Sept 25/08 - Death Valley ... Fiery Furnace

Thursday, Sept 25th/08

We wanted an earlier start today as we head into Death Valley where the temperature at the Junction will reach at least 115F. WHEW!!! We were loaded up and on the road just after 8:00 in the cool sweet freshness of the morning. At present the temperature is in the high 60’s and perfect for riding. Smarter today I am back to wearing boots and the added protection of my chaps.

We stopped for fuel in Shoshone at 9:00 – time to take off my jacket – it’s already growing much warmer. As we were fuelling, a car with California plates drove into the pumps. A handsome young family – he takes note of our Canadian flags and asks in beautiful French “Parlez vous francais”? Well … my very rusty high-school French is rudimentary at best and that is a number of years ago. They are travelling here from Paris and are also headed into Death Valley. As we each stop to enjoy different photo ops we honk and wave as we pass and re-pass each other enroute.

The colourful red rocks of Arizona give way to softer, almost pastel hues here in Death Valley. Dusty rose, ochres and soft charcoals. These enormous monoliths rise up from the valley floor thousands of feet skyward. One can only marvel and wonder at the violence that birthed them an eternity of years ago.

A brisk wind from the summits chases pink sand across the road. It dances and snakes down the highway creating a myriad of patterns quite mesmerizing to the eye.
Death Valley is extreme desert. It is one of the hottest places in the world. Summer daytime temperatures often exceed a blistering 120°F (49°C), and nights may fail to cool below 100°F (38°C).The dramatic landscape in Death Valley helps generate these extremes. In the low valley bottom the desert sun heats the air. The valley's steep mountain walls trap rising hot air and recirculates it down to the basin for further heating. This cycle leads to sizzling temperatures. Death Valley is also the driest place in North America, with an average rainfall of less than 2 inches a year on the valley floor. The surrounding mountains and the Sierra Nevada to the west capture moisture from passing storms before it reaches the valley, creating a "rain shadow." Only the occasional summer thunderstorm or most powerful winter storm brings rain to the valley.
We turn into the visitor area in Badwater – the lowest point in North America. The low, salty pool, just beside the main park road is probably the best known and most visited place in Death Valley. A sign in front of the pool proclaims it to have an elevation of -282 feet - below sea level. Adjacent to the pool, where water is not always present at the surface, repeated freeze-thaw and evaporation cycles gradually pushed the thin salt crust into curiously hexagonal honeycomb shape. The young family pulls in beside us and I call over “Hey! Are you following us”? She gets it – and laughs.

We fuel again in Furnace Creek at 11:30 – aptly named as it is already in the low hundreds and not yet in the full heat of the day. As quoted by Oscar Denton, caretaker of what is now Furnace Creek Ranch on the record hot day of 134F (56C) in July 1913. “It was so hot that swallows in full flight fell to the earth dead and when I went out to read the thermometer with a wet Turkish towel on my head, it was dry before I returned”.

We stop for a much needed cold drink in Panamint Springs and enjoy a short sojourn in an air-conditioned oasis. Rod has been talking for some time about buying some sort of RV or “Toy Hauler” that will allow us to bring the bikes with us and day trip from areas with them and have a ‘house’ to come home to. That way during the long ‘boring’ stretches (or areas where air-conditioned comfort would be welcome) we could pack up the bikes and drive. Today, that is sounding like a great idea. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful and warrants more time spent here but being continually in the blazing sun takes a lot out of us. Even the normally placid Rod gets a little grouchy. There are a number of roads that we would love to explore further such as “Artist Palette” but we decide to come back another time. Perhaps January would be better. The curvy, one-way, one lane Artist’s Drive leads you up to the edge of the Black Mountains. Artist’s Drive rises up to the top of an alluvial fan fed by a deep canyon cut into the mountain. As you make your way up to the mountain face you'll dip up and down, roller coaster-like as the road dips into ravines carved into the fan by Death Valley's occasional, but intense flash floods. The narrow road runs high up onto the fan, with views of the strikingly white salty floor of Death Valley in the distance.

As we head towards the mountains and Mammoth Lakes, at the 6000 ft elevation there is finally some surcease from the stifling heat. At 7000 ft I consider donning my jacket but decide to wait and enjoy the coolness for awhile. Lyn – you would love this!!!

