Panamint Valley Days 2008 base camp...

Panamint Valley Days base camp is located near the west-center of the valley, and provides a central location to all of the trails run during the event. Base Camp is located on the west side of Slate Range Road, which is a dirt road that heads to the west from Panamint Valley Road, and east from Nadeau Road. Slate Range Road itself is dusty and washboarded in places, but if you drive at a reasonable speed, its suitable for any vehicle, including motor homes. The GPS coordinates for Panamint Valley Days base camp are North 36.07.818, West 117.20.473, at an elevation of 1,453 feet. To find base camp, you really don't need a GPS, as when you register for the event, the PVD committee will send you a very detailed map, which makes it easy to find base camp. Base Camp is also easy to find, as the committee places signs at strategic places to point the way to base camp. If nothing else, all you have to do is to look for a cluster of motorhomes in the middles of the valley, which is a sure giveaway!

Photo: Looking at Panamint Valley 2008 base camp, from the Nadeau Road. Base camp is well-signed by the PVD committee, so first timers can't miss it. The dirt road is Slate Range Road.

Photo: Slate Range Road can be dusty, as the Jeep and the motorhome illustrate. The straight line in the background is the Nadeau Road.

Photo: "Main Street" at PVD 2008 base came, with registration to the extreme left, and the Ruff Rock Run Café below the light. Ruff Rock Run Café is also the first aid station for base camp.

Most participants at Panamint Valley Days, and other CA4WDC events prefer to camp in motorhomes, but there are plenty of other recreational vehicles, including 5th wheels, pop-up tent trailers, and tents. Base camp is easy to find, and features plenty of flat places to set up your camp. Camp itself is located along a dirt road, off the Slate Range Road, that quickly becomes "Main Street," as the safety check, registration, T-shirt booth and the café clustered together, near the entrance to camp.

Photo: The first stop is the safety check, courtesy of the "Out Four Fun" gang.

Photo: After you pass safety check, then you go to registration, and friendly Ray Leuschner and the gang will give you your package, and answer any questions that you may have. The T-shirt booth is to the extreme left of the photo.

Photo: Ruff Rock Run Café is an institution at CA4WDC's Panamint Valley Days and High Desert Roundup. It also houses the seldom-needed first aid station.

Base camp amenities include safety check, registration, T-shirt booth, run schedules, and Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café. You'll get to meet many of the friendly folks who make this event happen, and they'll be happy to answer any questions you have about CA4WDC, four wheeling, the Panamint Valley Day event, or anything about the area in general. CA4WDC events stress safety, and base camp includes a first aid station at Chef Andy's, and base camp continuously monitors CB. channel 14, and the 2-meter Ham frequency of 147.510 (simplex). You'll find camp very well organized.

Photo: The run sign-up sheet is placed outside of registration, as this gentleman ponders which run he wants to sign up for. Due to close confines, some runs are limited to a finite amount of vehicles. The sweepstake Jeep is the yellow jeep in the background of the photo.

Photo: Happy, patriotic campers at Panamint Valley Days, 2008. The guy in the Itasca motorhome has satellite Internet access, and he was happy to provide me with updated weather information, promising a zero chance of rain. That forecast was to prove quite inaccurate, a few days later.

Photo: Friday night run sign-up for Saturday's runs.

We pulled into base camp about 1400 on the Thursday afternoon of November 6, 2008, so we'd have plenty of time to set up camp before dark. Panamint Valley Days doesn't officially open until 0600 the next morning, so we put off our safety check and registration until the following mooning. After setting up camp, we were able to relax and enjoy a nice, cheery campfire, and not worry about preparing dinner, as the Ruff Rock Run Café opened for dinner at 1700.

Photo: Matt Battaglia and company get the "Welcome to Panamint Valley Days" finale started with the kid's raffle.

Photo: A lucky comes up to claim his prize, as Matt announces another winning ticket.

Photo: The Saturday night raffle is underway, after enjoying a delicious dinner at Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café.

We slept in Friday morning, as we were planning to go on the Lookout City Sunset Run, which didn't leave until 1400, so we had plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, pass the safety check, register, check out the run board, and pick up T-shirts. As for me, I love to watch the comings and goings of fellow four wheelers in camp, check out the run line-ups, drool over many of the awesome rigs, and take lots of digital photos. Its a lot of fun just to "hang around" Panamint Valley Base Camp and watch the action.