Death Valley - 282 Feet Below Sea Level

Yesterday, I made it through Nevada and into California. The first thing I noticed in Cali is how expensive gas is and that the nozzles have a spring-loaded thingy you have to depress to get the fuel to flow. My first attempt dispersed all over my tank, but I finally got the hang of it. But it's difficult to top off the tank.

CA Highway 6 through the Chalfant Valley was beautiful, splitting the Eastern Sierras as it wound southward. I stayed the night in the little town of Lone Pine.

I left this morning at 05:15 to try to beat the heat in Death Valley. I was absolutely freezing to start with, but it warmed up quickly as the sun rose over the mountains. I got gas before heading into the park...for $3.81 a gallon, 87 octane only 😭. Since I already had a full can of 91 octane, I passed up the next station at 100 miles and made it to civilization (Shoshone) at 09:15, where I used my can.

The beginning of the ride was not what I expected. Up through the mountains on those twisty roads I love. The highest elevation was around 9,400 feet, but the lowest was at Badwater Basin--282 feet below sea level 😱. When I stopped to get my 10 Rides for 2021 photo, I spoke with three guys on baggers who helped take the pics. Nice guys from Tucson on an annual trip.

Then, it was a long 50+-mile ride hugging the mountains through the valley. This was the scenery I had expected. Scrub bushes, blowing sand, flash flood signs. I had to stop once to take a photo of a tortoise crossing sign 🤣. Gonna have to research that.

I kept heading northeast into Nevada, and now I'm at Las Vegas HD for my 30,000-mile service. And replace the two bushings and retaining ring on my jiffy stand, just in case. And reinstall a little heat shield that fell off this morning. And buy a replacement jacket. It's going to be an expensive day 💸.

So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

Day 55 mileage: 486.6 (total 13296.3)
HD Dealership Challenge: 1 (total 90)
10 Rides For 2021: 1 (total 3)Read more