We pull into Mammoth just after 4:00, fuel the bikes and ask directions to the Cinnamon Bear Inn – our accommodations for the night. I am quite taken with the name – it sounds very welcoming. Once we arrive, we realize that it’s a little quainter (rustic) than we imagined. No matter, it’s only for one night – we can certainly ‘rough it’ for once. After all – it’s not like camping. Rod always teases – “Linda, camp? No that’s a four letter word like tent and she tries not to use it”.

We ask Mike, the owner for a recommendation for dinner. He suggests ‘Whiskey Creek’, a mountain bistro with marvelous views out to the hills. We walk there … uphill with me whining half the way there. Me, who normally looks for a place to stay with exercise facilities and loves to walk is sniveling like it’s some kind of marathon.

After the heat of the day, we are both depleted and after an early dinner we are in bed by 8:30 and sleep and sleep. There was a visitor outside last night that left his calling card at the commercial garbage containers out front – a very well-fed black bear. Just after 4:00 I am awakened again by further noises outside. A number of coyotes are out on the porch and not being very quiet about it.

Sept 24/08 - What kind of ninnies ???

Wednesday, Sept 24th/08

Spent the morning getting all packed up in preparation for getting Rod’s bike and getting back on the road. We have looked and looked but are unable to find the gel-filled bandanas we wear around our necks in hot weather. They are an absolute ‘life-saver’ in the hot desert and we were wearing them when we came in on Friday. Seems like so long ago now. Rod takes a trip down to the bike shop to see if they are on the Wing. No luck. I make a number of calls around town to see if anyone sells them but no such luck.

A funny thing happened about my left arm. On Friday shortly after we arrived I was shutting a door in the hotel with the flat of my forearm and felt a really sharp pain. Soon after my fingers were tingly and by Saturday it only felt somewhat comfortable if I held it up in the “How” position or “Will you raise your left hand and swear…” Too weird. I was very concerned I would not be able to shift my bike. When we rented the car on Sunday/Monday I could only drive with the right – not even open the car door with the left. I was getting a little ‘jittery’ about it. By Tuesday feeling a lot better and by the time we left Wednesday ‘almost’ back to normal – no problem riding. Whew! I’ll put it down to sympathy pain for Rod’s bike being in the hospital.

Paul, the service manager at Route 66 Motorsports calls with the news that Rod’s bike is ready. Yippee!!! Or maybe not… the bill is exactly twice the first quote. Gulp! Combine that with our hotel bill for 5 nights and it takes a very big bite out of the budget.

We pick up Rod’s bike and are out of the shop by 11:00 a.m., then back to the hotel to load our gear. Once again I really want to give Rod a million kudos – looking at the pile of ‘stuff’ to load I kept thinking – “there is absolutely NO WAY that is all going to fit on the bikes”. One of the challenging things in doing this type of motorcycle trip is the array of clothing you need for the changing weather. We have had from ‘all clothes on’ when we were close to snow in Colorado to trying to wear as little as possible in the 100+ temperatures. Add to that a couple quarts of oil, windshield cleaner, emergency kit... the space gets pretty jammed. I often think about our friend Daryl who said he had an ingenious way to make the laundry last. First day underwear on as per normal, second day on backwards, third day, inside out and fourth day, inside out and backwards. Today is supposed to be a ‘cooker’ and we are headed in the direction of Las Vegas and beyond. We leave the hotel just after noon and I can’t help but think “what kind of ninnies head into the desert in the absolute heat of the day”? We are anxious to be underway however and head out towards Las Vegas after mailing the last of my postcards as we leave Kingman. As we make the descent into the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead area the heat is so intense that it absolutely takes your breath away. The water of Lake Mead is like an apparition after this desert wasteland – I wish we had time to run over and jump in with all our clothes on and then keep riding. It does not matter how fast you’re riding (and believe me we tried) it is just like a blast furnace blowing HOT air straight at you. As much as I like to be warm – I do have to agree with you Lyn – 100+ is just too darn hot.

We breeze through Las Vegas without so much as laying a single bet on the tables and fuel on the outskirts of town. We’ve had to make a number of freeway changes to pick up our routing to the destination for today. There are a lot of flashy and exotic cars in Las Vegas and they all seem to drive very fast. We are doing close to 80MPH and being passed on all sides. Reminds me of being on the autobahn in Europe.

It is well over 100F now and like the wicked witch of the east from “The Wizard of Oz” I think “I’m melting, I’m melting”. An error in judgement today - I decided to ride in shorts and runners thinking it would be cooler... NOT! The heat blows off the engine directly onto my shins and had I not shaved this morning would have singed all the little stubblies right off. Back to my boots and chaps for tomorrow - a lesson in how much protection they provide.

