Recent Rt 66/Death Valley Trip(Long Post)
#1
02-22-2014, 11:20 PM
Recent Rt 66/Death Valley Trip(Long Post)
Recently got back from a trip, primarily to Las Vegas for a conference, but went out a few days early to rent a bike and ride. The trip was beyond amazing and it was PURE BLISS to be on the saddle again. To me, there is absolutely no better feeling imaginable than riding a motorcycle.
At the end of each day, I journaled about where I went and what I saw. I traveled solo and that is my preference. If I wanted to stop and take a picture, I stopped, if I needed to take a leak, I stopped, if I needed a snack/drink, I stopped...
Here's a synopsis(+ a "little" more) with some pictures:
Day 1(2/8)
Got up at 2:30 am to catch a bus to Boston to get a 6am flight to Phoenix. Got a connecting flight to Vegas which got me there by 12:15 pm(PDT). Got a cab ride to Eaglerider and picked up the Goldwing(sorry guys, I wanted the heated grips/seat). After about 45 mins, I shoved off for Seligman AZ. Once I got out of the city and experienced the open road, MAN, did it ever feel great. It had been a long day so far, but I was so excited that I wasn't feeling fatigued at all. Rt 66 was beautiful(to me). Although somewhat desolate, I love seeing the roadside artifacts along the way. It's wild seeing motel signs with no motel there, gas station remnants... I stopped at the Hackberry General Store and spoke with the owner briefly, patted the dog and ate my snickers bar. After leaving there, my gas light went on and got a little scared. I drove for a number of miles and and was really getting worried, then I saw a station with a gas pump and a motel. It was called, "Grand Canyon Cavern and Inns". I pulled up to the pump and it wasn't working. I walked up to every building on the grounds and saw no one. There were cars galore, a lit vacancy sign, but no people. I quickly left the "twilight zone" and hopped back on the bike(a lot more worried). Well, I made it to Seligman(I swear) on fumes, Man, did it feel good to get there! I got a room at the Rt 66 Motel, grabbed dinner at the Roadkill Cafe, went back to the room, journaled and zzzzzzzzzzz.
Pics from Day #1: (see next post for pics)
Day # 2(2/9)
Woke up to a frost covered bike. Man, it was cold. I knew it wouldn't last though. My initial plan was to head to Ash Fork(wanted to do the entire continuous part of AZ Rt 66) and pick up I 40 back to Kingman, but I thought I'd warm up quicker heading West. Also, I had a vantage point of I 40 from the motel and all I could see was trucks! Sorry! Not going I 40 when I can double-back on Rt 66! I headed west on Rt 66 and it did warm up after 1-2 hours. I went through Kingman and headed to Oatman Road. I stopped at the Cool Springs store and drank a bottle of Rt 66 Root Beer prior to traveling through Sitegreaves Pass. Now I'm a bit of a wimpy rider. What I mean by that is that I am not generally turned on by steep grades, twisties and heights. I'll be the first one to admit that. I had considered bypassing Sitegreaves pass(via I 40) because of this. I was a little nervous about navigagting a Goldwing around those steep, twisty curves. Well, I did it, albeit slow. I actually loved every minute of it. I headed to Oatman, but unfortunately, no Burroughs...it was too early. I bought a piece of fudge at the Oatman Hotel, walked around a bit and headed down Rt 66 to Needles(had to get on I 40). Got to Needles and pulled into the Burger Hut. After being there for only a few seconds, a guy walks right up to me(looking a little on the "not well" side) and started telling me dirty jokes. I should have been given an Oscar for laughing at his jokes. I quickly pretended to receive a phone call. I Ate my Burrito(not burger) and headed towards Death Valley. Stopped in Pahrump to gas up and get water. Met a cool guy on a Victory who, after shooting the breeze for a bit, escorted me to the road I was looking for and continued on. Two more stops, one in Searchlight and one in Vegas(Starbucks fix!). Next stop was Death Valley...a long, beautiful ride into! Arrived at Furnace Creek and pulled up to the hotel. Man, was this BEAUTIFUL. I couldn't believe it was only going to cost $179 to stay here. Well, I was right...my belief wasn't correct in the first place. I evidently stopped at the wrong place, the more upscale acomodations. I actually felt out of place being there and I felt the second they eyed me, they knew I was in the wrong place. I was sweaty, hair going everywhere, wearing a black leather jacket. I felt like I was in the Palaner All Fruit commercial, "could you please pass the jelly?". Anyway, I rushed out and checked in to the "correct" place, the Furnace Creek Ranch...good enough for me, actually a nice place.
