. We had fun looking at all the constellations. I have a great iPhone app. called Starmap that shows the sky and all the names.

Here is a sign we passed on our way back to the Furnace Creek Inn.


The next day we had a beautiful breakfast at the Inn and received a ride back to the plane to beat the storm that was coming in the next day.





We would go back for sure someday to do more exploring and go to Badwater which is where the lowest elevation is located, it is only 17 miles from Furnace Creek. We had great weather and found some new friends.

[ScottSchmidt]

OK, here is another real reason I did this write-up.

At dinner that night, we met Sharon, our waitress, who was so nice and really fun to talk with. She told us all about her fight against cancer and how she was lucky to have won the battle. The last year several years she and her friends have been raising money for cancer patients at Death Valley. Here is a link to the fundraiser and upcoming event in May.
http://www.deathvalleywalkforlife.org/inspiration.html
There are 400 employees working in Death Valley and three of them are currently fighting cancer. Last year they raised $5,000 at this event.
Here is a picture of Sharon with us.


The Death Valley Walk For Life organization is a qualified non-profit and uses the money to assist with the financial burdens for those fighting cancer, such as installing handicap ramps at homes, paying for transportation to and from Las Vegas where they are receiving treatments and covering out-of-pocket expenses. Sharon is a true cancer survivor and I feel like we could help those like her in this community.

So, here is my idea! Do you all think we as a community (VAF) could raise $1,000? That is only $5 from 200 people. We have over 9,000 members!
Here is what I will do if you donate. Please send me a picture of you and/or your loved ones (or your plane) and I will assemble a collage of the pictures of everyone who donated no matter the amount and get it nicely printed and framed for Sharon to hang in one of the community facilities at Death Valley. Not only will our help go directly to the real people dealing with such a horrible thing, it also shows the Death Valley community that the people who use their airport and services really do care. I will even deliver the picture and donation personally prior to or at the event.

We have 30 days to complete this goal and I will keep this thread updated on our progress.
You also might want to fly into Furnace Creek for this walk event if you can. I’m going to try and make it if my schedule allows. It would be fun to walk with a group of people for a great cause in the sun. Just talking with Sharon, I could feel her passion for this event and the overall cause. She really made a strong impression on me.

Send your donations to my Pay Pal account or to me directly and I will make sure every dollar is donated from the VAF community. The participants walking also carry a scroll with a list of names of those who have survived, lost the battle or are currently fighting cancer. The community will read every name during a candle lighting ceremony the first night. Feel free to include name(s) of someone you would like to add to the scroll with your donation.

You can either go to www.paypal.com and send money to scottmschmidt@yahoo.com (just put in the notes that is for the Death Valley Walk for Life), or mail a check or anything else to me at the address below. Just make a check out to “Death Valley Walk for Life”.

Scott Schmidt
13982 Timber Ridge Dr.
Draper, UT 84020

I think this is a wonderful chance to help out a group of people in need and help service their community. Plus, $1000 seems like an achievable goal! Even the smallest of good makes a difference!

[rvator51]

Heart Warming Scott. Sent my Paypal donation.

[ScottSchmidt]

I scanned the brochure she gave me. It might have more information about the walk and cause if anyone else is interested.

[ScottSchmidt]

Here is an update as of Saturday April 4th.

[Mike S]

I know it sounds like a bit of a joke, but---

Check is in the mail.

[ScottSchmidt]

I just wanted to update everyone today on our progress and I thought I would do an update every time we pass a $100 mark or twice per week. (whichever comes first)
Thanks for all the support, this will make a big difference.

[tommylewis]

Looks like a worthy cause.