2007 Death Valley

As I have said elsewhere on the site – I really believe in the Chinese Proverb: "The Journey is the reward". That is so true for motorcycling. It is not the destination that is important, but the path to it. The whole point is the ride.

Any travel can be an adventure (sorry sir your flight has been cancelled) – but doing a trip on a motorcycle is a more of a challenge. You are on two wheels, subject to the weather, and with limited ability to carry all your shit. My wing does allow me to carry a lot more than many cycles, but none the less it is not a car.

So the point of a three-day thousand-mile trip to Death Valley and back is less about the destination and all about the ride. When you get the end of the journal for this trip you might come back and ask again – so why did you do this? And the answer is "because I can".

Two comments before I start:

This is the annual "Queer Biker Invasion of Death Valley". Michael, the "dis-organizer" strongly points out that you do not have to be gay to attend, just a little queer, which probably qualifies all bikers. The result is a wild mix of gay, straight, old, young, and different bikes. Unlike some organized rides there is none of that biker discrimination that you don't have the right brand or model of bike, belong to the right organization, or have the correct style of riding. There are sport bikes and classics and all variety of riding styles. The bikers gravitate to other people that have a similar riding speed and style and each year the group breaks into smaller groups that tend to stick together. The group camaraderie occurs at the stops and dinners – and when people need help. More about that later.

The second comment is with regard to the "organization" of the ride. This is year fourteen. Michael is very clear that he is going for a ride – and everyone is welcome to join him – but each rider is on his, or her own. The route is published, but you need to make your own reservations and be responsible for yourself. The group does not ride as a group and there is no way to communicate – to say that cell service is "spotty" would be kind. This means you need to be prepared as well as offering others assistance as you can. I have my tool kit, first aid kit, towels, walkie talkies, and a roll of duct tape in my left saddlebag. Sabine, a paramedic brought a full medical kit, and Dr John had some limited supplies. Fortunately there were no accidents this year.

PREPARATION:

Robby continues to have some difficulty with his hips and will not ride this year, but I have missed the trip the past few years because of work. I am really looking forward to this ride.– to renew some old friendships, meet some new people, push my limits, and really enjoy the freedom of the weekend..

I have relatively new tires and a recent safety check – so I checked the pressure, checked the oil, and packed what I needed. I have printed directions, twelve three-hour playlists for my iPod, reservations, and cash. Dr John and I will meet for breakfast in the Castro at 7 AM on Saturday morning.

The past few days have been cold, but the local forecast is for a wonderful weekend. The temperatures in Bishop are not too cold and Death Valley is not predicted to be too hot.

Thursday night I check the weather and email - That front that came through brought snow to the mountains and the pass over Yosemite is closed. There are chain restrictions on the passes that are open – this could be a problem. Past rides have encountered snow, but fortunately I have always had good weather.

Day One - Saturday October 6, 2007

Home – 5:30 AM

The road reports still don't look great. I have on my long underwear, jeans and chaps, several top layers under the leather jacket, winter gloves, and multiple options for clothing t later. The ride north to San Francisco is crisp, but not really cold.

Mile 72 – Fuel on Market Street in SF

At 7 AM John and I pull into parking spaces along empty Castro Street right in front of the Castro theater and walk up to breakfast. Robby and I met John five years ago on this ride and we have remained in contact. We will ride together, share a room in Bishop, and I get to meet his new boyfriend Brad who will be driving up from LA in his truck. Several other riders come in for breakfast. There is a group who have come from LA and will do most of the ride, heading home from Bakersfield on Monday,

Depart at 8:15

A group of 30 bikers leaves the Castro, knowing that the pass over Yosemite is closed. We will align plans at the first gas stop. The air is clear, but cool, the sun shining brightly as a somewhat well organized group of bikers crossed the bay bridge. Over the next 80 miles the group spreads out, but rejoins at the first gas stop.


	Click on any photo to open a larger size in a new window

Mile 152 – Manteca

We arrive about 9:45, seem to have lost some bikes, but pick up some who have come directly here, as I have done in the past. The pass is still closed, but we decide to proceed to the next stop at lunch and decide there how we will proceed. The weather is so beautiful it is hard to imagine that there could be snow in the mountains. Thirty-eight bikes leave the gas stop. This is an easy ride, with one fun section where we go up Old Priest Grade a steep twisty road just before we get to the gas stop. The weather continues to be perfect.

