April
2020 Death Valley Social Distancing Adventure:
As with the
rest of the country, Nevada was on a stay at home order, although exercising
was permitted.
Well, after
riding within the vicinity of Las Vegas for a few weeks, I felt like viewing
different scenery.
Being on the
road and staying in a tent would still be considered “Social Distancing” I
reckoned, nobody would be within the magic 6 feet!
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| ROUTE MAP |
Not
showering would increase that distance even more…
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| SPRING MOUNTAIN RANGE |
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| CAMPSITE OFF HIGHWAY 95 |
Highway 95
out of Vegas was busy with semi-trucks, but a wide shoulder kept them at a
comfortable distance.
A headwind
slowed down the progress to a mere 10mph, which provided more time to view the
spectacular snow-capped Spring Mountain Range.
Highway 95
went from 4 lines down to 2 lines, still with a generous shoulder to ride on.
Area 51
truck stop came at an ideal time to stretch the legs and fuel up the body with
a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.
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| SOME ALIENS IN THIS PICTURE! |
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| ALL ALIENS HAVE GONE HOME |
The town of
Beatty was further up the road, to shore up my water supply.
Some
restaurants remained open as well for pick-up orders giving my stove a break.
Leaving
Beatty was a cyclist’s nemesis arrived, a fierce headwind! Covering the 36
miles to Scotty’s Junction took over 4 hours.
This gave plenty of time to view some wildlife...
This gave plenty of time to view some wildlife...
Turning at
the Junction down Route 267 came as a relief, as the airflow turned into a
lovely tailwind.
Unfortunately,
the Park entrance to Scotty’s Castle was closed, and it turned into 42 miles
roundtrip back to the Junction.
The bonus:
No traffic whatsoever for a few hours and a peaceful campsite!
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| NO TRAFFIC FOR HOURS |
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| A PEACEFUL CAMPSITE, ALTHOUGH A LOT OF NOISE FROM THE RAIN POURING DOWN |
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| A BEAN DINNER ALWAYS GUARANTEES THE REQUIRED DISTANCE OF 6 FEET!! |
The ride
back to Beatty was a lot more enjoyable and speedier, as a tailwind was now
pushing me down the road.
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| TRYING TO STAY AHEAD OF THE RAIN CLOUDS |
It felt
quite special to get rained on in Death Valley.
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| ENDLESS ROADS |
It rained
almost on a daily basis, which caused the dessert to flower up.
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| DESERT CHICORY |
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| DESERT GOLD |
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| DESERT PAINTBRUSH |
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| PRICKLY POPPY |
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| PRICKLY PEAR |
As all the facilities in the National Park were closed, the pavement only had to be shared with a few lonely vehicles.
As in
previous times, the views were just spectacular.
From Furnace
Creek it was a 20 mile climb out of the Valley, luckily with a slight tailwind.
The
direction of travel just happened to be in my favor as well, as the road out of
the Valley wasn’t as steep, as it was if going to Beatty.
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| ZABRISKIE VIEW POINT |
As usual, as
the day went on I started to look for a suitable campsite. The opportunity came
on top of the crest, where I spotted a couple of camper vans and decided to
join them.
It was a
large area and so we kept our distance at 50 yards, although they happily
shared their campfire.
For a change,
I didn’t have to slip into the sleeping bag by 19:30!
The trip
continued on route 190 to route 210 into Pahrump, checking into a Bed &
Breakfast.
Route 160 from Pahrump got me back to Las Vegas.
Route 160 from Pahrump got me back to Las Vegas.
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| ROUTE 160 |
30 Miles out of Pahrump is the Mountain Springs Highway construction site and out of the Blue, a sign read "No Bicycles"....
Well... the only detour would be a 3 day ride back via Hwy 95???
Somebody obviously wasn't thinking Bicycle terms...
As I wasn't about to turn back, I pushed the bike in the dirt, or rode where possible away from traffic.
It all worked out and made it home without any issues, except of getting scolded by a Highway Patrol Officer. |
| HOME SWEET HOME |
Feeling very
fortunate to live in a society where we can choose of where to sleep, in a tent
in the open, or at home in a bed with a shower nearby.
Until the next
adventure…
