# Annual Ride in the Valley of Death



## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Well, this year I wasn't sick and was able to do our annual get together in Death Valley. Well, at least I started out nice and healthy. We were planning on getting four days of riding and hiking in, but on the night of the 3rd day I got horrible, couldn't leave the bathroom for most of the night, food poisoning thanks to Furnace Creek Inn Buffet. I wasn't the only one who got it and I thought I was going to explode at some point, but luckily I survived so I could post the pics from the two rides I did do!  

We stayed in Stove Pipe Wells, Death Valley National Park. Weather was perfect with temps in the 70's but the majority of the roads in the Park were closed due to flood damage from the week before. We took advantage of these closures to ride the roads, but our group evidently got noticed by someone who turned us in and got "NO BIKES" postings put up after we had ridden. Oh well, at least we still got to ride 'em!

Anyway, on to the pics.

On the first day we started in the late afternoon from Furnace Creek Ranger Station to ride Artists loop. It is a fairly easy 25 mile ride with one stretch of significant climbing. Nice warm afternoon made for a great ride.




























When we got to Artists Loop we saw this gate. Some people in our group didn't want to continue. I went around the gate. Breaking the law, breaking the law!!:thumbsup: 










But, everyone else followed. Sheep .










You start out with a pretty big climb with a 12% grade. But once over that you get some terrific views and awesome rock formations. The pictures really don't do justice to the beauty up there.




























On top there are a couple of awesome dips before you come across the artists pallette which is a bunch of mixed colored rock formations. Great stuff. We started running into the leftover sand that had been flash flooded onto the road the previous week.














































We ran into petroglyphs in Artists pallette. Really strange ones at that.



















And then it was all back down to where we started.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

*The Next Day - Dantes View*

We figured we didn't get enough climbing in the first day, so the next day we decided to ride from 200 feet below sea level up to 5,700 feet and what we were told would be a great view. I've only been riding on my trainer and figured it would be a painful ride, but it was only 24 miles to the top so I figured I'd survive . 

Started out in Furnace Creek again and headed up Highway 190 which was freshly paved, very smooth, and had a great shoulder. Combined with the low traffic it was riding heaven.










The biggest problem we had was all the places to stop and admire the view. Of course it was probably more that we were out of shape and looking for a break. There was literally no break in the climbing for 23 miles. Awesome!



















No problems up to the Dantes Peak turnoff, but then we ran into yet another sign. Oh well, no stinkin' signs were going to stop us.



















We ran into washed out roads pretty quickly but none of it was beyond what our bikes could handle. We passed the Billie Borax mine and continued climbing up towards the overlook.




























We found the gate soon enough. Again, I figured who'd care if we road around it, so on we went. This part of the ride got harder. About five miles with 7% being the easiest and the last two miles being a 10% to 17% grade. Ouch. To make matters worse, my Garmin 705 GPS handlebar holder decided to break (cheap plastic as a warning to any of you other Garmin users broke) and the tab that held it in place decided to release. So, my 705 shattered onto the concrete. Ouch! :mad2:  










Started to hit snow as we broke 5,000 feet of elevation. It was still plenty warm though. That's Mt. Charleston outside of Las Vegas in the upper right hand corner. 










As we approached the top it was like we were going to ride off into heaven. But boy what a view once you get up there.



















Where we started is off in the distance to the right. The lowest point in the U.S. is straight below us at -262 feet.



















We ate lunch, got a picture of me and Mrs. Ridgetop, and then headed back down the mountains to dinner, dancing, and wine drinking.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

One more thing. This was the first test run on a ride for my new Canon S90. I was looking for a do it all pocket size point and shoot. This camera seems to do it but with some issues. It is a fantastic shooter with perfect out of camera shots. That steak dinner shot was done at ISO 800 handheld at 1/20th of a second. Pretty amazing for a P&S. But, the camera is extremely slippery which mandates that I connect it to my camel back or with a neck strap of some sort. It also has the power button in a location that your fingers cannot easily find or press. It requires some fumbling to turn it on or off while in motion. Also, I found myself constantly pressing the menu buttons and dials on the back side. Besides that I am extremely impressed by the camera so far. So if you are looking for a rather pricey ride camera I think you'd be hard pressed to find such a small camera that produces such quality shots.


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## SilasCL (Jun 14, 2004)

Dante's View is a hard DRIVE, nevermind on the bike.

