Day 40: Into the Valley of Death rode…just me.
Henderson, NV to Death Valley NP (Shoshone Entrance) to Furnace Creek, CA
169.07 Miles | 3:36 Riding Time
It’s Monday, May 20, 2024, and it’s Day 40 of my cross country motorcycle trip.
Today, I’m going to Death Valley, and I’m admittedly a little nervous. I mean…it’s go the most intimidating name of any national park. And, there’s this: “The hottest air temperature ever recorded in Death Valley (Furnace Creek) was 134°F (57°C) on July 10, 1913. During the heat wave that peaked with that record, five consecutive days reached 129° F (54°C) or above. Death Valley holds the record for the hottest place on earth.”
I’m an “all the gear…all the time” rider, so I’d be in my full suit, with an airbag vest and full-face helmet. So, to counteract the heat, I left Las Vegas at about 5:00 AM. It was about an hour ride to Pahrump, NV where I stopped for some breakfast and more coffee. Then, another 30 minutes on more long, straight, flat roads to the Shoshone entrance to Death Valley.
As you can see, it was 55 miles to Badwater Basin (the lowest point in the park) and 72 miles to the Furnace Creek Visitors Center. One of the most amazing things about today was in that 55 miles to Badwater Basin, I didn’t see a single person or vehicle of any kind. Just me and the road—it’s was a little eerie. Also, there’s no cell service out there. So, for those of you thinking, “what happens if…,” I ride with a Garmin In Reach Mini 2, which has emergency SOS features that work off the Iridium satellite network. As long as I can see the sky, I can always get in touch with emergency services. I also have other safety/survival stuff with me (I’ll do a post on that soon).
The ride to Furnace Creek was challenging in a way I had never experienced before. The road surface was good, but it was almost the same color as the surrounding desert. And the landscape is completely flat. Looking up ahead, it’s hard to know if the road curves left, curves right, or stays completely straight—everything sort of blends together toward the horizon. So, I found myself having to look for clues and taking it slower than I would on a similar road in the green, rolling hills of Kentucky, for example. It took some getting used to.
Arriving at the salt flats in Badwater Basin, I took a quick break and sat under a tree in the shade and dangled my toes in the cool stream that runs through there—(just kidding, there were no trees, no stream, and definitely no shade.) There was a parking lot, toilets and a helpful sign on the mountain behind showing just how far below sea level I was. I outlined the sign in the photo, so you can zoom in.
Another 25 or so miles, and I arrived at Furnace Creek and took that first photo of the 91 degree temperature at 10:08 AM. Went inside the visitors center, got my stickers, and enjoyed some air conditioning. Back outside, I had to take another picture, because at 10:37 AM, the temperature had gone up to 94 degrees. By the time I put my gear on and left the parking lot, it was 95. I’m so glad I got there early!
Rode over to one of the more famous and photographed locations in the park—Zabriskie Point, and walked up the small hill to take another victory shot (thanks to the nice, French tourist for taking the picture). Then, headed over to The Ranch at Death Valley, where I would spend the night. The ranch was set up like a western town, with a saloon, general store, ice cream shop, and an exhibit of some of the borax mining equipment used in the area. It was really nice and some Rocky Road ice cream was a good way to get out of the heat of the day.
