LPDV March 8th to 11th

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Group pic at Dante's View -
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If you squint a bit, you can see the gaps that should have been filled by the OrangvaleFJRs, the Rogdebs and the Ric-in-sacs.

Y'all were missed, and you missed some great riding. Even the ride to and from the actual D.V. experience.

 
Group pic at Dante's View -
135318915-L.jpg
If you squint a bit, you can see the gaps that should have been filled by the OrangvaleFJRs, the Rogdebs and the Ric-in-sacs.

Y'all were missed, and you missed some great riding. Even the ride to and from the actual D.V. experience.
The riding is fun, but the group of people pictured here is truly a great group that I love to spend time with. I thought about you all often during the time you were there. Hope to see you all soon!

 
The sun is shinin' we're all a grinnin' and the journey starts.

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The next day and ready to leave from the hotel and explore the north end of Death Valley with Scotty's Castle being the primary attraction for the day.



The Streak's reconnoitering.



Castle and ground overview. The greenery is the result of a 200 gallon per hour natural spring that flows year round. It's impressive to me that with all the dryness in the valley such a water source is possible.



FJR's in the parking lot.



The clock tower.



The castle.



Scottie's grave.



Some things I just find hilarious. Walking up to Scotty's grave marker, I saw the nose and eyebrows and just lost it. Who was the first person to rub Scotty's nose? I did, thinking that good luck would come my way.



The small mound on the right is where Scotty's doggie lies in rest.





Old man Johnson, the millionaire owner of the castle, was ahead of his time. He powered the castle using a Pelton water wheel powered from spring water, then later a generator. He had hot and cold running water, with the hot water coming from a solar water collector. Inside the castle, they had a few fangled contraption built by some young inventor named Kelvinator. Supposedly, it could keep your water cool and actually make ice.







What's left of the hot water tower, part of the solar water heater.





Some of Scotty's rides.



Which way?



It took copious quantities of materials to build the castle, here are some left over's.



Part of the castle isn't in such good shape. This used to be the Cook house.





 
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Two tours are offered. One is for the castle infrastructure and shows how things worked above and underground and included the power house, the castle basement, etc. We took the second tour which was the main house. Taking the tour really presented a 'face' to the place, make it personal.

Kaitsdad take the oath to remain in the year 1939 for the entire tour. I failed miserably and was scolded for my foolishness.



The tour guides dress in 1930's attire. This guy was colorful, fun, and informative. You could tell he really loved his 'job'.



Side view of the main castle. The castle consists of two separate buildings connected via a walk way. The main castle is on the southern side, the guest quarters on the northern.



The main entry on the bottom floor.



The Highlander's take it all in.



The castle even had numerous water falls inside.



And of course, plenty of guns.





Scotty's room. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson liked Scotty so much that had a room built in the castle just for Scotty. Mr. Johnson had been in a bad train wreck while young, and was only supposed to live for a few years… Me thinks the train wreck affected, uhh, something else too.. and that Scotty was doing Mrs. Johnson all along..

The funny thing about Scotty's room is that old man Johnson had a sense of humor. Scotty had been fired from the job he loved most, that being wild bronc rider for the Buffalo Bill Wild West show. So, right in front of the bed, Johnson placed a huge portrait of the man who had fired poor old Scotty…



Authentic pictures from back in the day. Yes, that's Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley..



The kitchen was awesome! Fridge, gas stove, running hot and cold water..







The dining room.





A writing desk. I'm not sure, it was talked about, but could the implements above the pad be for a wax seal?



The organ. Johnson had several rooms with full music capability. Several paper punch player pianos, this organ, etc.



From this small keyboard, the large air, open piped, organ could be played remotely! Pretty cool.



Here's Kaitsdad, peering through the gun site hole. Ol man Johnson, at Skotty's request, drilled a hole in the wall so he could shot gun down intruders via a spray pattern and not have to open the door.



Here's the outside. Notice how the shot would be deflected to the sides..



We finished the tour to find the Skyway's just enjoying the day and guarding the bikes.



Of course, TurboDave knows how to relax too.

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Day two started by exploring the south end of the canyon. First stop was Dantes point, which has been documented here before; but since I like this pix..



Then down to Badwater so TurboDave could pick up on hot young Italian chicks.



The dcarver's.





 
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After lunch in Beatty, some of us long distance Candy Butt Association riders visited Rhyolite. Some look at Rhyolite and see nothing but junk, others find it fascinating. I'm the second group of folks..









SkooterG was the only other FJR pilot besides me who ain't afraid of little dirt!



SkooterG molesting the pink woman..



SkooterG and Jane.



By this time, only SkooterG/Jane and the dcarver's were on the road playing typical toursist; the rest of the gang had scooted back to camp and were drinkin.. But we intrepid travelers decided to catch a diet Coke at Panamint Springs, wait for the sun to get long in the red wavelength light and enjoy a spectacular ride out of the canyon back to Lone Pine.

Here's Skooter and Jane at Panamint.





