Bullheadbert
Street Cruiser
DEATH VALLEY GYPSIES a spring ride
Arguably Death Valley is one of, if not the hottest spot in the nation. It is a place that under went cataclysmic change and great upheaval that laid the earth bare and open for all to see – a physical conundrum one of life’s paradoxes. In late March on the valley floor at Badwater, 200 feet below sea level, it’s 100 degrees. The air is stiflingly hot as the sun beats down on the glistening, snowy white, salt bed. Across the valley floor on Telescope Peak, elevation 11,000 feet above sea level, the mountain peak is capped with snow that glistens against a deep blue desert sky. Just above Bad Water lies Dante’s View on the north side of Coffin Peak, 5,400 feet above sea level, overlooking the Devils Golf Course and the valley to the north. It’s a Goldilocks zone up here; the temperature’s a balmy 75 degrees with a light breeze blowing.
We meet in the Shoshone Village at 10:00 AM, Brian and company riding in from Pahrump, Jeff from Vegas and I rode in from Bullhead City AZ. The village is jumping, there’s bikes galore Harley Baggers, Tourers and lots of Adventure Bikes, the Parks going to be busy with bikes. We head up 127 a couple of miles then turn west onto 178 and begin a gradual ascent to Salsbury Pass.
The desert’s in bloom at the higher elevations as late season rains brought out the seasonal desert flowers, carpets of pastel colors in yellow, clumps of light purple flowers with brilliant yellow centers, patches of deep orange blossoms with bright red interiors, scattered here and there are small bouquets of rich purple petals with snow white cores. The Beavertail Cactus is in bloom with large magenta petals turning radiant red toward the center with striking yellow interior filaments.
Cresting the pass the road begins to dip, dive and carve its way to Jubilee Pass down the west face of the Black Mountains then north to the valley floor and Badwater Basin 282 feet below sea level. The Basin’s an alkali salt bed that looks, in part, like a frozen riverbed permanently suspended in time and state. It’s time to move on.
Next stop Artists Palette a geological color palette of reds, pinks, yellows, and greens the colors a result of mineral oxidation. It’s an opportunity to stop admire the palette and take a couple of group photos of the Death Valley Gypsies. Part of the allure to the paint palette is Artists Drive a one way loop from the south to the north. After leaving the parking area the narrow, single lane, road winds its way through a series of ravines with high walls cut deep into the alluvial fan formation, a natural maze taking you back to Badwater Road then on to the Goldilocks zone.
Backtracking south along Death Valley Scenic Byway (190) to Dante’s View Road takes you up the backside to Coffin Peak; the air is cooler a light breeze swirls around the peak and all who seek refuge in this temperate zone. Standing on the edge of the point you begin to understand the width and breadth of the place that’s part of the Basin and Range province where the earth’s surface was stretched to the breaking point creating the uplifted mountain range and down-dropped valley resulting in the extreme elevation change, Badwater at -282’ below sea level while the elevation difference across the valley at Telescope Peak is a staggering 11,331’. It’s a little too much for the mind to comprehend, time to go eat and fuel up at the Furnace Creek Ranch.
Pulling into the Ranch at 2:00 the parking lot’s full of cars and bikes. Brian finds the only empty spot and we stuff all the bikes into it before another parking lot troll can take it – time to eat. The Ranch is the city, the commercial hub of Death Valley – food, fuel and fun all in one place. Pulling out of the drive there’s a ghostly reminder of past transportation modes BM (before motorbikes) consisting of two freight wagons and a water tanker. Now it’s time to head up into the Panamint Range.
Heading west on 190 across the valley floor Stovepipe Wells is the last vestige of civilization until you reach Panamint Springs located across the mountain range and the other side of Panamint Valley. The Wells has been a major rest stop and station since the early days when access to the valley was gained through Emigrant Pass and Wildrose Canyon. Today it’s a resort with a general store and a fueling station.
Located at the top of the Panamint Range is Towne Pass and a pullout where the Gypsies part company. It’s late afternoon but up here the air is cooler and a slight breeze is blowing. Brian, J, and Jeff will head to Pahrump; I’ll push on west to Long Pine and spend the night at the Dow Hotel. Beyond the Pass the earth plunges away as the road begins its descent down the west face of the Panamint through a series of long sweeping turns carving down a canyon pass. At a turnout there’s a sign about 4-wheel drive, snow tires, and chains. As the yellow stripe descends toward the valley floor below a far off spot of green (Panamint Springs) comes into view, from there it’s an abrupt uplift to a mountain plateau. The snowcaps of Mount Whitney 70 miles away can be seen in the far distance.