How was the weather? I was there a few Novembers ago and while the temperatures were mild, the sun was still brutally hot.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Death Valley is a fantastic place to ride or hike (for about 4 months a year).

Great report and photography.

I love the trees.... :yikes:


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## m_s (Nov 20, 2007)

Awesome. I am very jealous, not the least bit because as I type this my face and fingers are painfully thawing from the morning commute.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

Ridgetop said:


> To make matters worse, my Garmin 705 GPS handlebar holder decided to break (cheap plastic as a warning to any of you other Garmin users broke) and the tab that held it in place decided to release. So, my 705 shattered onto the concrete. Ouch! :mad2:


I lost my Garmin 305 the same way. Given the cost of a Garmin, the company really should invest a few more cents in a better handlebar mount.

On March 1, 2003, I attempted the Death Valley Double Century -- I turned back a Scotty's Castle when I realized that I did not have 200 miles in my legs. I did do about 135 miles that day. I really enjoyed the ride and the scenery. I always have wanted to go back again and your pictures really make me regret that I have no done so.

If you ever ride again in Maryland, remind me not to take you anywhere near Camp David.  When the President is in residence, the Secret Service closes certain roads in the vicinity on the place. Several years ago, a group of us were riding and encountered one of the closed road gates. Half of the group decided to ignore it; we law abiding types took a detour. The lawbreakers did not get too far before some Secret Service agents jumped out of the woods and scared them straight. I'm just happy that I did not have to bail them out of jail.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Gorgeous photos; thanks*

If one admires the desert, Death Valley is one of the most spectacular places on earth. I camped there in winter once (daytime 70's, frost in the morning) and spent a few days in the summer (124 degrees -- very impressive).

I like the shadow pic. If it were me and my friends, I'd make a big print to frame and hang on the wall.

Were the ravens around? I always enjoyed their antics.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Weather was fantastic with mornings in the 50's rapidly climbing up to near mid 70's. Climbing to Dante's was fun because we had a tailwind until the top. I emptied out 116 ounces of water! I'm pretty sure all of us were out of water by the time we made it back. Coming back down was a little cooler with the breeze in our face but we formed a nice pace line and once past the road debris we were really ripping along.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

No shortage of Ravens down there. The trees at Stovepipe were filled with them. It was great watching them chase each other and get dive bombed by the little bats flitting around in the evening.


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

Beautiful photos. It's an amazing place, especially the colors in the rocks and the patterns on the landscape from erosion. And snow!


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## skyphix (Jul 26, 2007)

What an awesome ride and report. Can't wait to get out this summer for some bad road exploration (though not nearly as remote as that).

How do you like your Kapu? My Kona is coming hopefully in the next week or so (Honky Tonk) and the geometry appears smilar by the numbers. absolutely love the bike :thumbsup:


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## hontors (Oct 4, 2009)

Very nice photography. Looks like a great time.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

I love my Kona. I've been riding it far more than my plastic bike. It's quite a bit heavier of course, but it just seems to want to cruise along. I also like the ability to carry stuff on the rack. At first I thought it was too nerdy, but now I love carrying a nice lunch on our longer rides. I hate to think what the total weight of the bike and its load is on my longer trips, but I don't seem to notice. One thing though, on the fast downhills the Kona is not the race mobile my plastic bike is. I feel a lot more comfortable on the plastic bike when descending at 40+.


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## skyphix (Jul 26, 2007)

Thanks for the input. I wouldn't expect it to handle like a race bike but In my eyes, the style points more than make up for it.

Sorry, one more question: What wheels/wheelset is that?


Thanks again :thumbsup:


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

I bought a pair of Neuvations R28SL's and stuck them on there after removing the labels. I wanted something silver and couldn't come up with anything else I could afford. But they've been fantastic and have ridden some pretty nasty roads without any loss of true. They look really good on the bike also.


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## skyphix (Jul 26, 2007)

They do, which is why I asked. Thanks!


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I've never been there, but your pics & description makes me want to go.


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## rkj__ (Mar 21, 2007)

That looks like a great adventure.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Plus one on the shadow dancers- great image!

Dang! You guys rode up to Dante`s view!?! If I had been along, you could have left me at that last outhouse/pullout to puke myself silly until you picked me up on the way down. BTW- I didn`t kow you could see Charleston from up there. Should have thought to look for it on the ONE TIME that I`ve managed to catch that road while it was open.