The end of our day lands us in a town called Pahrump, Nevada. Sounds to me like the refrain for “The Little Drummer Boy”. It was discovered and slowly inhabited by American settlers in the late 19th century. They reportedly chose the name for the valley which Pahrump is named after from the original indigenous name Pah-Rimpi, or "Water Rock," so named because of the abundant artesian wells in the valley. The water does taste excellent here. We are in a Best Western that has a pool to cool off in and boy does it EVER! They obviously haven’t heated it since about March and it is CHILLY! One lap is all I can manage – Rod wades in to his waist and gets out – quickly.

Very little for restaurants here so we wander up the road to Terrible Town Casino where we have a truly terrible meal. The casino is so smokey we are not inclined to spend any time there so walk back to our ‘home for the night’. There are no street lights and not much for ambient light so the stars are truly wondrous.

Sept 23/08 - Still waiting...

Tuesday, Sept 23rd/08


Returned our rental car in the morning. Checked on the status of Rod’s bike – parts not in yet – they are hoping they’ll show up on the UPS by 2:00 (so are we).

Spent some time wandering around at the Route 66 Museum then lunch across the street at Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner.

We got back to our hotel just in time for ‘Happy Hour’. We have made a lovely friend here at the hotel and feel an instant connection. ‘Harsha’ has made us feel so welcome and always asks ‘How was your day – what did you do – where did you go today’? A very warm, charismatic and empathic person. It would be lovely to get to know her better.

Hooray! The bike shop has the parts and work is proceeding on Rod’s Wing. They expect it to be ready by 10ish tomorrow morning. Kingman has been very welcoming and interesting to see but six days was a little more than we needed.

Sept 22/08 - London Bridge... in Arizona ???

Monday, Sept 22nd/08

I’m sure you’re all well aware from previous writings that “I don’t care for the cold”. That certainly is not an issue here as every day has been in the 100F zone. As we still have our rental car and no parts as yet for Rod’s bike we decide to take a drive over to Lake Havasu for a swim. It becomes a 200+ mile round trip but a very scenic loop. Lake Havasu, is named for the Mohave word "Havasu", which means "blue water".

In 1968, Robert McCulloch (McCulloch chainsaws and oil) purchased the sinking “London Bridge” at a cost of $2.5M and it was dismantled brick by brick. The stones were coded with numbers to indicate how they were to be put together again. They were loaded onto boats and shipped halfway around the world to Long Beach, California. At that point, they were trucked into Arizona. Like a jigsaw puzzle, 40 craftsman worked from the coded diagram and the original 1824 plans to put the bridge together once more. It took more than four years to construct at a staggering cost of $7.5M and in October 1971, the bridge was dedicated by the Lord Mayor of London.

It has become Arizona’s second-biggest tourist attraction, after the Grand Canyon. It was re-dedicated in October of 1971. The reconstruction of London Bridge spans a man-made canal that leads from Lake Havasu to Thomson Bay, and forms the centrepiece of a theme park in English style, complete with a mock Tudor shopping mall. Today, London Bridge remains a unique and unusual attraction. Under and around the arches is an authentic English village with shops and pubs and even a double-decker bus and a red telephone call box.

We drove onto the ‘island’ via ‘London Bridge’ and enjoyed some time in the sun and a refreshing swim in the lake.

“Lunch” was ice cream at Cold Stone – if you’ve never tried it and like ice cream … YUMM!! Definitely won’t help me with my riding jeans though.

Headed back to Kingman via Rte 65N - stopped in Needles, California to mail some post cards, crossed into Nevada on Rte 95 then picked up 163East back through Laughlin then ‘home’ via Rte 68. We have been in 3 states today – Arizona, California and Nevada.


We are hopeful that parts for Rod’s bike will arrive by tomorrow and hope to be back on the road by Tuesday. Not that we haven’t thoroughly enjoyed all the Route 66 memorabilia but… it will be great to be ‘back in the saddle’.