The USS Pananmint!

DeathValleyMarch2007-CouplesRide195.jpg


The Sand Dunes on the way home.





SkooterG taking a picture of me!



When we arrived at Lone Pine, we got a standing ovation from the rest of the gang… was it because they were proud we stayed out on the road for so long or because then they knew they wouldn't have to send out search and rescue teams?

I'll leave with this one last pix of a very tired pillion; but what a trooper she was/is for going on this ride. Even though the knees were killing her, she didn't whine and kept on keeping on. I'm very proud of her!



More pix located here.

Skyway, Thanks for a good idea and a GREAT ride! Everyone was nice, the riding was great, the bench racing even better, and I sure did have fun...

 
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Yo, Carver! That pile of chrome would look fantastic next to your old on-the-blocks pickem-up in the front yard of yer double-wide! :grin:

 
Just Checking in with you DV wanderers. Got back to Rancho Cucamonga CA today after riding from Kristie and Ian's in Sonora. Today did about 370 safe miles mostly on CA 99 slab. Total mileage from my start at home last Thursday was 1400 or so.

Reporting for Don - the HeliBars sure made a lot of difference in my riding posture and it was an improvement over the OEM triple clamp. I noticed the steering on the bike seemed quicker than before and it could be that yesterday while with Skyway I adjuster the entire bike suspension settings to those recommended by Sportbikes.com for the FJR. I am real pleased with the HeliBar and I bought it from Tony O. at a price just under $300.00 bucks.

Want to thank Ian and Kristie for a fantastic rally event and it sure was great to see again folks I had ridden with in the past. Especially nice was meeting new folks and their SO's. I look forward to seeing all of you and newcomers at the next event up North.

Thanks to all for a safe and fun ride. All of you are real WINNERS!!

PS: all pics posted are fantastic.

 
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Just Checking in with you DV wanderers. Got back to Rancho Cucamonga CA today after riding from Kristie and Ian's in Sonora. Today did about 370 safe miles mostly on CA 99 slab. Total mileage from my start at home last Thursday was 1400 or so.
Reporting for Don - the HeliBars sure made a lot of difference in my riding posture and it was an improvement over the OEM triple clamp. I noticed the steering on the bike seemed quicker than before and it could be that yesterday while with Skyway I adjuster the entire bike suspension settings to those recommended by Sportbikes.com for the FJR. I am real pleased with the HeliBar and I bought it from Tony O. at a price just under $300.00 bucks.

Want to thank Ian and Kristie for a fantastic rally event and it sure was great to see again folks I had ridden with in the past. Especially nice was meeting new folks and their SO's. I look forward to seeing all of you and newcomers at the next event up North.

Thanks to all for a safe and fun ride. All of you are real WINNERS!!

PS: all pics posted are fantastic.
Glad to see you got home Ok Dave.

Richard

 
Always great to see fun in Death Valley. Lots of good pics but the ONE that I have a question on:

DeathValleyMarch2007-CouplesRide154.jpg


How does this guy get all the chicks? Is it the orange on his bike? Personality? charm? sophistication? ......hope someone was taking notes. LOL LOL

 
Always great to see fun in Death Valley. Lots of good pics but the ONE that I have a question on:
How does this guy get all the chicks? Is it the orange on his bike? Personality? charm? sophistication? ......hope someone was taking notes. LOL LOL
\
It's those Foster Grants. ;)

 
How does this guy get all the chicks? Is it the orange on his bike? Personality? charm? sophistication? ......hope someone was taking notes.
1.) In comparison to the other rather scurrilous looking FJR riders, he's a safe bet. :blink:

2.) He's the only one who asked them to pose with him. Doh! :dribble:

 
Okay, y'all, here are some of the pictures I took. Others have posted pictures of "the group" so I will post some of the scenery we were riding through. It's really hard to imagine how VAST this place is. As TWN said when we were trying to catch a group of riders, "I could see them and it seemed they were 'just' ahead, but we couldn't catch them." Prolly 'cuz we could see'em a mile or more away! :unsure: Anyway, the pictures:

THURSDAY:

Skyway and Kristi digging out the Gerbings in Jackson.

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Skyway leads us into some "interesting" road experiences on Hwy 88.

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FRIDAY:

Fairlaner taking the picture he posted at the top of the thread. That's Bluestreek on the left, TurboDave sitting pretty and Highlander on the right. OrangevaleFJR, Ric-in-sac and Rogdeb weren't available.

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Friday morning on Hwy 136 leaving Lone Pine.

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More Hwy 136 heading into Death Valley

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At Stovepipe Wells, the "Don't Feed Wildlife" sign is turned the wrong way towarn others about FJR owners. L-R: TurboDave (great pose!), Bluestreek, Kaitsdad (in yellow) and Mrs. kaitsdad, Ms. Bluestreek in sunglasses, Barabus (in the red shirt), The Boss of Skyway (in the gray jacket), TWN, Dcarver (back to camera) talking with the Highlanders, and Shauna (Dcarver's SO).