(See next post for pics from Day 2)
Day 3(2/10):
In the morning, I took a ride to Scotty's castle, hit gravel road(don't like it!) for a short time and was stopped by a Ranger/worker. They were shuttling people up to the castle and I just missed it. I would have to wait for 30 or more minutes for the next, so I shoved off again with no agenda, but to ride. I saw a sign for Stovepipe Wells and some place called, Lone Pine and headed in that direction. I stopped at Stovepipe Wells and gassed up and asked the worker about Lone Pine. She said it took going over a couple of mountain passes to get there, but no great distance. I headed that way. The first mountain pass(Towne Pass) was beautiful and as I descended, I could see a valley with a very long road connecting it to the next mountain pass. I believe this place is called, Panamint Springs. While on this long straight road, I heard a loud noise and to me, it sounded like the wind had picked up significantly. I know this can happen in the desert. Next thing I knew, I saw(and heard, much louder), military jet flying fairly low and going very fast. What a rush! I've heard of military maneuvers in the Mohave desert, now I've experienced it! I went over the next mountain pass(Father Crowley Point) and headed to Lone Pine(just for kicks and to keep riding). Well, I did hit a very strong cross wind for about 15-20 miles or so...I didn't appreciate that much. I forgot to mention, after descending the 1st(or 2nd) mountain pass, the view of the Snow covered Sierra Nevada range was spectacular...just beautiful! I made it to Lone Pine, had a coffee and a Snickers(seeing any pattern here?) and began to dread the ride back through the wind. For some reason, the wind wasn't as bad on the way back. Before I came to the first mountain pass, I saw something cool that I hit the brakes to pull over and catch with my camera: a remote controlled plane, which looked to be about 100 ft from me, maybe 30 feet in the air. When I stopped, I heard that unmistakably loud, jet engine noise...loud. Holy moly! What I saw must have been an optical illusion. I'm guessing the jet that I saw with a backdrop of a sizable mountain made the jet look smaller/closer than it actually was? One of the wildest things I have ever seen, truly! This was too much excitement/fun in one day for this guy. I headed back to Furnace Creek, went to Zabriskie Point and called it a night.
(see next post for pics from Day 3)
Day 4(2/11):
Time to head back to Vegas. $#*&@...depressions starting to settle-in. Before heading back, I did Artist's Drive and Badwater Creek, then headed on 190 to Vegas. One more stop at red Rock Canyon and did the "Scenic Loop" through the park...beautiful! Brought the bike back to Eaglerider in Vegas and I'm still crying
All-in-all, I did 1150 miles and can't wait to get back in the saddle again!! I'm doing a cross country trip in mid-July of this year. Before this trip, I was thinking of bypassing Going to the Sun Road, because of the elevation/curves. Now, I think I will include this on the itinerary.
(See next post for pics from Day 4)
Just thought I'd share some notes from my trip and help us all start to think about riding again after this terrible winter!!
Dave
At the end of each day, I journaled about where I went and what I saw. I traveled solo and that is my preference. If I wanted to stop and take a picture, I stopped, if I needed to take a leak, I stopped, if I needed a snack/drink, I stopped...
Here's a synopsis(+ a "little" more) with some pictures:
Day 1(2/8)
Got up at 2:30 am to catch a bus to Boston to get a 6am flight to Phoenix. Got a connecting flight to Vegas which got me there by 12:15 pm(PDT). Got a cab ride to Eaglerider and picked up the Goldwing(sorry guys, I wanted the heated grips/seat). After about 45 mins, I shoved off for Seligman AZ. Once I got out of the city and experienced the open road, MAN, did it ever feel great. It had been a long day so far, but I was so excited that I wasn't feeling fatigued at all. Rt 66 was beautiful(to me). Although somewhat desolate, I love seeing the roadside artifacts along the way. It's wild seeing motel signs with no motel there, gas station remnants... I stopped at the Hackberry General Store and spoke with the owner briefly, patted the dog and ate my snickers bar. After leaving there, my gas light went on and got a little scared. I drove for a number of miles and and was really getting worried, then I saw a station with a gas pump and a motel. It was called, "Grand Canyon Cavern and Inns". I pulled up to the pump and it wasn't working. I walked up to every building on the grounds and saw no one. There were cars galore, a lit vacancy sign, but no people. I quickly left the "twilight zone" and hopped back on the bike(a lot more worried). Well, I made it to Seligman(I swear) on fumes, Man, did it feel good to get there! I got a room at the Rt 66 Motel, grabbed dinner at the Roadkill Cafe, went back to the room, journaled and zzzzzzzzzzz.
