Death Valley Redux

[Tyler]

This is gonna take awhile to get all the pics organized so this will be a work in progress...

(Wheatie take note - many of these roads are on our schedule for your visit!!)

DAY 1 - Bay Area to Bakersfield, CA - the long way!

Yes, one more ride report to Death Valley. I know there have been several reports with the standard sights (i.e. Artist's Pallette, Badwater, etc.) so I decided I wanted to take my new camera out and get some shots of the lesser known sights to give a different flavor of the area. We left on Thursday for Bakersfield. I had waffled about just slabbing it down and am glad that I went with the others - it was a brilliant day, great roads, and wonderful riding companions.

Meeting up in Tres Pinos - the Red Brigade!!

Just one view of the fun of Hwy 25

Lupine in bloom

It's spring time for sure!

Peachtree Canyon

Indian Valley

Lunch in San Miguel - and it was great food!

Scott has a pair of dykes and he knows how to use them

Went for the self portrait in the window shot... didn't think about that sign to the right...

Zipped along Estrella to Bitterwater Rd. that runs between 46 and 58. Be forewarned - there are cows. Lots of them. Free range cows. Everywhere. All stopping their grazing to stare you down as you slowly approach, like some sort of "I dare ya" game... it was eerie, I tell ya!

Nice fixer upper that I'm sure could be had real cheap...

Lookin' for some free take offs? Here ya go!

We successfully eluded the evil cows and continued along 58... it was an amazingly beautiful day... not too hot, lots of blue skies, some wildflowers, and an almost full moon coming up in the east...

Yeah, it really looks like that...

Since our route just happened to coincide with two veterans memorials that are on the Tour of Honor, we stopped by the first one in Bakersfield to pay our respects

We stayed at the Buck Owens Crystal Palace Best Western (now there's a mouthful!) that evening. Tried to eat at the Buck Owens restaurant but they were having a ticketed event and the kitchen was closed. Not many other choices so we opted for the Mexican place across the street. We can definitely vouch for one thing... the beer was good (that was about it)!

To be continued...

 

[puppychow]

Love the pictures, the color saturation and temperature seems just right!

Post more soon....we are waiting impatiently!! :hyper:

 

[beemerdons]

Love the pictures, the color saturation and temperature seems just right!

Post more soon....we are waiting impatiently!! :hyper:

+1, Gunny; keep it coming, Thanks!

 

[madmike2]

Uhm...someone HAS to ask....and Barry is posting on another website....sooooooo....

....since you pointed out "The Sign" in the window (Freudian, I'm sure), that begs the question (and, yes, I KNOW I can't afford it, but.....): How much??? :dribble:

Inquiring minds (and really nosey people) would like to know.

 

[Tyler]

How much??? :dribble:
Inquiring minds (and really nosey people) would like to know.

If you have to ask...

 

[Tyler]

DAY 2 - Bakersfield to Beatty, NV

Thursday evening we were joined by a special guest direct from Australia (or Singapore depending on which week it is)... AusieRob was in Las Vegas for some mega-tradeshow so he rented a car and drove on over to share a bit of the weekend with us and he shadowed me along 178.

Hard to get a good shot of 178 shooting into the sun... gotta look into a filter or something. But it was gorgeous that morning... the river was running high, not much traffic, and roads fairly clean. I just sat there for a bit soaking it all in... the simplicity of just existing was almost overwhelming. Hard to explain... sometimes I just get all verklempted.

Lake Isabella - where some folks went to get away from it all... along with a whole gaggle of other folks getting away from it all!

I've ridden 178 several times and each time I see something new... off to the right was the Cottage Grove Cemetery, circa 1862. There were a curious array of headstones from long ago to current day. Rob and I walked around and paid our respects before continuing on our way.

I remember this vista view and every time I went by it, I thought damn! I gotta get a pic of that... but for one reason or another, I wasn't able to stop. This time I did... wondered where that dirt road went off to... Rob said wherever it was, it looked like fun... I had to agree... maybe another day I'll go back and find out.

Joshua trees... they are pointy and sharp and will draw blood!

We came the top of Walker Pass and found some sort of wise sage waiting to impart wisdoms with us... nah, it was just Scott.

At this point, I offered Rob my helmet, jacket, gloves, and key to the Spyder. He argued vehemently with me (NOT!) and took to the beastie like a duck to water... or something like that.

How's this thing work?!?

Buh-bye!

Got to the bottom of 178 and it was obvious that Rob was not ready to relinquish the reins (as he spun up the rear wheel, fish tailed the back end, and looked at me with a big sh*t-eating grin!! lol) so I continued in his rented convertible and let him commandeer it for the rest of the day. On 14, someone had a sense of humor for one of the many abandoned shacks along the way...