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East of Stovepipe Wells on Hwy 136.

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Heading North to Scotty's Castle

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Arriving at Scotty's Castle, following the Bluestreeks

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The "Real Name" of Scotty's Castle. Notice the scuppers cut into the beams? I thought they might be for water drainage, but our tour guide said that the Johnsons would lay Eucalyptis trunks across the courtyard for shade, sometimes letting vines grow on them. A 1939 version of "trelliswork".

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The "Rangerette", in 1939 regalia, who conducted our tour.

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Closeup of the J/S (Johnson/Scott) gate medallion

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SATURDAY:

At Stovepipe Wells, my GPS says -14 ft in the parking lot.

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Kaitsdads, Dcarvers and TurboDave heading South from Furnace Creek toward Dante's View.

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Different textures and colors on the way to Dante's View.

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Looking North from Dante's View.

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Bluestreek. There is really no way to explain the magnitude of distance. Those mountains on the far side are probably 70 miles away, yet it looks like you could walk there in 1/2 hour. The scale of the valley is just more than our eyes and mind can comprehend.

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How the valley was formed. The picture shows 3 techtonic (sp?) plates. The 2 vertical lines are the plates crashing into one another. The mountain range on the right (East) is heading North and that side of the valley is "sinking", the mountains on the left (West) are rising and moving South, so the entire valley floor is slowly tilting and disappearing under the plate on the right.

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The German tourists taking our "group shot". Highlanders heads on the left, Bluestreek on the right.

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Badwater. My GPS elevation is -282'.

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FJRs at Badwater: Bluestreek trying to find Beatyy NV on his GPS, Kaitsdads "hydrating"?, Fairlaner desribing the ride down the mountain, TurboDave watching Skyway and his "Boss" pose at the railing. :rolleyes:

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Now this is a scary group: L-R, TurboDave (aka: Silver Fox), Skyway, TWN, Highlander and some "portly" gent.

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See the "Sea Level" sign, about 1/3 the way up in the center.

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Somewhere, on top of that mountain and to the right (South), is Dante's View.

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Skyway led us on the loop to Artist's Palette.

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Skyways, TWN, and Fairlaner riding "the loop".

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FJRs getting "juiced" after lunch. BTW, if your ever in Beatty NV...may I recommend the Ensenada Cafe, 1 block South of the stop sign. Excellente, mui excellente!

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TWN's retirement business opportunity in Rhyolite. Yes, it's for sale..... :blink:

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Heading out of the park Saturday, Westbound on Hwy 136.

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On Sunday morning the Bluestreeks and I tried to get an "early" start. Shyeah...roight! We did get out of Lone Pine around 0700 "old time", 0800 DST. Here are a few pics of our ride North to home.

Heading North on Hwy 395.

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We saw this little farmhouse in Bridgeport.

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Hwy 88 West of Gardnerville....

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Starting to climb. Carson's Pass is somewhere up ahead in those mountains.

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The Bluestreeks leading on Hwy 88, just below Carson Pass.

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Uhhhhmmm, Caples Lake Resort is CLOSED for the Winter!

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Finally home. 1300 miles on the GPS, 1334 miles on the odometer.

LonePineandDeathValley086-1.jpg


I must tell you all that I had a great time. Riding with old friends and meeting new ones. All-in-all a great time and a fun ride.

I sure missed the OrangevaleFJRs, Rogdebs and Ric-in-sacs......

 
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On Sunday morning the Bluestreeks and I tried to get an "early" start. Shyeah...roight! We did get out of Lone Pine around 0700 "old time", 0800 DST. Here are a few pics of our ride North to home.
Heading North on Hwy 395.

LonePineandDeathValley074.jpg


We saw this little farmhouse in Bridgeport.

LonePineandDeathValley075.jpg


Hwy 88 West of Gardnerville....

LonePineandDeathValley079.jpg


Starting to climb. Carson's Pass is somewhere up ahead in those mountains.

LonePineandDeathValley080.jpg


The Bluestreeks leading on Hwy 88, just below Carson Pass.

LonePineandDeathValley083.jpg


Uhhhhmmm Caples Lake Resort is CLOSED for the Winter!

LonePineandDeathValley084.jpg


Finally home. 1300 miles on the GPS, 1345 miles on the odometer.

LonePineandDeathValley086-1.jpg


I must tell you all that I had a great time. Riding with old friends and meeting new ones. All-in-all a great time and a fun ride.

I sure missed the OrangevaleFJRs, Rogdebs and Ric-in-sacs......
Well Mike it was really nice to meet you and the other folks i had not met before. I look forward to riding with you in th efuture and I am sure looking forward to WFO (Hope Utah can handle us).

Richard

 
Hey this is for the guys and gals that were at our table for dinner at Seasons on Saturday night.

The character that John Travolta played in grease was Danny Zuko. I am sure it has been bothering you all since then and i thought I would put you all out of your misery.

Richard :rolleyes:

 
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