I've ridden through JTNP quite a few times recently, and I've thought it might be interesting to check out at night sometime when the full moon was present. Last night the moon was full, and as an adult I can stay up as late as I want, so I headed out for a 140 mile loop. It was quite spectacular, but since my simple camera isn't capable of any cool night/full moon shots, I left it at home. So no pics, not even food ****. This RR is already worthless.
I left home around 2015 and headed 42 miles east on I10. I turned north and hit the south entrance at 2050, according to my SPOT tracker. As I headed up Pinto Basin Rd, the moon was still at a fairly low angle and somewhat hidden by the mountains to the east. When riding in the shadows like that, it's really DARK out there. Yay for Hella FF50s. I kept the speed much lower than usual, and the only critters I saw were several jackrabbits crossing the road. Never any close calls, but they spooked me every time it happened. At the easternmost part of PBR, I pulled into a turnout and shut off the bike. Weird. The silence was eerie, but as my eyes adjusted to the dark, I realized how much I could see by moonlight. For 360 degrees around me, not a single artificial light was visible. For miles. But I didn't need a flashlight to walk around a little. The moon had climbed a bit, and I could see across the valley to the east, and the ridge to the west of me was well lit. I kinda wondered what critters might be hiding in the scrub brush, so I didn't venture too far out into the dirt. Then a single light appeared in the distance to the north. After a few minutes, a lone car went by, it's driver probably unaware that a motorcycle was parked in the turnout.
I fired up the trusty FJR and continued north. For the curvy sections, I kept the Hellas lit up and I went at a spirited but sane pace. When the road straightened out, I ran the low beams, and with my peripheral vision I could see the mountains on either side lit up in the moonlight. I stopped at two more turnouts to appreciate the utter silence and brightly lit sky. Again, I could see for miles with no artificial lights visible. As I headed west into the park on Park Blvd, the actual joshua trees started appearing. Those things look kinda spooky when silhouetted against the moonlight. Approaching Keys View Rd and the Keys Ranch area, the huge rock piles emerged from the darkness. The lighter-colored rocks really showed up well in the moonlight. There were actually some parked cars in this area with people camping, but I had yet to overtake any cars. Why can't the traffic be this light all the time? I stopped again near a huge rock formation and killed about 10-15 minutes just enjoying the view. It's really difficult to describe how beautiful it was. The sky was full of stars, a huge moon, and the occasional jetliner bound for LAX pulling a contrail. Off in the distance I could see a light moving around on another rock pile...people climbing at night, I guess? I even passed two guys on bicycles pedaling down the road with no lights on. Strange.
Heading northwest, I exited the park at 2230 and turned west on HW 62. Even at that late hour, the traffic in Yucca Valley was mildly annoying. Down the hill on 62 past Morongo Valley, and then a few brief miles on I10 back to my neighborhood. I topped the tank near the house and pulled into the driveway at 2320. The dog was happy to see me, but the wife was sound asleep. It was a brief but truly entertaining ride...I'll have to do it again soon, but next time I'll bring the wife along. I hope she would enjoy it as much as I did.
I left home around 2015 and headed 42 miles east on I10. I turned north and hit the south entrance at 2050, according to my SPOT tracker. As I headed up Pinto Basin Rd, the moon was still at a fairly low angle and somewhat hidden by the mountains to the east. When riding in the shadows like that, it's really DARK out there. Yay for Hella FF50s. I kept the speed much lower than usual, and the only critters I saw were several jackrabbits crossing the road. Never any close calls, but they spooked me every time it happened. At the easternmost part of PBR, I pulled into a turnout and shut off the bike. Weird. The silence was eerie, but as my eyes adjusted to the dark, I realized how much I could see by moonlight. For 360 degrees around me, not a single artificial light was visible. For miles. But I didn't need a flashlight to walk around a little. The moon had climbed a bit, and I could see across the valley to the east, and the ridge to the west of me was well lit. I kinda wondered what critters might be hiding in the scrub brush, so I didn't venture too far out into the dirt. Then a single light appeared in the distance to the north. After a few minutes, a lone car went by, it's driver probably unaware that a motorcycle was parked in the turnout.
I fired up the trusty FJR and continued north. For the curvy sections, I kept the Hellas lit up and I went at a spirited but sane pace. When the road straightened out, I ran the low beams, and with my peripheral vision I could see the mountains on either side lit up in the moonlight. I stopped at two more turnouts to appreciate the utter silence and brightly lit sky. Again, I could see for miles with no artificial lights visible. As I headed west into the park on Park Blvd, the actual joshua trees started appearing. Those things look kinda spooky when silhouetted against the moonlight. Approaching Keys View Rd and the Keys Ranch area, the huge rock piles emerged from the darkness. The lighter-colored rocks really showed up well in the moonlight. There were actually some parked cars in this area with people camping, but I had yet to overtake any cars. Why can't the traffic be this light all the time? I stopped again near a huge rock formation and killed about 10-15 minutes just enjoying the view. It's really difficult to describe how beautiful it was. The sky was full of stars, a huge moon, and the occasional jetliner bound for LAX pulling a contrail. Off in the distance I could see a light moving around on another rock pile...people climbing at night, I guess? I even passed two guys on bicycles pedaling down the road with no lights on. Strange.
Heading northwest, I exited the park at 2230 and turned west on HW 62. Even at that late hour, the traffic in Yucca Valley was mildly annoying. Down the hill on 62 past Morongo Valley, and then a few brief miles on I10 back to my neighborhood. I topped the tank near the house and pulled into the driveway at 2320. The dog was happy to see me, but the wife was sound asleep. It was a brief but truly entertaining ride...I'll have to do it again soon, but next time I'll bring the wife along. I hope she would enjoy it as much as I did.
