9 days through the Southwest (6/7 - 6/15) - ALL PHOTOS UP

[Bibendum]

On Saturday, June 7th we set out on our long awaited 9 day trip through the Southwest. Day 1 would take us from the Bay Area through Yosemite via Tioga Pass, then down Hwy. 395 and into Death Valley for a night at Stovepipe Wells.

The weather was cool in the morning, and going over Tioga Pass was pretty cold, as the temps. dropped down into the 50’s. The lake right before the park entry/exit at Tioga Pass was still half frozen and filled with ice and snow. As this was our first time over Tioga Pass it was slow going due to all the photo stops along the way. What an amazing place.

By the time we got down to Lee Vining, the temps were in the 80’s. Stopped for lunch at the Whoa Nellie Deli and had their famous fish tacos, which I gotta say are some of the best I have had. From there it was down Hwy. 395 and into warmer and warmer temps. We got to Death Valley in time to ride into the park as the sun was going down, it was really amazing to see the way the light changed the colors across the desert. We got to Stovepipe Wells around 8:15pm and it was still 98 degrees!

Ate a quick dinner at the restaurant, which was so bad it did not warrant a photo. Then it was off to bed for an early start.

Total mileage from San Leandro, CA to Stovepipe Wells, CA was 409.8.

Here are some of the photos from Day 1, I have a ton of photos from the trip, so I have tried to limit the number of photos.

Getting ready to start the adventure!
































You would be much better off to buy gas at Stovepipe Wells, where it was $4.89/gal for premium. And the pumps even worked after hours for credit!




Day 2 took us through Death Valley to Shoshone, then down to Baker, CA and across to Searchlight, NV and then down to Oatman, AZ (to see the wild burros of course) and then into Kingman, AZ for the night.

Stopped at the sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells for some early morning shots, it was pretty amazing to see the early morning light on the dunes. Then it was on to the old Borax Mine, a quick stop at Furnace Creek to cool off, then on to Artist’s Palette and Badwater. It was then a very hot and very windy ride south through the valley, and we were very glad to get to Shoshone to cool off and to get some food. From there it was south to Baker, CA and then across to Nevada and onto Bullhead City, AZ where it was 110 degrees. Then it was historic Route 66 to Oatman, AZ to visit the burros and then the rest of the way to Kingman. The heat and the wind stayed with us all day, and it was a relief to jump into the pool once settled into our hotel.

Total mileage from Stovepipe Wells, CA to Kingman, AZ was 334.6.

Day 2 photos:














Holly, doing her best "The Stig" impression.












Lunch














Thought I would try an alternate means of transport into Kingman.


The view heading down Sitgreaves Pass.


Dinner





More to come, check back.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by Bibendum

More to come, check back.

Subscribes to thread...

[ace_frehly]

Death valley in June?!?!!? You must be crazy! But I like your spirit. Sounds like a great ride. I really need to get back to Cali and ride Tioga pass. Your pictures are making me drool all over that road.

[saeed883]

Very nice trip and good report and a lot of good pictures.. Thanks

[Yikes]

Originally Posted by ace_frehly

Death valley in June?!?!!? You must be crazy! But I like your spirit. Sounds like a great ride. I really need to get back to Cali and ride Tioga pass. Your pictures are making me drool all over that road.

Actually Death Valley was not nearly as bad as we expected it to be. Sure it was hot... but it was a dry heat. We just made sure we were prepared with hydration packs, cool wraps for our necks and proper ventilation. I was wearing the leather pants and I was actually fine. Thank goodness for the stretch kevlar inseam panel though. That gives a bit of ventilation. There were other places that ended up being hotter than DV. So watch for more of Kharon's posts. An awesome trip to be sure!

[Bibendum]

Originally Posted by ace_frehly

Death valley in June?!?!!? You must be crazy! But I like your spirit. Sounds like a great ride. I really need to get back to Cali and ride Tioga pass. Your pictures are making me drool all over that road.

Actually, Death Valley wasn't all that bad...I was surprised. Sure it was hot, but it wasn't so bad we were melting...but we did get to the Valley in the evening, and we were out of the valley by 12pm or so the next day.

The day into Oatman was the hottest at 110 degrees, and the day from Panguitch, UT to St. George, UT was the worst...it was only 102 degrees, but since we had started the day in 50 degree weather with snow next to the road, ending up in 102 degree heat was more than I could handle. We had to cut that day short. Our last day was pretty hot as well, as we hit 102 degrees in Oakdale, CA.

