Thursday, 18th of April 2013 at 08:47:57 PM2004 was my last visit of the Death Valley. Thus I had planned to revisit it and take some shots with my new cam. I started early from Las Vegas and arrived around 8am at Death Valley North Entrance to visit Scottys Castle and drive from North to South, Around 1o miles south of Scotty Castle I noticed the cockpit display alarming tire pressure. I switsched to the tire pressure control screen which alearmed pressure loss on the front left tire. I stopped and found indeed a flat tire front left.
front left flat tire
It had never happend to me before, and it was shocking that it happend here in the Death Valley. I luckily found all tools and spare tire in the Jeep and began to replace the flat tire with the spare tire. The spare tire was rated for max. 50 mph. I was still around 150 miles away from Las Vegas Rental Car facility.
seizing the spare tire
After I had succesfully mounted the spare tire I decided to drive not faster than 45 mph and try to reach Las Vegas car rental facility. I checked the wole drive the pressure control screen. Now I could not afford another tire loss cause only one spare tire with the car. Driving only 45mph did not allow me to use the freeway. Thus I decided to drive through Shoshone, Pahrump and Mountain springs to Vegas.
visual tire pression control display of the Jeep
I stopped only twice. Once at Zabriski Point and once at Red Rock Canyon 20 miles west of LV.
stop at Zabriskie Point
stop at Red Rock Canyon
I decided to drive to the Hotel and remove my personel staff from the car, before driving to the rental car station at Mc Carran. I arrived at 3 pm at my Hotel. It had took me around 5h to drive back at 45 mph. I was so happy to have it made back to Las Vegas and decide to go to Flamingo Pool as lomg as sun was still shining.
Flamingo Pool
After the sun had gone down I took a shower and drove the Jeep back to the Rental Car center, where I got smoothly a new car. Unfortunately there was no Jeep Grand Cherokee available. I chose the Kia Sorrento V6. But did not really like it. It did not have all the electronic gimmicks like the Jeep. I was not too annoyed, because the relief having made it back to Las Vegas predominated. The next day I would start my roundtrip driving north on I-15 to Utah, thus It seemed I would have to renounce to drive a Grand Cherokee this year.
Hiking Mileage today: 0
Hiking Mileage total: 6 km / 3.8 miles
curious incidents today: A flat tire in the Death Valley.
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