16 October 1997 (mileage = 77; north Death Valley) -- X - It was really
cold (48 degree F) when I got up this morning. It was not yet light. I put
on warm clothes and headed to town. Nothing was open and I took my time
looking around. After that novelty, I stopped in the just-open truck stop
for breakfast. I had pancakes and hash browns and toast. Very good. So good
that I felt really great. Great enough to take on Death Valley without a
rest. I rode up to the other campground just to see if it was a lot better
and worth resting at. Nope. I got hooked into an old man conversation. His
dog licked my H2O bottle. After escaping that, I got ready. I was going to
make my V.M. call from campsite #1, but the phone was missing. I went back
to town, then finally got going. I hit the 1st hill right away (which was
great since it was cool still). I stopped every « hour to rest. It seemed
real long. I finally got to the top and had a rest and a snack. Then for
the awesome descent. Wow! Quite spectacular. Then right into Eureka Valley.
Big time desert!! Wow. I could see huge sand dunes to the south and the
whole valley was bounded by mountains. The road didn't look that long, but
it was >10 miles. In the desert floor, the road was packed gravel. There
were wave bumps in spots, but I was able to crank through it. I rested at
the end of the desert floor section and when I went to leave, my very
worn-out front tire was flat. I patched it, then noticed a thorn in the
tube and patched this as well. I put it back together and pumped it up and
there was still a hole. I guess #3 was a snake bite. I did all this in the
semi shade of a shrub. I could sense my bike frying. I started up the hill
anxious to find some shade. I did and rested there. After I made the final
assault on climb #2, I was in for a very rude surprise. The paving ended.
And worse, there were horrible wave bumps across the rocky road surfaces.
The descent was a nightmare. Worse than the Lost Coast. So long, and I was
carrying a lot of H2O. I finally got down to the valley floor for MORE wave
bumps. Luckily, the sun was setting and it wasn't super hot and the road
turned to sand, which has softer bumps. Also, it's all down hill to the
lowest point in the USA. I was really mad to be stuck out there. If that
road was paved, I'd be in Death Valley Resort. I really wanted to make
progress and use the dusk. I kept cranking. The road finally started
getting better, but it was too late. I had hit a rock and flatted my rear
tire. I decided to drop anchor right here and fix it in the morn. I have
to be careful with H2O. I have 3 liters reserved for tomorrow and about .5
liters after dinner and washing hands --> critical yuck. For dinner, I ate
warm cheese with tortillas. I also had a bunch of once-melted Kudos. I'm
going to start eating all the meltables. The perishables are trash. I
realize that Knorr is too big a project for just 1. I secured everything
and am now enjoying the very full moon from the bivy. The moonrise was
awesome. It's so quiet here. Freakishly quiet. I saw maybe 5 cars on this
road today, including one at about 7:30 (in the dark). I wish April was
here to help me enjoy this place, instead of be frustrated by not being
able to ride more.
![[Bike]](./only2500b.gif)
