Death Valley

[Sparky d]

Well I had a couple of days to get away so I decided to take my new to me 2008 FJR1300A to Death Valley. I left town and headed through the Kern River Canyon (hwy 178) to the 14. I went through Inyo Kern then Ridgecrest then Trona (yikes). After Trona it was into Death Valley. It was a good couple of days and 650 miles. Now I can’t wait till my next trip. Lovin this bike.

https://s1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/teamsparky32/

 

[madmike2]

Uh-oh! I assume you've been warned that once you've caught the disease....there is no known cure?!?! :dntknw:

Well, my friend, you've got it! :yahoo:

Nice, pictures, BTW. There'll be many of us meeting at Death Valley next month. Come out and meet some of the cast of characters ...er...other owners.

 

[rogdeb]

Nice pics Sparky

 

[Steve Scheer]

As a child of the China Lake NWS of the '60s and '70s, I love seeing pictures of my old stomping grounds. Trona's not so bad if you can get past the smell. People from there love living there, which just proves home is where the heart is. Thanks for the trip report and the pix! --SSS

 

[Sparky d]

Uh-oh! I assume you've been warned that once you've caught the disease....there is no known cure?!?! :dntknw:

Well, my friend, you've got it! :yahoo:

Nice, pictures, BTW. There'll be many of us meeting at Death Valley next month. Come out and meet some of the cast of characters ...er...other owners.

I think I might just do that. There is so much to see I could do a few more days out there.

 

[Sparky d]

Nice pics Sparky

Thanks. I would like to have posted the pics right to the thread but couldnt figure it out so I did it through PB.

 

[madmike2]

As a child of the China Lake NWS of the '60s and '70s, I love seeing pictures of my old stomping grounds. Trona's not so bad if you can get past the smell. People from there love living there, which just proves home is where the heart is. Thanks for the trip report and the pix! --SSS

I was stationed @ China Lake NWS, '68-'71.

The Mojave Desert is a weird place for sailors, eh!?

 

[Steve Scheer]

I was stationed @ China Lake NWS, '68-'71.

The Mojave Desert is a weird place for sailors, eh!?

We were civilian...my Dad was an electronics tech, my mom was in personnel. I love the desert, and I loved living on base. Went back in Jan '09 and it was really hard to see all the on-base houses and trees gone. They even took up the concrete foundations, so it's all gone back to desert scrub. The streets are still there, and light posts. It's like something from a science fiction film.

 

[TomInPA]

Sweet ride. Checked out your pictures and even for Death Valley, it looks dry for this time of year. I think I saw a report they had still only had about 1/2 inch of precip for the season. Was there anything in the lake basin beyond Badwater springs?

 

[FJR-RemingtonRider]

Congrats on ride, and thanks for sharing pics.

.

That is Death Valley, with Gas prices that high!!!

Darn near a full $2 from this area.

 

[Sparky d]

Sweet ride. Checked out your pictures and even for Death Valley, it looks dry for this time of year. I think I saw a report they had still only had about 1/2 inch of precip for the season. Was there anything in the lake basin beyond Badwater springs?

Yeah just around the bend to the south there was still some water.

 

[TomInPA]

Sweet ride. Checked out your pictures and even for Death Valley, it looks dry for this time of year. I think I saw a report they had still only had about 1/2 inch of precip for the season. Was there anything in the lake basin beyond Badwater springs?

Yeah just around the bend to the south there was still some water.

Thanks! I'm hoping there will still be a bloom there this year. This is what that area looked like in late March 2005. Probably won't happen again in my lifetime. (hope you don't mind the photo comparison)

 

[MojaveFJR]

As a child of the China Lake NWS of the '60s and '70s, I love seeing pictures of my old stomping grounds. Trona's not so bad if you can get past the smell. People from there love living there, which just proves home is where the heart is. Thanks for the trip report and the pix! --SSS

I was stationed @ China Lake NWS, '68-'71.

The Mojave Desert is a weird place for sailors, eh!?

For an out of the way place China Lake is common for a lot of us. Was stationed there from 2000-2003. Got the desert in my blood. Did a short stint on the coast, Santa Barbara to be exact. Nice place but too expensive. Came back to the desert but not as deep as China Lake. Now working on Edward's AFB. AF has much better living and working conditions... What happens when you don't have 600 ships to keep in the water, XXX subs to keep under the water and, more Airplanes than the AF to keep in the air. Somethings gotta give!

Anyways, probably see you guys out there in the desert but we will be in a FLAME RED RUBICON. Besides, all that dirt out there I couldn't do the FEEJ, have to be the KTM 690R for a little roosting. The real sites out there are way off the pavement where FJR's fear to tread, or should at least.