1200 mile ride to the North and South borders of Death Valley

[motorrad]

Jim,

Excellent ride report and pictures. You really captured one of the most enjoyable rides I've experienced. Death Valley is so grand this time of year, one really has to ride it to get the full effect. Distance, color, smell, and bike feedback are hard to accurately describe when riding off-road in this area. I hope to compliment your report in the next day or two. Fantastic job of capturing the moment, it was a real pleasure to ride these routes with you and Ray.

Tom

[2on2off]

Originally Posted by Eryx

I beg to disagree I have been once to DV and your photos are superb. Vast landscapes are so hard to render in 2D, I think these are quite faithful to the actual experience.
So bummed I could not join you guys on this ride, but I am doing my best to get ready for the next one.
Keep the photos coming.
=oSò
Eric

Thanks for the kind words. Many of the pictures I have seen of DV, including my own, don't do justice to the way it looks in person, especially Ubehebe Crater. But thanks anyway.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by 2on2off

Many of the pictures I have seen of DV, including my own, don't do justice to the way it looks in person, especially Ubehebe Crater.

Agreed... we just went a couple of weeks ago over President's Day weekend... you brought back some most excellent memories and provided some new views of DV that I have not seen... every time I go, I see something different... it is truly an amazing place! Thanks for sharing your pics and stories!!

[2on2off]

Originally Posted by eye.surgeon

Wow Jim, what a trip! Great pics and thanks for sharing.

The next time you are on highway 395 near Big Pine, be sure to ride the 25 miles of pavement on Death Valley Road off highway 168. This road does not disappoint expecially this time of year.

[2on2off]

Originally Posted by motorrad

Jim,

Excellent ride report and pictures. You really captured one of the most enjoyable rides I've experienced. Death Valley is so grand this time of year, one really has to ride it to get the full effect. Distance, color, smell, and bike feedback are hard to accurately describe when riding off-road in this area. I hope to compliment your report in the next day or two. Fantastic job of capturing the moment, it was a real pleasure to ride these routes with you and Ray.

Tom

Looking forward to your perspective on the trip and your pictures. It was good riding with you this last weekend.

[wbunning]

Originally Posted by 2on2off

Riding your GS will give you a different experience in DV for sure.

Been there MANY times on the GS! Tons of fun.

[Twisted Trader]

What a great adventure. You visited some beautiful areas and brought back memories for all of us who have been there, and provided inspiration for those who have yet to visit the DV area.

Here is another pic of a memorible area that you missed... The charcoal kilns off Wildrose.

[Ladywulf]

Great Pics. I spent a large amount of my childhood in Shoshone and still know a few families that live there. I once worked in that Museum, it use to be a rock shop till the old man that owned it died. Oh the stories I could tell you about DV. Plus I also grew up on Hwy 395.....That whole area is my second favorite in Calif. Course Plumas COunty my fav. I am looking forward to oneday taking Bandit12 down through there and show him the secrect of DV and 395.
So I do have one question, in your travles down in DV did you by chance see my boss, she is on vacation there for another week and she won't retund my phone calls....lol

[jimfix93675]

The same week-end Jim 2 on 2 off lead his larger adventure bike tour, I lead 10 duel sport riders on a 350 mile loop starting in Ridgecrest, working our way to Trona, through some single track switch back into Goler Wash, into Furnace Creek, through Echo Canyon into Beaty Nevada for day one. Then working our way to Ryolite Ghost town, Titus Canyon(very cool carvings on rock from ancient dwellers of the area), Ballarat Ghost town, and back to Ridgecrest. We had our share of challenges....flat tire, crashes with one rider blacking out.......yikes!! We ended up riding riding 60 miles in the dark to finish day one. We started at 7am in Ridgecrest and finished in Beaty at 7:45pm.
Here are a few pics......was very busy staying on the right trail and keeping ten riders together... Ater day two, most of the riders rear knobbies were spent.... I guess that means it was a good week end....
Jim

[2on2off]

Jim: We must have just missed each other on Sunday. We were on the dirt road airing down our tires at 8:32 a.m. when I took a picture of Rhyolite in the distance. You were there at 8:20 a.m. unless the clock on your camera is off.

Then you hit the Indian Markings 45 minutes ahead of us. Looks like we could have ridden through Titus Canyon together but at that point, we didn't even know if you had safely made it to Beatty the prior night since we couldn't use our cell phones. Although, we did talk with some BMW riders at Stovepipe Wells that morning before leaving that had stayed in Beatty and remembered a group of scruffy looking dirt bike riders come into Beatty Saturday night that were asking about us.

Here is us on the dirt road heading for Titus Canyon with Rhyolite in the background 12 minutes after you were in Rhyolite. And more pictures of the Indian markings.