Posted on 08/07/2009 6:59:42 PM PDT by driftdiver
Edited on 08/07/2009 7:03:19 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
An 11-year-old Las Vegas boy died after his mother's car got stuck in sand for five days on their way to Death Valley for a camping trip, officials said Friday.
Carlos Sanchez and his 28-year-old mother set out for an overnight trip to the area Aug. 1, but were stranded when their car got stuck about 20 miles east of Trona. The mother's name has not been released.
(Excerpt) Read more at lasvegasnow.com ...
A tragedy but it sounds like lack of knowledge killed him and not so much lack of water.
Sounds like an alleged killing. alleged.
No right-minded person goes to Death Valley in August. I am sorry she lost her son but this was avoidable.
It’s called “Death Valley” for a reason.
Death Valley in August.
Death Valley.
In August.
Sheesh.
Tragic.
Desert is well outside my realm of experience. Drop me in the woods and I’ll likely be OK for a few days but desert is a whole different story.
“No right-minded person goes to Death Valley in August. I am sorry she lost her son but this was avoidable.”
thats kinda what i was thinking. mom’s ignorance killed this child. not intentionally but certainly thru poor decisions.
never been in Death Valley, never really spent any time in the desert. jungle, mountain, ice, swamp, yes but not the desert.
Being a Northeasterner, I never new the meaning of thirst until I was outside for a day in Southern Arizona.
Same here.
Welcome to the 21st cent.They call 911 when MCD runs out of nuggets.
I’d like to try it in January. Right now I’ll stick to the florida beaches.
I guess she either didn’t have a cell phone or couldn’t get a signal out there.
I love the desert and the lack of humidity.
Maybe I’m a looneytoon, but I’ve been in DV in August. Hotter’n Hell, of course ... bring lots of water. Conserve it. Be damn careful where you drive.
the florida humidity in august is enough to kill you
We have been to Death Valley but in April when the high was 88 degrees. It was a bit scary even then I thought though very beautiful in its own way.
Desert is well outside my realm of experience.
I live in the desert and stay in as much as possible in August. I know I wouldn’t last 1/2 hour even with water.
I also wouldn’t drive on desert backroads without at least a second vehicle with me in any month of the year.
everytime I think of death valley I think of people going thru in in a horse drawn wagon.
well going part way thru it
Correct. Her cell phone did not get a reception.
The article states that she was off of the main road.
She became stuck in sand.
While staying on the main roads, like I do, my cell phone does not have reception throughout all of the park.
Cars go through their all the time going from California to Nevada and back.
I believe that she tried but I have been there and it is seriously desolate.
Welcome to the 21st cent.They call 911 when MCD runs out of nuggets.
According to the story the mom tried but could not get a signal. What next?
Many science fiction productions were shot in Death Valley — Outer Limits, Twilight Zone and films.
Correct.
One road in the park is called “20 Mule Team Road.”
I’ve done a lot of trips to Death Valley and some in Summer. Very hot ... intensely hot all night. Sometimes very high HOT winds. I would never go off road.
If you stay on the main road someone will come by in the cooler [but still hot season]. In the summer someone will come by but with long, long intervals.
Off road often means salt covered mud. Crusty and dry on top ... pock marked as it boils and dries. But muddy underneath.
There are no trees to speak of, so in the intense heat there is no respite.
The public bathrooms are few. I have seen giant lizards in some of them and was afraid to go in. Water that comes from the tap is boiling.
Nobody goes camping in Death Valley in August. Many of the facilities shut down for the Summer after early May. I went there in early May, and it was 110. That’s freezing cold compared to July and August. May that poor kid RIP.
In fact, the Donner party died in the mountains surrounding IIRC.
Plenty of people do, it's a popular camping location and it's open year round. Typically though you don't go off unprepared into the middle of nowhere where you can't be found, if you stick to the main roads you certainly won't be stranded for days on end.
Here is a great guide of Death Valley National Park:
http://www.nps.gov/deva/parknews/upload/Visitor%20Guide%202008.pdf
Bunny the Donner Party was up near Tahoe and what is now I-80. Many miles north of DV. We once drove from LV to DV to Tahoe and stopped at the Donner memorial.
Beautiful.
I will be there in a couple of weeks.
Thanks, BunnySlippers!
I saw my first and only roadrunner in Death Valley as well as beautiful California Condors.
I also love a Nevada State Park called “Valley of Fire” which is one hour north of Vegas. It’s awesome.
Dear God. That is about the most inhospitable looking landscape I have ever seen.
Wouldn’t want to get stuck there, that’s for sure.
I ran over a roadrunner on I-5 near Lost Hills.
It was probably the heat. If they had left as soon as it was dark and carried as much water as they could, they could have easily walked out.
I’ve been to Death Valley in August, but never to camp. Who would want to do that? There’s not much shade.
The 28 year old mother of an 11 year old says something.
Yes, beautiful indeed. I am a desert person.
I have not been to Death Valley in many years but it is a study in extremes. I cannot imagine approaching it in another era, without a road. Even with the road, it is stark ... few turn offs, no side roads. Long expanses with no change in topography.
Death Valley, believe it or not, is quite amazing.
You go from the lowest point of sea level on the northern hemisphere (I believe) to over 9,000 feet up.
It has canyons, sands and mountains.
You answered your own implied question. Evidently they weren't.
But speaking of poor judgment, where was the boy's father?
I'm from Cleveland, as you may know.
When I saw it for the first time, I would never have imagined that it had so many things.
In my opinion, not in summer. Night time is horribly hot. And sometimes very high, hot winds that blow the sand everywhere.
I’ve tried camping in summer and we have to sleep in the front seat of the car. Too much sand blowing.
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