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## SimianSpeedster (Mar 13, 2008)

You sir are a peddling machine!
Those climbs would kill me


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Great report, Ridge. As usual. Your pics from the first day are particularly outstanding.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*what about the harm?*



Ridgetop said:


> ... the majority of the roads in the Park were closed due to flood damage from the week before. We took advantage of these closures to ride the roads, but our group evidently got noticed by someone who turned us in and got "NO BIKES" postings put up after we had ridden. Oh well, at least we still got to ride 'em!


Those are nice pictures, and I, too, love riding there. However, riding on closed roads, particularly in a National Park, it not good. Several events that are *extremely* important to many cyclists depend upon the sole discretion of Park officials to run through there, and rogue cyclists disobeying posted signage could impair the abilty to run any cycling events in the Park. This is a very, very serious issue. Most people have no idea how difficult it is for event promoters to get clearance to run through the various jurisdictions, but a National Park can be the most difficult.

There is the broader perpetual debate about cyclists obeying traffic laws, and this is part of that. The more we obey the law and are seen as good representatives of the sport, the better we will be treated. I absolutely obey the law on my commute to work and on my training rides. Commuting is one thing, though, but messing with the Parks and jeopardizing the future of events there is 100 fold more important.


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## jd3 (Oct 8, 2004)

Once again, I'm so jealous. The new camera looks great.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

No harm done. I was raised by by a NPS law enforcement officer and have lived in Lassen NP and Kings Canyon NP, until he changed to BLM. Road closed. . .no motorized vehicles. Road Close/No Bikes . . .no motorized vehicles or bikes. Closed Access/Closed Area . . .no human traffic of any sort allowed. A ranger at Dantes just waved. We also went down the dirt road to salt creek. While we were there a law enforcement ranger was checking on the road that was still closed to see how dry it was. While he was there a whole tour group on roadies came up and I joined in the conversation. Not once did the officer act anything but friendly towards any of us. Once the NO BIKES signs go up I won't cross the sign. They did the proper posting the next day and we cancelled riding back up to Artists Loop because of it. Cut my day short but I got the Salt Creek hike in anyway (it was muddy enough that I didn't want to cover my steel bike in salt mud so we walked).


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*ok*



Ridgetop said:


> No harm done. I was raised by by a NPS law enforcement officer and have lived in Lassen NP and Kings Canyon NP, until he changed to BLM. Road closed. . .no motorized vehicles. Road Close/No Bikes . . .no motorized vehicles or bikes. Closed Access/Closed Area . . .no human traffic of any sort allowed. A ranger at Dantes just waved. We also went down the dirt road to salt creek. While we were there a law enforcement ranger was checking on the road that was still closed to see how dry it was. While he was there a whole tour group on roadies came up and I joined in the conversation. Not once did the officer act anything but friendly towards any of us. Once the NO BIKES signs go up I won't cross the sign. They did the proper posting the next day and we cancelled riding back up to Artists Loop because of it. Cut my day short but I got the Salt Creek hike in anyway (it was muddy enough that I didn't want to cover my steel bike in salt mud so we walked).


Ok, thanks. Sounds like you understand how sensitive these things are.


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## nonsleepingjon (Oct 18, 2002)

Ridgetop said:


> One more thing. This was the first test run on a ride for my new Canon S90. I was looking for a do it all pocket size point and shoot. This camera seems to do it but with some issues. It is a fantastic shooter with perfect out of camera shots. That steak dinner shot was done at ISO 800 handheld at 1/20th of a second. Pretty amazing for a P&S. But, the camera is extremely slippery which mandates that I connect it to my camel back or with a neck strap of some sort. It also has the power button in a location that your fingers cannot easily find or press. It requires some fumbling to turn it on or off while in motion. Also, I found myself constantly pressing the menu buttons and dials on the back side. Besides that I am extremely impressed by the camera so far. So if you are looking for a rather pricey ride camera I think you'd be hard pressed to find such a small camera that produces such quality shots.



Good info. The S90 is on the short list for my next camera.


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## HokieRider (Oct 6, 2005)

Great shots Ridge. I'd say your fitness is back on track at this point!

I love the shadow shot. Looks like a lot of fun with good friends. Awesome stuff.


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## lyleseven (Nov 15, 2002)

Are there any maps for the park showing the various bike routes? What was the percent on the climb to Dante's Peak?