Mile 212 - Big Oak Flats

We stop for gas at 11:30 and then go on to PJ's Café in Groveland for lunch. This is often the place where the group gels and moves onward to Yosemite. The reports show that Tioga pass (route 120), Sonora Pass (route 108), Ebbetts Pass (Route 4) are closed. Highways 88, 89, and 50 are open and might have restrictions.

Rather than coming together this causes the group to fragment as the sub groups decide how to proceed. We later find that some riders never made it to lunch, but went immediately to the various routes and indeed bikes went over all the possible routes. John and I decide to head to Angels Camp and see if route 4 is open. This requires a short backtrack and then up route 49 – very familiar territory for me. I lead him along a shortcut at Jamestown and we make a quick stop at the fire station on route 4 at Angels Camp. They tell us the pass is now open without restrictions.


	About 40 miles up the hill we encounter Sabine and her rider and stop for a short break. At 6000 feet we have seen some snow along the roadsides and she says the trees are looking so "Christmas like". Here is a photo of her at my bike.

John and I continue on to Lake alpine where the road suddenly narrows to just over a single lane and we encounter wet and icy spots. More significantly the road has been very well sanded, making the twisties very difficult as we cross the summit at 9000 feet. John does one "controlled skid" to the shoulder. This is not fun and we have miles of this and it is cold.. I've done this route in good weather and the road, although narrow and twisty, was a fun ride – today is it work. This would be a hard trip for a novice rider.

As we drop down the road improves and we get back into a rhythm. The roadsides are a mix of brilliant Aspens and you can smell the pine. But the Aspens remind us that we are still above 6000 feet. We have reached the junction of 89, but continue on six miles to Markleeville for gas. Under these conditions you get gas when it is available in case the next planned location is closed or unreachable. It is already 3:30 PM.

Mile 335 – Markleeville – gas was $3.85/gal

Now back the six miles and over highway 89 – anther rise in elevation, over the pass, and down to route 395 and head south. I did this road about two years ago midday in June, when it was warm. Still it is spectacular views and a nice road. We continue south passing the junction of route 108 with a sign that says Sonora pass is open now. We arrive at the Lee Vining gas stop at 5:20 where the sign says that Tioga pass is open. Later we determine it was open for cars, but not motorcycles. We have gone about 125 miles and two hours out of our way.

Mile 425 - Lee Vining

John is shivering - without the windscreen and fairings I have to protect me from the wind he is much colder. We spend a bit of time inside talking with some members of our group about their adventures over the pass. I run into (straight) Jim from Felton and his "posse" who have all done this ride before.

We depart for the final part of the ride. The mountains glow purple on the snow as the sun sets. I motioned to John I wanted to take a photo, but he is too cold to stop. We descend from Sherwin summit at 7000 feet and watch our speed – this long straight decent is the scene of speeding tickets each year. We pull into Bishop just after sunset – most of the group is at the Motel 6 – we are at the Best Western.

Total mileage for the day for me is 488 Miles from home in 13 hours. I averaged about 35 miles to the gallon.

Brad had already checked in and I meet him for the first time. He has driven up from LA in his jeep and will act as a chase car tomorrow as we head to Death Valley and beyond

A hot shower and we head to the Mexican restaurant where the group is to meet. Some people are there, but many have not made it yet. There are stories about the various routes and everyone is glad that no one has been injured. Sleep comes quickly at the hotel.

Day Two – Sunday October 7

After breakfast we load up the bikes. It is not nearly as cold as we had expected. Some years the bikes have frost on them in the morning, but it appears to be about 50 degrees. About 20-25 bikes depart the Motel 6 at 8:15 AM headed south towards Lone Pine. Where the road is four lanes Brad comes up along the group and takes a photo of each biker. We pass parts of our group who have stopped for gas, but the designated gas stop is just south of Lone pine, just before you turn on route 136 headed to Death Valley. There is no gas from this point to Stovepipe wells, although they appear to have added a new station at Panamint Springs.

