). After staying the first night at World Beater CAbin, we headed out to Roger's Pass...and climbing up to the top of the Panamints from there, disaster struck for me - my rear ring gear decided it had too many teeth, and shed a few...after enlisting the assistance of Ben and Nick to tow me to the peak, I removed the rear driveshaft. Unfortunately, on the tow uphill, my FJ had an encounter with an unforgiving tree, and the entire driver side of my rig has a new contour 
. I spent the rest of the day running the trails in front wheel drive, with a loud noise chorus from the rear of my truck to keep us all entertained. Figuring I was pushing my luck in 2wd, we headed out of the mountains and looked for a good place to camp for the night. On the way, my bad luck continued - my right front tire got slashed and blew off the bead...(the tire was two weeks old - ouch 
). We passed up several eerie cabins of questionable security, and finally came upon a perfect, flat scenic camping spot with a large fire ring waiting for us. Knowing we'd be cutting the trip short, we cooked up a huge quantity of fantastic food, uncorked some terrific brews, and feasted the rest of the night away. Next morning we were all awoken by the loud, constant braying of a lone burro, obviously unhappy that we didn't share our meal with him....Then, after a breakfast of leftover steak and eggs, we hit the road - and I gingerly drove at faster and faster speeds testing the vehicle's ability to weather the freeway with the blown diff. Amazingly, I was able to make the entire 300 trek home with no additional issues, in front wheel drive....Despite the shortened trip, and the extra cost to my FJ and my wallet, I had a great time - thanks to the incredible location that is Death Valley, and the help and encouragement of some good friends...A few pics of the trip:
- The view from World Beater Cabin, Death Valley
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- The view from Roger's Pass 7150'
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- Picture stop along the trail
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- Ollie and son, William - cruising the valley
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- Checking out an old mine
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- Jon and his 4Runner
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- The rescue train in action high above Death Valley
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- Campground and kitchen facilities under clear, sunny skies
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