Passing the springs through a short shoot and sweeping right-hander the uplift begins in a radical fashion as the road is cut into the fingers and ravine sides of a series of near vertical escarpments leading to the plateau above. The slope gradient is serious, the turns tight and unpredictable decreasing in radius. At one point the road switches over itself cutting into the slope of another, adjoining escarpment above. It’s a serious “E” ticket ride, as some turns have no outside barriers. Going downhill it can be a vicious and wicked “E+” ticket ride given the slope gradient. Once up on the plateau the road mellows out and it’s an easy ride to Lone Pine.
Lone Pine’s the gateway to Mt. Whitney. It’s also a location town used in many western films shot in the area near Alabama Hills. Tonight it’s, “home sweet home” as I’ll be staying at the Dow Hotel a two-story abode dating back to 1923. The hotel and rooms in the original structure are true to the period. It’s a nice comfortable place with a rustic charm that makes you feel at ease and at home with a friendly staff. Looking at the parking lot it’s a mix of cars and bikes, lots of Adventure Bikes ridden by middle age men. I strike up a conversation with two of them at the reception desk. It’s a father and son team from SoCal out on a five day run. We’d meet again the next day at Stovepipe Wells on the first leg of my run back to Bullhead City.
It’s been a great two days, a gypsyish lifestyle, nomadic and free spirited chasing the yellow strip along valley floors below sea level, up numerous winding mountain passes through twisting canyons and up near vertical escarpments. I’ve stood on a desert salt flat below sea level that looked like a frozen river, then staring up, across the valley, seen the snow cap on Telescope Peak. Viewed the desert carpeted with flowers brilliant and striking in color. All this in the Basin and Range province where the earth’s surface was stretched to the breaking point creating the uplifted mountain range and down-dropped valley we know as the Death Valley National Monument.
Thanks Brian and fellow Gypsies.
Bert
http://methus.smugmug.com/Death-Valley-Spring-15-ride
Arguably Death Valley is one of, if not the hottest spot in the nation. It is a place that under went cataclysmic change and great upheaval that laid the earth bare and open for all to see – a physical conundrum one of life’s paradoxes. In late March on the valley floor at Badwater, 200 feet below sea level, it’s 100 degrees. The air is stiflingly hot as the sun beats down on the glistening, snowy white, salt bed. Across the valley floor on Telescope Peak, elevation 11,000 feet above sea level, the mountain peak is capped with snow that glistens against a deep blue desert sky. Just above Bad Water lies Dante’s View on the north side of Coffin Peak, 5,400 feet above sea level, overlooking the Devils Golf Course and the valley to the north. It’s a Goldilocks zone up here; the temperature’s a balmy 75 degrees with a light breeze blowing.
We meet in the Shoshone Village at 10:00 AM, Brian and company riding in from Pahrump, Jeff from Vegas and I rode in from Bullhead City AZ. The village is jumping, there’s bikes galore Harley Baggers, Tourers and lots of Adventure Bikes, the Parks going to be busy with bikes. We head up 127 a couple of miles then turn west onto 178 and begin a gradual ascent to Salsbury Pass.
The desert’s in bloom at the higher elevations as late season rains brought out the seasonal desert flowers, carpets of pastel colors in yellow, clumps of light purple flowers with brilliant yellow centers, patches of deep orange blossoms with bright red interiors, scattered here and there are small bouquets of rich purple petals with snow white cores. The Beavertail Cactus is in bloom with large magenta petals turning radiant red toward the center with striking yellow interior filaments.
Cresting the pass the road begins to dip, dive and carve its way to Jubilee Pass down the west face of the Black Mountains then north to the valley floor and Badwater Basin 282 feet below sea level. The Basin’s an alkali salt bed that looks, in part, like a frozen riverbed permanently suspended in time and state. It’s time to move on.