The ride in from Lone pine is relatively flat and straight for many miles. The group spreads out, each traveling at the speed comfortable to them. Unlike other years we see a lot of bikes leaving Death Valley, some in small groups and others in obvious tour groups – a bunch of the same model of bike followed by a loaded chase truck.

Coming in from Lone pipe the group stops at the historical marker lookout east of Panamint Springs. This is where people traditionally remove a lot of clothing in preparation for the heat of the valley. It is still cool, so I remove my chaps and sweatshirt, but keep the jacket on.


	In this photo to the left you can see the first valley floor and the next ridge of mountains to go over.

This next section of the ride is perhaps the most dramatic part. The road first drops from 4000 feet in the steepest paved road in California. The road is well paved and varies between tight curves and long sweeping sections. It becomes very straight; tempting you to high speeds then crosses a small salt flat and climbs again to 5000 feet before dropping to sea level at Stovepipe Wells. This last section has a series of "dips" that can be fun at high speed, but the tire marks show the potentials for being too extreme.

Mile 139 - The Stovepipe wells gas stop is important for the smaller bikes, but I take the opportunity to top off. This time I remove my jacket and ride with a shirt and vest. Brad parks the truck, and will ride with John for the next part of the ride. He brought his jacket and helmet. Leaving the truck here turns out to be fortunate later. We are a bit ahead of schedule and make a stop at Furnace Creek to get my traditional photo. Thanks to Jeff.

ZabriskiePoint is about eight miles beyond Furnace Creek. The bikes arrive to see the group from Las Vegas who normally join us. This is about the first time the whole group has made it to the same place at the same time. One of the Las Vegas bikers pipes the group together and we find some Irish tourists who will take the time to take pictures on each of the many cameras set before them. I am in the back row under the red dot. How many bikes? How many riders? Don't really know – a few did not make the photo.


	click on this photo to see a larger version in a new window

		Now back to Furnace creek for lunch. Jeff, David, John and I head back to Stovepipe wells to get Brad's truck. The wide sweeping turns and long straight sections encourage us to some good speeds. Again I top off.

Mile 198 - Stovepipe Wells 2:15 PM

We find out that Andrew and his son had engine trouble coming into Stovepipe Wells previously and had coasted miles down the hill. While watching for the group to come back they have arranged for a tow truck to pick up the bike and take it to the dealer, but now they need a ride. We load their stuff into the truck and Brad has company as he follows us out of the valley. While not an "organized ride" there is enough group assistance that people are looking out for the other riders.

Leaving Stovepipe Wells we again climb to 5000 feet and drop back down before turning south. This next section of the road is very flat and straight, but the pavement is not great. Back a few years ago Robby and I took the "long cut" through WIldrose. While it is more scenic – more twisty going over the mountain and therefore more work - there is also a stretch that is unpaved and rutted. Many people have tried the route once and won't go back.

Mile 273 - We finally make it to Trona. This might perhaps take the prize for the worst town in California. It is based on the chemicals that are taken from the now dried up lake. This gas stop is to break up the ride and was really needed when we went the rest of the way to Bakersfield as the smaller bikes cannot make the distance. Today we expect to see at least a few others of our group – but again we have fragmented too much. Jeff, David, John and I – followed by Brad – take a break and do wave a few bikers as they pass. Perhaps they got gas at the other station. A jeep pulls up and asks us if two women on a large bike are part of our group. Sabine has had a flat about seven miles back.

Brad goes back to see what happened while we wait. Over the next two hours Sabine puts a plug into the tire and gets a short distance before the plug goes. We contact the towing company and try to get either another truck or flag down the one who should be coming past with Andrew's bike. Lack of cell service out here makes communications impossible. Ultimately the four bikes proceed and Brad will carry the stranded bikers. Turns out the tow truck came upon Sabine and carries two bikes onward to the dealer.

The rest of today's trip to Kernville is less fun – it is getting colder and we have the sun in our eyes. This is a pretty section of road and we have never done the eight mile section around the lake into Kernville itself. John and I head to the Kern River B&B while Jeff and David have reservations elsewhere. Brad arrives shortly after us, having dropped off his "baggage" nearby. We go to the Kernville Brewing Company for something to eat and meet up with some of the group and swap adventure stories.. Sleep comes easily.