We lunched in Lone Pine at the Merry-Go-Round restaurant which served a Chinese buffet style lunch... wasn't what I expected from the signage but the food was decent and the price was right and we were hungry so it was all good.

We continued north on 395 toward Big Pine to visit the 2nd memorial on my list and made a detour here... a fairly sobering visit.

And then on to the Big Pine Veterans Memorial...

And then we took 168 toward Beatty... this, folks, is a helluva road... twisty, turning, off camber, roller coast, giggle inducing, bad ass mother of a road. It was even fun in the car... Rob was nowhere to be seen as he had passed all the other 2-wheel cycles fairly early on... he reminds me of just a few others around here... like a kid in a candy store... lol

Looking back toward 395...

Yeah... it really looked like this...

Then some straight before another set of twists and turns over another ridge...

Looking back from where we came...

Getting close to Beatty...

We stayed at the Atomic Inn... clean, inexpensive, and nice folks running the place... and to my great glee, I found this rig sitting in the parking lot... look familiar??

Two trailers were parked across the street with these monstrous loads... windmill propellers... guess I never knew they were THAT big!!

Keystone cops moment trying to figure out which way to dinner...

Our chosen eatery for the night... run by two gals, DeeDee and (I think) her sister... nice gals so if you're in the area, stop in and say hi!

Back to the Inn to enjoy a little tequila, tall tales, and bigger laughs...

I loves me my Erin...

Stay tuned...

 

[puppychow]

Love the color of the sky! How did you do it?

 

[Tyler]

It's my omnipotent power over the elements...

Love the color of the sky! How did you do it?

 

[wheatonFJR]

Wow...that looks like it was a great ride. Good weather, good scenery, good motorcycling, great pals.

...and YES I was paying attention. Thanks for the heads up Tyler...looks like a great place to ride!

 

[dcarver]

Great RR, Tyler!

I appreciate your sensitivities with the camera lens..

 

[biknflyfisher]

I'm heading to Beatty (from Kingsburg, CA) on Thursday for our annual desert run, so these pics are a great teaser.

Nice piks Tyler, by the way.

In the opening pik at Tres Pinos, what was the bike to the far left? A Moto Guzzi Norge?

Thanks for posting,

biknflyfisher

 

[Niehart]

Always great stuff Tyler! Thanks for taking us along... oh and about that rent...

 

[beemerdons]

Always great stuff Tyler! Thanks for taking us along... oh and about that rent...

Fantastic photography Miss Tyler, that yellow helmeted bugger has got nothing on you in the fine photographic arts!

Oh by the way Ty, Papa Chuy Viejo will double whatever rent money that Niehart offers you! Es Verdad, ese Chica!!!

 

[Tyler]

In the opening pik at Tres Pinos, what was the bike to the far left? A Moto Guzzi Norge?

It is indeed... good eye!

 

[Tyler]

DAY 3 - Beatty to Furnace Creek and Back

Next morning dawned cool and breezy although it wouldn't stay that way for long... breakfast at the casino down the street before coming back to gear up and head for DV. Erin made a new friend (okay, the turkey jerky didn't hurt either). Very friendly inn kitty...

Ara decided to lay low for the day as he had ridden Titus Canyon the day before and it got the best of him! I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see him again... we go about our lives, traveling our own journeys, and hope to cross paths again and when we do, it is glorious... and it was.

Ara giving Erin some tips on her GoPro...

We had to say goodbye to Rob who needed to hightail it to LA to catch a flight out... as we said our goodbyes, I shed a tear or two... bittersweet moments at the joy of seeing dear friends and the sadness at seeing them go again, not sure when our paths will cross again... come back soon, Oz... California misses you!

We backtracked along 95 heading for Ubehebe Crater... the clouds were putting on a display like white brush strokes on an artist's palette of brilliant blue...

Ya just never know what you're gonna find on the side of the road in the desert...

The desert is a somewhat sad place at times... remnants of dreams and aspirations long gone...

The desert is a harsh mistress...

Modern day riders on the storm...

Made it!

Scotty's Castle where we stopped for a quick break...

Road leading to the crater...

Att'sa big'a hole in da ground!!

 

[Tyler]

We continued toward Furnace Creek and as we traveled the temperature continued to rise... the gauge on our bikes said 111 degrees... time for the cooling vests!! Whoever invented those things should be given the Nobel Peace Prize... or somethin'...

Not the huge bloom that I was hoping for but there were a few sections of yellow and purple wildflowers... a reminder that no matter how harsh it may seem, life still springs eternal... one of the fascinating things about DV.

The others decided to head for Artist's Palette but I'd had enough of the heat for one day so headed back solo toward Beatty... did I mention it was hot (and 30 degrees cooler in Beatty)?

Back to the Atomic Inn for a well appreciated shower and beer before foraging for food again... Erin had had only one beer here... I swear!