Next stop Artists Palette a geological color palette of reds, pinks, yellows, and greens the colors a result of mineral oxidation. It’s an opportunity to stop admire the palette and take a couple of group photos of the Death Valley Gypsies. Part of the allure to the paint palette is Artists Drive a one way loop from the south to the north. After leaving the parking area the narrow, single lane, road winds its way through a series of ravines with high walls cut deep into the alluvial fan formation, a natural maze taking you back to Badwater Road then on to the Goldilocks zone.
Backtracking south along Death Valley Scenic Byway (190) to Dante’s View Road takes you up the backside to Coffin Peak; the air is cooler a light breeze swirls around the peak and all who seek refuge in this temperate zone. Standing on the edge of the point you begin to understand the width and breadth of the place that’s part of the Basin and Range province where the earth’s surface was stretched to the breaking point creating the uplifted mountain range and down-dropped valley resulting in the extreme elevation change, Badwater at -282’ below sea level while the elevation difference across the valley at Telescope Peak is a staggering 11,331’. It’s a little too much for the mind to comprehend, time to go eat and fuel up at the Furnace Creek Ranch.
Pulling into the Ranch at 2:00 the parking lot’s full of cars and bikes. Brian finds the only empty spot and we stuff all the bikes into it before another parking lot troll can take it – time to eat. The Ranch is the city, the commercial hub of Death Valley – food, fuel and fun all in one place. Pulling out of the drive there’s a ghostly reminder of past transportation modes BM (before motorbikes) consisting of two freight wagons and a water tanker. Now it’s time to head up into the Panamint Range.
Heading west on 190 across the valley floor Stovepipe Wells is the last vestige of civilization until you reach Panamint Springs located across the mountain range and the other side of Panamint Valley. The Wells has been a major rest stop and station since the early days when access to the valley was gained through Emigrant Pass and Wildrose Canyon. Today it’s a resort with a general store and a fueling station.
Located at the top of the Panamint Range is Towne Pass and a pullout where the Gypsies part company. It’s late afternoon but up here the air is cooler and a slight breeze is blowing. Brian, J, and Jeff will head to Pahrump; I’ll push on west to Long Pine and spend the night at the Dow Hotel. Beyond the Pass the earth plunges away as the road begins its descent down the west face of the Panamint through a series of long sweeping turns carving down a canyon pass. At a turnout there’s a sign about 4-wheel drive, snow tires, and chains. As the yellow stripe descends toward the valley floor below a far off spot of green (Panamint Springs) comes into view, from there it’s an abrupt uplift to a mountain plateau. The snowcaps of Mount Whitney 70 miles away can be seen in the far distance.
Passing the springs through a short shoot and sweeping right-hander the uplift begins in a radical fashion as the road is cut into the fingers and ravine sides of a series of near vertical escarpments leading to the plateau above. The slope gradient is serious, the turns tight and unpredictable decreasing in radius. At one point the road switches over itself cutting into the slope of another, adjoining escarpment above. It’s a serious “E” ticket ride, as some turns have no outside barriers. Going downhill it can be a vicious and wicked “E+” ticket ride given the slope gradient. Once up on the plateau the road mellows out and it’s an easy ride to Lone Pine.
Lone Pine’s the gateway to Mt. Whitney. It’s also a location town used in many western films shot in the area near Alabama Hills. Tonight it’s, “home sweet home” as I’ll be staying at the Dow Hotel a two-story abode dating back to 1923. The hotel and rooms in the original structure are true to the period. It’s a nice comfortable place with a rustic charm that makes you feel at ease and at home with a friendly staff. Looking at the parking lot it’s a mix of cars and bikes, lots of Adventure Bikes ridden by middle age men. I strike up a conversation with two of them at the reception desk. It’s a father and son team from SoCal out on a five day run. We’d meet again the next day at Stovepipe Wells on the first leg of my run back to Bullhead City.
It’s been a great two days, a gypsyish lifestyle, nomadic and free spirited chasing the yellow strip along valley floors below sea level, up numerous winding mountain passes through twisting canyons and up near vertical escarpments. I’ve stood on a desert salt flat below sea level that looked like a frozen river, then staring up, across the valley, seen the snow cap on Telescope Peak. Viewed the desert carpeted with flowers brilliant and striking in color. All this in the Basin and Range province where the earth’s surface was stretched to the breaking point creating the uplifted mountain range and down-dropped valley we know as the Death Valley National Monument.
Thanks Brian and fellow Gypsies.
Bert
http://methus.smugmug.com/Death-Valley-Spring-15-ride
