The alarm clock on my watch started to beep at half past six. Both of us aren’t really morning people, but if there’s a good reason to get up, then we will. We gave ourselves 30 minutes to have everything packed and ready to go just to see if we can do it. 27 minutes and change was our time and this is by far the fastest time we’ve ever broken camp. We rolled our bikes to the restrooms so that we wouldn’t disturb other campers. At 7:00 am sharp we saw the park ranger pull in. He was either on patrol or to verify site permits; we couldn’t have timed it any better. With our teeth brushed and faces washed, we were ready to explore Death Valley to its fullest.
This fellow ADV inmate and KLR rider was camped across the street from the restrooms. As soon as we fired up our bikes and left, I saw in my rear view mirror, whoever it was, quickly get out of their tent to see if it was HIS bike being ridden away. I would’ve done the same thing; it’s hard not to notice the distinct sound the KLR engine makes. Poor guy; he could’ve had a heart attack. I wonder who he was.
We stopped at Furnace Creek visitor center to heat up some water for our instant oatmeal. We had some time to kill since the visitor center wasn’t open till a half hour later. We looked over the park map and decided to take the off road route to Titus Canyon. When the visitor center opened, we asked the ranger what the road conditions were. He said we should have no problems with our bikes getting through there. Perfect. We spent some time at the visitor center exploring the history and artifacts that were on display. The story of “The Lost 49ers” was inspirational and a reminder of how much the times have changed.
The start of our off road excursion
The trail started off with a few patches of loose gravel, but it was hard packed for most of the way
The trail brought us through some amazing scenery as it weaved its way in and around mountains
Looks like it’ll be a while before we make it to the top
What goes up must come down. The trail was perfect for our riding level.
We stopped here to eat lunch…
…and saw 2 familiar looking bikes riding towards us. There’s no mistaking that distinct sound.
If you snooze, you lose.
The beauty of erosion.
Nice bikes you got there!
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