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

There are the official park maps, but they do not show bike routes per se. Everything paved within the park is rideable. The roads are in pretty good condition. Essentially, using Furnace Creek as the start point. You can ride east up to Dante's which has grades of 3-8% on the first 2/3 of the ride and then 8%-15% on the remaining (the 15% is on the very end). It's a tough climb after the first 1/2. 

Riding south out of Furnace Creek you head out towards Badwater. It's just a lot of rollers gradually dropping you down to -254 feet. Easy ride with some neat rock and playa stuff. Riding north you can go all the way up to Scotty's Castle which is about 3,000 feet above the Valley. It's got lots and lots of rollers but nothing too hard until the last couple of miles. If you head west through Stovepipe Wells heading back toward US395 you will have lots, and lots, and lots of climbing until you pop up above Panamint Valley. There is also Daylight Pass out east of the Park which is a good hard ride. You can make it a loop also which is pretty cool. 

Check out http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/upload/DEVAmap1a.pdf


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## lyleseven (Nov 15, 2002)

Thanks....I have driven most of it, but this will be a first for cycling...


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

When are you heading down there? It's one of my favorite places to ride from November to about mid March when it starts heating up again. Early winter is nice as normally the rains haven't hit yet and the roads are nice and clean. You should love it.


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## lyleseven (Nov 15, 2002)

Trying to decide between Death Valley and Borrego Springs. Heading down second week of December.....


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## Fogdweller (Mar 26, 2004)

Fantastic thread! Thanks for posting all these great photos, especially the obligatory food shot. Amazing terrain to ride in, that's for sure.


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## 200miler (May 7, 2008)

*For those making fall/winter plans...*

This was mailed out to DVNHA members yesterday [8-27]:

Visitor Center Remodel Announced
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Death Valley National Park is getting ready for a visitor center
remodeling project. The Mission 66 structure at Furnace Creek will close in mid-November after the Death Valley 49er Encampment [11-10/11-14]. The project is expected to last up to 18 months, and will be paid for by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. During the remodel a temporary visitor center (trailer) will be set close to the visitor center and adjacent to the Furnace Creek Ranch and Resort property. Though space will be limited, the park plans to continue providing its full range of services including answering and assisting visitors with their questions and park planning needs, issuing backcountry permits, issuing park passes, and selling books and other educational materials through the Death Valley Natural History Association.


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## lyleseven (Nov 15, 2002)

200miler said:


> This was mailed out to DVNHA members yesterday [8-27]:
> 
> Visitor Center Remodel Announced
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ...


Thanks for the FYI!


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Oh great, there goes my clean bathrooms !


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## 200miler (May 7, 2008)

*A bit more disheartening news...*

Fire at Stovepipe Wells Restaurant and Saloon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Early Thursday morning (August 26, 2010) sometime after midnight Park rangers were dispatched to Stovepipe Wells Village to respond to a structural fire involving the concession operated restaurant and saloon.
Damage was contained to the back of the building which included an employee mess hall, storage area and parts of the kitchen. There appears to be no flame damage to the restaurant and saloon portions of the building, but extensive smoke damage is throughout the structure. The burned out sections will likely need to be rebuilt.
This process could take several months, and the amount of work needed to repair/remove the smoke damage from the rest of the building is unknown. It is likely the restaurant and saloon will be closed throughout the upcoming winter and spring visitor season.
- Report from NPS Press Release.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That will leave the convenience store/gas station as the only source of consumables in Stovepipe for the immediate future. Plan accordingly.

And this after all the time and effort to get the repaving projects done throughout the valley in anticipation of the upcoming peak visitor season. For those who were not aware, Scotty's Castle Rd has been repaved from Hwy 190 all the way to the CA/NV state line, up the Grapevine Canyon from the castle. Daylight Pass Rd, and the Beatty Cutoff Rd., were also repaved. And, Ubehebe Crater Rd was REBUILT; old surfaces completely removed, ROW graded, and new pavement put down. There was also some tweaking to Dante's View Rd, and the section of Bad Water Rd between Bad Water and Mormon Point. Pretty much every section of paved road in the valley has been worked on. I've been on some of it already and can't wait for the "100-and-stupids" to go away so I can hit the rest.
YMMV
-dg


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Horrible news on the little restaurant run by the retirees. But great news on the roads. I don't like staying in Furnace Creek, so I guess I'm stuck with a portable stove and coolers for this winter trips. Ugh.

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.


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