Death Valley Run with California VTX Riders.

12 hours, 10 minutes.  612 miles.  Fun.

It was cold at 5am when I left my house.  The porch thermometer read just above 45˚.  I wasn't going to go on this ride at first.  I was supposed to be with my daughter on a father-daughter trip to Monterey.  On Wednesday night, she had a major blowup with her mom, threatened suicide, and was placed into an adolescent lock down facility for suicide observation.  Since I had some free time now, and I really needed to take a ride to clear my head, I decided to go with a couple of coworkers, Mike and Scott.  Scott rides a Honda VTX and had planned this trip for the California VTX Riders.

I dressed in my usual cold gear.  At least 3 layers everywhere, and 4 in some areas.

I got to Scott's house just before 6am, after stopping for gas in Quartz Hill.   Mike met us there.  We left on time for the ride to Barstow and the meeting point for the rest of the group.

It was cold in North Edwards.  It always is.  Had to be in the upper 30's.  The sun had just risen.  My toes were cold, as were my fingers.  I kept riding on, knowing it would get better soon.  We got to Barstow, fueled up, and grabbed a quick brekkie at the McDonald's in Barstow Station.

It was warming up, so I was able to remove some clothing before we left.  I also switched to the tinted face shield.  11 other VTX's had shown up.  We left promptly at 8:20 am, which was the starting time setup by Scott.

We headed north on I-15.  Somewhere as we started, we did lose 2 VTX's.  We had 12 total riders in the group for the rest of the day.

Scott set a good pace north on I-15 to Baker.  Traveling north on SR-127, Scott was a bit cautious passing the other vehicles.  I was traveling about 1/3 of the way back in the pack.  About 5 miles north of Baker, I pulled out and blew past the leaders with Michael in tow.  We had a blast running 90-110 the remaining 40 miles into Shoshone.  Mike & I were just pulling the bikes away from the gas pumps when the rest of the pack showed up.  I took this photo in Shoshone.

Mike & I took off early from the pack to do some extra photo stops.  We turned west on CA-178 towards Badwater.  We stopped between Salsberry and Jubilee passes and Mike took some photos.  Later on we stopped in Death Valley for a shot of a wineglass canyon.  Michael was clowning around in the road, pretending to be buzzard bait.  There was almost no traffic in the southern part of the park.  CA-178 from the old park boundary to Badwater is narrow, and the pavement is mediocre.

Michael and I pulled into Badwater a few minutes ahead of the VTX's.  Here is some shots taken at Badwater. 

At Badwater, Sea Level is indicated by white sign high on hillside.  Look near the top of the photo above Greg who is wearing the yellow top.

Michael and I took off early again and stopped at Furnace Creek Junction to get photos of the rest of the group and some others.  The 16 miles from Badwater to the junction was paved and widened a few years ago and is in great shape.

We ate lunch at Furnace Creek Ranch.  E Clampus Vitus was having their Death Valley Rendezvous and the area was full of motor homes.  Quite a site to see.  A group was serving BBQ lunch for charity in the patio near the gift shop/market.  The meal was delicious.  After getting gas at Furnace Creek, Michael and I took off early again and stopped at the Sand Dunes for some more photos.  Michael could lay in the road for that perfect shot, the traffic was too heavy.

While Michael and I were taking the photos at the Sand Dunes, the rest of the group passed by.  We gave the VTX's a 5-7 minute lead before we pulled out onto the highway to give chase.  We caught up to a few in some twisties about 35 miles later.  We caught up to the lead group just as they were pulling into Father Crowley Point (40 miles from the Sand Dunes).  They reported going 100-110 in places.  My GPS hit a max of 121 crossing Panamint Valley.  These photos were taken at Father Crowley Point.

Michael and I took off early again to get some more photos.  We stopped at the junction of CA-190 and CA-136, which is on the southeast side of Owens Lake.  Looking west you can see the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  The VTX's passed us up, but we caught up to them by the time we got to Olancha.

After the gas stop in Olancha, we traveled south on US-395 to the Indian Wells Brewery, on CA-14 just after the junction with US-395.  A good place to stop, but like the desert usually is, it can be quite windy.  Scott really really really likes Lobotomy Bock, a 10.2% beer brewed there.  They also brew some sodas.  Here is their web site - Indian Wells Brewery.  I had an orange creme and bought a 6 pack of the Jingle Bell Bock to take home.

We all took off from the brewery.  Most of the pack turned east on CA-178 to take US-395 back south.  Scott, Michael, and I headed south on CA-14.  We stopped for gas in Mojave.  I parted company with the guys and cruised back to Sylmar into the setting sun.  I arrived home at 5:10, just over 12 hours after I left.  What a day!