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Striped Butte Valley (Death Valley National Park)
Striped Butte
I managed to spend three days in the valley with only seeing one group of four Jeeps from Ridgecrest pass through over Mendel Pass from Panamint Valley. The two ends of the West Side Road in Death Valley were posted as closed due to flooding. I used the south one and only had to navigate a short 10 or 20 foot stretch of mud and standing water. They can't lock the gates because there is a back door to Death Valley and people can die out there. Technically the government was shut down but they were allowed to have people work without pay for public safety. The newly rebuilt Furnace Creek Restaurant/Bar/Gift Shop-Store was open. I noticed at a cabin near Anvil Spring that someone from the National Park Service had done and inspection two days before I got there.
Thought I had found a two headed donkey (with 5 legs?)	Turned out one was just camera shy
Cabin at Anvil Springs near the western terminus of Striped Butte Valley (Not far from Mengal Pass)                       Clean but I would rather sleep under the stars, smelled like wood smoke and no bed.
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