The moon was fixin' to be near full and the desert started to put on a sunset show for us... I love sunsets!!

We tried this place but everyone tumbled out before I could even get into the place... I wasn't sure why...

Oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh... friendly folks in Beatty!

Back to KC's outpost to visit our friends there... Erin was really, really thirsty...

As we walked back to our motel, the sky had darkened and moon had gotten brighter... yeah, it looked just like that.

Meanwhile, we had difficulty getting Scott's attention...

Wonder why...

Y'all come back now, y'hear? Two more days to go!

 

[rogdeb]

:clapping: :clapping: Really nice pics Tyler, real nice. Thanks

 

[Tyler]

DAY 4 - Beatty, NV to Porterville, CA

One more sleep and then it was time to scatter into the winds... Ara would be heading for Gold Point and more exploring in the desert so we said our goodbyes after loading up the bikes... again, my eyes leaked... I love the hellos but ain't so fond these days of the goodbyes. Erin and I turned out trusty steeds towards the journey home... originally had planned a long slab day but we were both very glad we decided to break it up into two days thus allowing us a few more twisties on the way... first we stopped off at Rhyolite since Erin had never been there. I had always visited it in the late afternoon so it looked different in the morning light.

There was a film crew for an Italian travel show taping when we showed up so we watched for awhile. The gent in front of the camera was fascinated with the Spyder and in a lilting Italian accent (and lots of hand gestures), asked me questions and if he could take a picture of it to bring back to his friends. As I rode away, he blew me a kiss... gotta love a hot-blooded Italian man!

Would you like to touch my leetle friend??

Erin was having fun playing with the art...

A miner and his penguin in the desert... of course... happens all the time...

A quick stop at the dunes to strip off a few layers...

I recently acquired an 18-115 lens for my Nikon camera and am very happy with the lens so far... it really gives a lot more variation in being able to zoom in...

We stopped at Panamint Springs where they were serving breakfast... shortly after we sat down to eat, the place was bombarded with a tour bus full of French tourists... we were glad we got there when we did!

The tour guide was giving juggling lessons to his patrons to entertain them while they waited for their food...

Onward ho, testing our machines at triple digits along the long straight out toward Trona... oh wait, I meant to say, always staying well within the posted speed limits... and in to Trona, one of the most bizarre towns I've ever been through... in the 6-7 times that I've passed through here, not once have I ever seen a living person or animal or anything... it's like some sort of post-apocalyptic town waiting for nightfall so the undead can come out and start eating your flesh...

The mineral mining factory... there's always smoke coming out of there... but never any people... start Twilight Zone music!!

Thank goodness they've started a town beautification project...

Back up and over 178 with a stop in Kernville (it gets really windy in the afternoon around Lake Isabella!!) to meet Wendy from the FJRforum who had most kindly given me some feedback on road conditions in the area. She and her hubby, Mike, have a motorcycle shop there so keep that in mind if you find yourself stuck out that way!

And then it was time to FINALLY ride 155... every time I've been in that area it's been closed due to snow but it was open and ready to be taken... the road that is. We didn't go very far before needing to stop and re-layer... it was fricking COLD up there and looked like the skies were going to open up on us any second... but we soldiered on cause I was not gonna miss this road again, dammit!

Looking back at Lake Isabella...

Some of dis...

Some of dat...

Still a bit of snow and lots of sandy spots...

Amazing vistas...

The sun rewarded us at the top by showing itself as we reached the top of the mountain...

I gotta git me some photo editing software... damn power lines screwing up my shot!!

Barbed wire is cool... well, as long as you're not tangled up in it...

Glennville town church...

And it was here that we zigged instead of zagging and ended up on a few more roads than had been originally planned... as best I can tell from looking at the map of where we had been, it was Jack Ranch Rd. and Old Stage Rd. (M-109) through Whiteriver and and Fountain Springs. Just one of our rewards for our "mistake"... yeah, it really looked like that...

This isn't a great photo or anything but as we headed out to 65, we passed orchards packed full of blooming orange trees and OMG the scent was heavenly... I wish this could be a scratch and sniff photo but you'll just have to use your imagination...

We arrived in Porterville and hunted down a hotel as we were kind of winging it that day not really knowing where exactly we'd end up calling it a day... the Spyder is much more physical to ride than 2-wheels so I was pretty dang pooped out by the time we got back to civilization... so a Sunday night, two hot motorcycle mamas, on the road... do we know how to have a good time or what?!?

High class dinner...

Top notch entertainment...

And a little something to toast to friends living and those gone... in honor of my friend, Mark...

Just... one... more... day...

 

[wheatonFJR]

Veeery nice. Love all the photos...some of them suitable for a gallery!

BTW, its not only italian men that can get hot blooded...jes sayin'.