In general, I found the heat through AZ, CO and UT harder to deal with than the heat in Death Valley....as Holly said, it is a dry heat in DV.

Kharon

[Bibendum]

Also added a few more pictures to Day 1 and 2.

Day 3 took us from Kingman, AZ into the Grand Canyon via Historic Route 66. This day was planned to be short so that we would have plenty of time at the Grand Canyon, since I had never been there, and we arrived around 1pm.

Route 66 is a great road, good pavement, little to no traffic, high speed (65 on most parts, vs. 75 on the Interstate) great scenery. I don’t know why more people don’t use this route? I have to say it was pretty sad to see all of the dead or dying towns along this route, some of these places looked like they were pretty cool towns at one time or another.

Today was officially our first views of the southwest, as the first mesa’s started soon after leaving Kingman. We stopped in Seligman so Holly could gas up, and then it was on to Williams for another top off on the tanks. Then it was on to the Grand Canyon. The amazing thing about the drive up to the park is that the landscape gives no indication that you are about to come across this unbelievable setting, it’s just flat to rolling hills with pine and pinion trees, then all of a sudden you turn to parallel the canyon and BOOM…there is this huge view of the most amazing natural feature. After announcing several surprised expletives over the radio I was literally speechless, I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Had lunch at the El Tovar, and then wandered around the South Rim until we could check in at the cabin. Then it was more wandering around, watching several California Condors, watching the sunset and dinner at the El Tovar, and some star gazing on the walk back to the cabin. Went to bed early so we could be up in time for sunrise.

Total mileage from Kingman, AZ to South Rim of the Grand Canyon was 195.6 miles.













The discussion went something like this.."Do you think the camera took the picture yet?"














This was one fat and happy bunny. He was very tame as well, I got within three feet of him. He stayed on the lawn in front of one of the lodges eating for hours, he was still there when we walked back from dinner.


Day 4 will be up shortly. Stay tuned.

[Bibendum]

Day 4 had us up early to watch the sunrise at the Grand Canyon, which in my opinion was much better that the sunset. Then it was out along the South Rim to Desert View and then off to Cortez, CO. We got an early start as this was a long day…and it ended up being hot and very windy as well.

The road along the rim to Desert View was pretty amazing and the various views along the way were spectacular. Desert View Tower itself is an amazing piece of architecture, and the view from the top is the highest point along the South Rim…so the views got even better!

A small tragedy occurred in the parking lot when Holly dropped her camera and several pieces broke off…but it was nothing she couldn’t fix with some duct tape! So many uses….don’t leave home without it.

Then it was off toward Cameron and then on to Kayenta and the Four Corners region. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Sonic in Kayenta – sitting inside on a picnic table next to the car hop ordering thingy (yes, that is a technical term). We were just happy to get out of the wind, as it had been many miles riding at an angle due to the winds that just would not stop and were very very strong! The southern end of Monument Valley looked amazing, and that is definitely on the list for next time.

We decided to skip the Four Corners Monument; 1. because this day was taking us way longer than it should have, 2. because we were annoyed that it was $3 per person to get in to see the tourist trap, and 3. because it was too freakin’ hot and windy! So onward we went, stopping to take a photo at the New Mexico sign (hey, we were there for 3 minutes) and then stopping half a block later to take a photo at the Colorado sign…and of the sign for the “Shorthair Family” that lived off the road in front of the sign.

We arrived at Mesa Verde much later than planned, it was 4:45 by our watches but we forgot we lost an hour crossing into to Mountain Time Zone (technically we had crossed into it the day before, but Arizona doesn’t do Day Light Savings, so it negates the time difference). We checked in at the lodge, dropped all our stuff and headed off to do some of the loop drives, arriving at Spruce Trees House right as it closed..but we could still see it and many other cliff dwellings and pueblos from the road or short trails. Being close to 10,000 ft. it was much, much cooler up at Mesa Verde, and the 22 mile road in to the lodge brought us some nice twisties….so nice after days and days of mostly straight!

Got back to the lodge for dinner, the restaurant here is great! Then hit the hay for an early start the next day so we could spend some more time at the park to tour Spruce Tree House.

Total mileage from Grand Canyon, AZ to Mesa Verde, CO was 323 miles.







Unexpected visitors.






























View from the lodge and our room. Niiiiice.


More to come...don't touch that dial.

[Ally House]

Wow! Keep 'em coming.

[Bibendum]

Originally Posted by Ally House

Wow! Keep 'em coming.

Thanks Ally..and everyone for the compliments on the photos. I was a really great ride, I already want to go back!