awiner

Roll call... Who will be there ?

Death Valley Spring Century - March 3, 2007


I know MarkAJ said he will be.

jpconrad

I'm in, I'm arriving Friday and going to be there through Sunday.

CynCarvin32

I'm registered but in search of a room at any local hotel.

I have a mission for tomorrow and it looks like a real doozey....

I will likely arrive on Friday and leave Saturday evening.

Scootcore

the ranger station that is less than .5 miles away has a wonderful parking lot!! its where i stayed for the fall one. and its no problem to get there friday and bail after the ride...i would take the 395 to lone pine to DV and come back the same way...the route on the website is creepy after the sun goes down, truly the middle of nowhere....

CynCarvin32

Never knew there was a different way to go other than 395. So clearly I'm going that way!

I will find a place to get some sleep one way or another. Should have done this before huh?

You doing this ride?

Scootcore

nope...didnt really enjoy the fall one, and by the time i thought it might be cool to give it another chance it was sold out. maybe in the fall again. the route on the site has go towards california city and trona, BFE in a big way!!!! super dark as well, really creepy....

jpconrad

I haven't checked the website, but you can go up through Trona on the West or Baker on the East. I think the Baker route may be a bit faster to Furnace Creek, but that's also dependent on where you're coming from. If you're going up through Palmdale, the 14/395 is probably quicker, but from the 15 the Baker route is probably faster.

You also spend less time on two lane roads and the Baker route usually has less traffic than 395.

I wouldn't go through Trona unless you have a thing for weird mining towns and/or the Manson family.

Scootcore

plus trona smells really bad....seriously....

jpconrad

Yeah, it's the mining process they use to extract minerals from the dry lake. Although, if you like mineralogy, they used to open up Searles Lake one day a year to collectors and there's some pretty interesting specimens you can collect there.

magicant

One other place on my "To Don't" list

Scootcore

ive been there once now...no need for a second pass......unless of course i get suckered into doing the 508 someday...

CynCarvin32

From my years of going up to Lake Tahoe through 395 and hwy 89 I just assumed I would go up 395 and go out from Lone Pine. Im not a big fan of stinky places where the manon family lives!

Im coming from the SFV area so I think 395 would be quicker (405-5-14-395). Half the fun of 395 is getting stuck behind a bunch of motorcoaches that just never go over 60 and having to overtake them one by one. But most the drive is now 4 lane road which helps a bunch.

CynCarvin32

Well we will have to catch you on another ride again soon. I might miss this DV ride unless i get a room soon!

Scootcore

for sure....but seriously, the ranger station is a nice place to car camp...if you like to have a site there is a real campground right there as well....other than that there is the furnace creek lodge and stovepipe wells is pretty close as well....

jpconrad

I used to go up the 395 all the way since I lived in the IE, and there's some stretches of the 395 that used to really suck to get behind a couple trucks and a motorhome. From the 14 up it's pretty good, though.

The Manson's are out in/by Trona. I actually had set up camp once in a canyon near Striped Butte once that around the bend had their house where they were captured. The bus they drove around was still there.

I had no idea what the place was, but once I saw it it gave me the creeps as it still looked lived in so I packed up and moved 40 miles or so to Green Valley where I'd camped previously. You couldn't camp in either place now since the park boundaries have changed.

MarkAJ

I am in NV now. Did not ride yesterday with 20mph winds and cold. Got in 50 miles today with a big tail wind coming home. I will be coming in Friday to register. I am lucky I have a friend's house to stay at about 1.5 hour drive to start location.

awiner

Did you get a room at Furnace Creek ? Did they make you reserve for 2 nights ?

jpconrad

I reserved two nights because I wasn't sure if I'd be up to driving home that night. I'm taking my wife and going to make it a little vacation for us, she'll get to spend Saturday by herself which she'll love to do, and then we'll do a little sightseeing Sunday.

I don't remember if they made me get two days, but I did have to call up and make the reservations over the phone to get the Planet Ultra rate. I made these right after I registered for the ride (the day the email went out) and they were pretty much filled already.

jpconrad

Oh, and yes, it's at the Furnace Creek Ranch. I tried to get the Inn, figured the wife would like it better, but it was a room without a view and like 3 times the cost of the room at the Ranch.

jpconrad

Forecast for Saturday: Sunny (of course), 51°/81°

awiner

Don't forget to start your hydration a couple days before. Drink Drink Drink Drink !!!

Bring your camel back as well.... Keep drinking the night before as your body will almost totally dehydrate in Death Valley just sleeping without proper fluid intake.

jpconrad

Drink for days... Check, I can do that!

awiner

I will be at the Ranch as well... I'll look for your system six and you look for mine

jpconrad

I'm planning on bringing it, but may at the last minute switch to the Synapse, instead. When are you heading up?

awiner

Going up Friday... Planning to leave the valley around noon...