We had heard a number of times that a great place to have dinner would be at the Diamond Creek Restaurant at Hualapai Lodge which is about 22 miles up the mountain from Kingman. As we believe this will be our last night here we decide to go for broke and head up there – after ‘Happy Hour’ of course. It’s already getting dark as we start up the mountain and there are many warning signs for wildlife. It is their feeding time and they will be close to the roads. I’m a little nervous as I don’t really care for night driving BUT if you recall I didn’t want to give Hertz the extra driver money so Rod could drive so just had to bite the bullet. It’s a steep and curvaceous climb to the park which is at 6,000 ft elevation. "Hualapai" means "People of the tall Pine" in native Hualapie Indian language. There is no ambient light and we are at the dark time of a new moon so it seems even darker. Finally just after 7:00 we reach the entrance and … Oh No… Closed on Monday and Tuesday! I guess we should have called. We head back down the mountain and the 45 mile round trip leads us to the Kingman Steakhouse where we enjoy a great meal in a cowboy atmosphere. Hualapai will have to wait for another trip.

PS - Several people have mentioned that if you click on the pictures they will enlarge. Give it a try - hope you like them!

Sept 21/08 - Ghost Town... Gambling Town

Sunday, Sept 21st/08

After breakfast we double up on ‘Paladin’ and head out to the airport to pick up a rental car from Hertz. If we had any other options on a Sunday here in Kingman, Arizona we would have used them. They want an extra $11.00 per day to add Rod as an extra driver. I have rented from many other car agencies and never seen that. It would make sense if it was un underage driver or with limited experience but policy is policy after all… Oh well... (ha ha) I guess I’ll just have to drive. We take delivery of a white Ford Fusion but hopes of Syrius radio are soon dashed. It is in bad need of a wheel balance or some kind of adjustment as driving over 60 MPH it develops a bad shake. It is however, the only car he has so we just keep going. It has California plates so people expect US to do the crazy things we do. It feels almost awkward to be driving a car again after a month on the bike. We take the Historic Route 66 from Kingman to Oatman which is a very narrow, rough, two lane road with tortuous twists and turns. The scenery once again is remarkable and Rod is enjoying taking photo after photo without having to think about riding his bike as well.

Oatman is a mining town in the Black Mountains of Mohave County at an elevation of 2700ft. It began as a tent camp soon after two prospectors struck a $10 million gold find in 1915, though the area had been already settled for a number of years. Oatman's population grew to more than 3,500 in the course of a year which led to long waits at the restaurants. After a few other names, Oatman was named in the posthumous honour of Olive Oatman, a young Illinois girl who was kidnapped by the Apache Indians and forced to work as a slave. She was rescued in 1857 near the current site of the town bearing not only the psychological marks of her ordeal, but physical marks as well. Traded to the Mohave tribe who adopted her as a daughter, Olive had her face tattooed to identify her as an honorary Apache and photographs of her clearly show the markings.

Today, Oatman is quite the tourist attraction as a live ghost town. Wild burros freely roam the town and can be hand-fed carrots readily available in practically every store in town. The burros are descended from pack animals turned loose by early prospectors, and are protected.

Each weekend a number of enterprising young Shriners donate their time to stage gunfights in the street to raise money for crippled children. It is very well done and they obviously have a lot of fun with it. One of the ‘cowboys’ stands in the middle of the street ‘cracking the whip’ an authentic cat ‘o nine tails that would really pack a wallop. As the ‘hold-up’ begins, one tries to get money by bullying and threatening the ATM machine and is quite ‘perplexed’ as he saw someone else get money from it. After the successful ‘hold-up’ of the bank one of the Oatman Boys ‘kidnaps’ me to take me as hostage to Mexico. It makes for many laughs. Some of the onlookers are as interesting as the show itself. We do a bit of shopping among the myriad of tourist spots then head out for Laughlin, Nevada.

Laughlin is a port located on the Colorado River 94 miles south of Las Vegas. Laughlin is the third most visited casino and resort after Las Vegas and Reno and is one of the top 5 destinations for RV enthusiasts. Laughlin is advertised as a more family-friendly venue than its contemporaries, and as such has a greater emphasis on outdoor and family activities as opposed to the greater glitz and adult entertainment found in Las Vegas or Reno.

We have a great lunch overlooking the river at the Colorado Belle then make the return trip to Kingman via Route 68 and enjoy the scenery in Union Pass and Golden Valley. The temperature hovers right around the 100F mark amid cloudless skies so blue it almost hurts to look at them directly.

We went shopping for dinner supplies at ‘Basha’s’ and come home with hot chicken pieces, broccoli salad a nice bottle of wine and strawberry shortcake for dessert. If I keep this up, I’ll have little hope of squeezing into my riding jeans for the trip home.