Pics from Day #1: (see next post for pics)
Day # 2(2/9)
Woke up to a frost covered bike. Man, it was cold. I knew it wouldn't last though. My initial plan was to head to Ash Fork(wanted to do the entire continuous part of AZ Rt 66) and pick up I 40 back to Kingman, but I thought I'd warm up quicker heading West. Also, I had a vantage point of I 40 from the motel and all I could see was trucks! Sorry! Not going I 40 when I can double-back on Rt 66! I headed west on Rt 66 and it did warm up after 1-2 hours. I went through Kingman and headed to Oatman Road. I stopped at the Cool Springs store and drank a bottle of Rt 66 Root Beer prior to traveling through Sitegreaves Pass. Now I'm a bit of a wimpy rider. What I mean by that is that I am not generally turned on by steep grades, twisties and heights. I'll be the first one to admit that. I had considered bypassing Sitegreaves pass(via I 40) because of this. I was a little nervous about navigagting a Goldwing around those steep, twisty curves. Well, I did it, albeit slow. I actually loved every minute of it. I headed to Oatman, but unfortunately, no Burroughs...it was too early. I bought a piece of fudge at the Oatman Hotel, walked around a bit and headed down Rt 66 to Needles(had to get on I 40). Got to Needles and pulled into the Burger Hut. After being there for only a few seconds, a guy walks right up to me(looking a little on the "not well" side) and started telling me dirty jokes. I should have been given an Oscar for laughing at his jokes. I quickly pretended to receive a phone call. I Ate my Burrito(not burger) and headed towards Death Valley. Stopped in Pahrump to gas up and get water. Met a cool guy on a Victory who, after shooting the breeze for a bit, escorted me to the road I was looking for and continued on. Two more stops, one in Searchlight and one in Vegas(Starbucks fix!). Next stop was Death Valley...a long, beautiful ride into! Arrived at Furnace Creek and pulled up to the hotel. Man, was this BEAUTIFUL. I couldn't believe it was only going to cost $179 to stay here. Well, I was right...my belief wasn't correct in the first place. I evidently stopped at the wrong place, the more upscale acomodations. I actually felt out of place being there and I felt the second they eyed me, they knew I was in the wrong place. I was sweaty, hair going everywhere, wearing a black leather jacket. I felt like I was in the Palaner All Fruit commercial, "could you please pass the jelly?". Anyway, I rushed out and checked in to the "correct" place, the Furnace Creek Ranch...good enough for me, actually a nice place.
(See next post for pics from Day 2)
Day 3(2/10):
In the morning, I took a ride to Scotty's castle, hit gravel road(don't like it!) for a short time and was stopped by a Ranger/worker. They were shuttling people up to the castle and I just missed it. I would have to wait for 30 or more minutes for the next, so I shoved off again with no agenda, but to ride. I saw a sign for Stovepipe Wells and some place called, Lone Pine and headed in that direction. I stopped at Stovepipe Wells and gassed up and asked the worker about Lone Pine. She said it took going over a couple of mountain passes to get there, but no great distance. I headed that way. The first mountain pass(Towne Pass) was beautiful and as I descended, I could see a valley with a very long road connecting it to the next mountain pass. I believe this place is called, Panamint Springs. While on this long straight road, I heard a loud noise and to me, it sounded like the wind had picked up significantly. I know this can happen in the desert. Next thing I knew, I saw(and heard, much louder), military jet flying fairly low and going very fast. What a rush! I've heard of military maneuvers in the Mohave desert, now I've experienced it! I went over the next mountain pass(Father Crowley Point) and headed to Lone Pine(just for kicks and to keep riding). Well, I did hit a very strong cross wind for about 15-20 miles or so...I didn't appreciate that much. I forgot to mention, after descending the 1st(or 2nd) mountain pass, the view of the Snow covered Sierra Nevada range was spectacular...just beautiful! I made it to Lone Pine, had a coffee and a Snickers(seeing any pattern here?) and began to dread the ride back through the wind. For some reason, the wind wasn't as bad on the way back. Before I came to the first mountain pass, I saw something cool that I hit the brakes to pull over and catch with my camera: a remote controlled plane, which looked to be about 100 ft from me, maybe 30 feet in the air. When I stopped, I heard that unmistakably loud, jet engine noise...loud. Holy moly! What I saw must have been an optical illusion. I'm guessing the jet that I saw with a backdrop of a sizable mountain made the jet look smaller/closer than it actually was? One of the wildest things I have ever seen, truly! This was too much excitement/fun in one day for this guy. I headed back to Furnace Creek, went to Zabriskie Point and called it a night.
(see next post for pics from Day 3)
Day 4(2/11):
Time to head back to Vegas. $#*&@...depressions starting to settle-in. Before heading back, I did Artist's Drive and Badwater Creek, then headed on 190 to Vegas. One more stop at red Rock Canyon and did the "Scenic Loop" through the park...beautiful! Brought the bike back to Eaglerider in Vegas and I'm still crying
All-in-all, I did 1150 miles and can't wait to get back in the saddle again!! I'm doing a cross country trip in mid-July of this year. Before this trip, I was thinking of bypassing Going to the Sun Road, because of the elevation/curves. Now, I think I will include this on the itinerary. (See next post for pics from Day 4)
Just thought I'd share some notes from my trip and help us all start to think about riding again after this terrible winter!!
Dave
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