Category: Deserts
-
Motorcycles and Mindspace
Surprisingly it was very hard to get a room in Bishop two months out. I wound up at the Trees Motel which just wasn’t a good fit. It was a long walk to the restaurants in town in motorcycle boots. I always walk as I don’t drink and ride and dammit – I wanted a…
-
2014 Memorial Day Mingle – Day 2
I was tired last night. I was surprised how hard I had slept. I knew something was not right the moment my face moved. The insect bite really had swollen up overnight. We iced it again which helped, but there was going to be a little extra fluff in my helmet on the ride today. …
-
Highway 168: OMG
I was up insanely early this morning. It was 5:30 AM and I was wide awake. There are generally two ways to get into Death Valley: Lone Pine and Beatty. The first two years I went via Lone Pine as most people went that way`. With my trip to Australia getting closer and closer I…
-
Dropping into the Park
Getting to Death Valley: There are two routes we usually take down into Death Valley. The “short” or “regular” route and the “long” route. I’ve never done the longer route as it is usually cold in the morning and I’m not one to go up to 8,000ft when it’s 40 degrees at 4,00 ft. For…
-
Prayin’ in the Needles
I wanted to get the truck checked out before heading out for home. Sitting on the side of Interstate 40 in 110 degree heat waiting for a tow truck doesn’t sound fun. Fortunately there is a auto repair shop behind the hotel that is open on Sunday. Given how small this town is, I counted…
-
The Last Photo
I’ve been working on a photo collection for about seven years from various parts of California. I was invited to present at a photography expo in mid July that I’d like to be able to show this piece. The problem is that I’m missing one critical piece of the picture, the low desert in Southern…
-
Eureka Dunes (250 Miles)
When I awoke the next morning my tent was full of sand. The wind blew the sand up under the fly and through the mesh to coat just about everything I had inside of the tent with a layer of grit. I mean we were out in the desert, but I’ve not seen the wind…
-
Into the Park (340mi)
When staying in Bakersfield the default hotel for me has been the Buck Owens Best Western as it’s the SBR usual. John suggested the Quality Inn just down the road. Accommodations were just as good with a breakfast included as well. At $65/night for two people the price was right and didn’t include roaches as…
-
Palm Springs to San Diego on the Pines to Palms Highway (150 Miles)
We’ve been having pretty unseasonably cold weather this time so it was another slow morning getting on the road. Breakfast was a short trip over to Elmer’s. Elmer’s could be described as “not bad in a pinch”. The food was ok, and definitely a few steps below Rick’s in both quality and presentation. I did…
-
Rounding the Salton Sea (195 Miles)
After a great night sleep I was hoping it was going to be a bit warmer today. Weather.com promised temperatures up in the 70s but we were well shy of that as the air was pretty crisp. Breakfast was at Rick’s. I have to say the food there was just awesome. Rick’s had two major…
-
The Race to Imperial County
Everyone has at least one nerdy goal. Nerdy goals are somewhat cool in that they often show something about the goal setter in a very unique way. It’s obvious that I like to ride bikes and I’ve been to a lot of places. My nerdy goal is to ride into every county in California. One…
-
The Long Haul Home
Today was the pinnacle day of the trip. It’s odd that the day home would be such an event, but for me it was. I’d been a bit nervous on doing 500 miles in one day as the max I’d done was 400. In that day I was exhausted and this was 100 more. In…
-
Off the bike
After three full days on the bike, it was nice to have a day off. While it was not a riding day, it was a full day none the less. We had more a few photographers on the trip, some by trade and some by hobby. A few of us got up at oh dark…
-
Toolling around
Day three things start to relax. It was plenty warm in the park. The plan is to see most of the park’s major sites: Zabriske Point, Dante’s View, Badwater Basin, the Amargosa Opera House, and Artist Palette. As I started to get to know the park, I quickly began to appreciate it more. Being under…
-
Into the Valley of Death
Day two starts early as well (I sense a theme here) and we’re headed off to Death Valley. We climb out of Bakersfield over a small pass. As we head down the pass, you can see the Kern Canyon out in the distance. The caverns loom out there and the morning sun illuminates the whole…
-
Joshua Tree National Park
Today’s goals were to see the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve and get to Joshua Tree National Park. I drove back through Lancaster and out to the poppy reserve. From looking online this place was to be spectacular. Hillsides were covered in poppies. The California Poppy is the state flower and has a distinct bright orange…