Mileage for the day 362 at about 30 mpg because of the higher speeds.

Monday October 8

The group is supposed to leave Kernville about 9 AM, but last night the stranded bikers decided that Brad could drop them off at the Bakersfield airport where they would rent a car to SF, coming back to get their bikes a week later. Brad will head back to LA. John and I will be on our own. We depart about 8:45 and expect the group to catch up with us.

The Kern River canyon road is always fun, but well rested with the sun to our backs this is much more fun than previous years. This is a wonderfully scenic twisty road that runs along the river. The traffic is light and we pace ourselves with Brad mostly following.

We stop in Bakersfield for gas and a final goodbye. The truck heads to the airport while John and I head north on 99. A few miles up there is a flurry of paper – did John lose something or was it the car next to him? I see him reach back to check his bag which is in place.

Now we go west on route 46 past the roses and the oil fields. This is flat agriculture land and relative straight and boring roads. Once we pass the lunch stop in Coalinga we will have some great riding. About half way up route 33 we encounter construction. Not just "construction", but the dreaded "pavement ends" with a flagman. We move to the front of the traffic and speak with the flagger. He says we will have to wait about 15 minutes and that only two bikes have passed ahead of us – wonder where the group is? I would have expected them to be in front of us. I ask john if he lost something and he checks his saddle bag and discovers his wallet is missing. Oh F**K! That scattering of paper was dollar bills. He has a voicemail and calls his office to get a message that a trucker back on 99 has recovered his wallet. Another phone call – nice to have cell service here – and he verifies that the wallet, the credit cards, and the remaining cash will get mailed home to him. He teases me that I will have to be his "sugar daddy" for the rest of the trip home.

The road is down to the dirt for seven miles and we will follow a pilot truck when they let us move. This section of flat land is subject to flooding and they are completely rebuilding the road. Now you recall that the wildrose option of yesterday is skipped because of the unpaved section. Last I did that it was gravel (which we hate to ride on), but this is raw dirt, in a few cases we actually follow a grader which is peeling back the earth. Fortunately there is little mud and the ruts are not too bad. Again a part of the ride that could freak out novice riders.

We proceed to Coalinga, gas up, and go to the lunch stop. Over the next hour we have lunch and meet up with a few of the riders who mostly bitch about the contruction. We never do see most of the group. Jeff and a few others are going north on five and then over Pacheco pass. While scenic, this is mostly wide sweeping freeway. John and I are going to follow the plan and head west on 198 and north on 25.

OK – this has to be about the most fun we have had. The two of us do not encounter another vehicle in our lane the entire 25 miles west along route 198. This is like a wooden coaster with sweeping curves, twisties, dips, and great pavement. We turn north on 25 headed toward Hollister. The road belongs to us. For the next 50 miles we encounter 14 opposing vehicles and have to pass two. The weather is perfect. This is why we motorcycle. John is setting a perfect pace, fast but not dangerous. The road sways and dips, rolls and swings – I am in heaven, with a playlist of great blues music.

Mile 254 - Hollister

Traditionally this is the last gathering place for the ride, where everyone says goodbye until next time. We encounter only three other bikers. John and I head west, to Gilroy, over Hecker pass to Watsonville, and then north past Santa Cruz and to the last stop before home.

Mile 315 – Scotts Valley Gas

Trip totals - 1165 miles, 34.5 gallons, millions of smiles.

Prologue:

Every ride I say I am going to take more photos - but then the photos just don't happen. The pictures never really do the trip justice, but i wish I had taken more. Perahps I can get some from the other riders to add.

John spends the night. I had planned to bike with him to Ft Bragg and then ride home, but Robby and I have decided to take a road trip up the coast to Portland. This is a bike trip I have wanted to do, but it is too late in the year to trust the weather and Robby is not up for cycling. We follow John north through SF and on to Ft Bragg, have dinner there, and spend the night.

Robby and I proceed north along the coast to the OR boarder, easterly along 199 to Grants Pass, over to Crater Lake and then back to the coast, north to Portland – spend five days visiting Portland – and then south along I-5 home. I now have a list of great places to motorcycle when the weather is better. Stay tuned.


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