My Trip to Death Valley

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03silverbullet

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I took a trip by myself to Death Valley on week days 3/22 - 3/23 and stayed in Shoshone.

I took a ride to the China Date ranch and bought some dates.

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The dirt road leading to the ranch was pretty gnarly

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Not your topical road.

I then took a ride to my old stomping grounds Spring Mountain Race Track. I have been doing track days there since 2000 and the place has changed a lot

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These were the only 2 "buildings" until 2008

They now have all these including a building with suites that you can rent for the weekend.

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While they still have track days for bike,the pace is now geared more for cars including these Radicals.

They sell these at the track

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They use a Hayabusa motor but this one has 2 busa motors making it a V8 with well over 300HP.

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I stopped by Dante's view, but it was overcast

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I was surprised how many people were there during the week. The Shoshone inn was booked and Badwater had all these people there.

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On the way home I encountered snow in Victorville. I checked the weather before I left and the forcast for Victorville was cloudy and a slight chance of rain. Well it started snowing hard and I stopped at the Shell gas station on RT395 the last exit before you head down the Cajon pass were I was instantly the center of attention. People were debating whether I could make it down or not. When the snow stated sticking,I decided not to chance it and began heading back north on the 15. The snow was coming down so hard I could barely see. I took the first exit were I came upon the Marriott Courtyard.

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The $100 for the room was money well spent and stayed the night.

The next mourning was clear and cold and I made it home safely.

All in all I had a great time.

 
Cool. Glad you didn't fall down go boom and break a bunch of ribs. What is it lately with FJR peeps and snow?

Thanks for the ride report.

 
Something about "the better part of valor"? Yes, you were smart to turn around. I dumped my brother's BMW in a gas station in Ely one September when we got trapped by snow but thought we could make it out. NOT!

 
(You'll travel a long way for a date, huh? :D )
A good friend and riding mentor took me and a few others there years back... he asked if we wanted to go to Nevada to get a date. :lol:

He also said there was a short hard-packed dirt road... he didn't mention the twisting drops that all of a sudden (thank GAWD!!!) were paved before they went back to dirt... washboard sections were pretty nasty on the spine too. And there was a really interesting rock formation that someone got a picture of... have to see if I can find it... it was a very, um, masculine type formation! :unsure:

 
Geee, those are great shots that make me feel like I was just there...OH WAIT, I SOOO JUST WAS THERE *******!!!! hahahaha, yeah, I'm milking this braggin point for a long friggin time to come, get used to it, this was my big 2011 adventure. But, really, it feels like some sort of FJR comraderi to see others post pics of somewhere I've very recently been, that's so far from home. It really made my heart do a double tick when Fairlaner showed us the pic of TWN there in 07 in the same place that I just was at Dante's View. I gave a moment's pause for him and thought of my favorite thought of him and I. Good times, good times. Thanks for you pics dude, always love to see DV pics!

 
Nice RR and pics, thanks for taking us along on the adventure. Good decision regarding the snow...one little spot is all it takes, the big ouch!

--G

 
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