2020 April Social Distancing Ride

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!

ROUTE MAP

Not showering would increase that distance even more…

SPRING MOUNTAIN RANGE 

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.

SOME ALIENS IN THIS PICTURE!

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...

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!

NO TRAFFIC FOR HOURS

A PEACEFUL CAMPSITE, ALTHOUGH A LOT OF NOISE  FROM THE RAIN POURING DOWN

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.

TRYING TO STAY AHEAD OF THE RAIN CLOUDS

It felt quite special to get rained on in Death Valley.

ENDLESS ROADS

 It rained almost on a daily basis, which caused the dessert to flower  up. 

DESERT CHICORY

DESERT GOLD

DESERT PAINTBRUSH

PRICKLY POPPY

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.

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

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…