DEATH VALLEY - 2

 

The next morning we were up early and found garbage strewn about outside.  As it turns out there are wild burros (that was the internet password) that roam around and routinely defeat the garbage can covers and proceed to make their selection.  This
motel didn’t serve breakfast but we had provisions to make do.

Leadfield Mine Geocache

We unloaded our bikes and were on the road by 8:15 and it was cold.  Our first route was the east-west Titus Canyon.  This is about a 25 mile one way gravel road with the first half being relatively flat.  After that it is a very steep downhill with sharp swithbacks and many big rocks scattered in the road.  It was  the most challenging road I had ever ridden and I was very proud to have made it with no falls.  We were riding through sheer high canyon walls on each side of the narrow road.  The only problem was the road was so challenging I didn’t dare take my eyes off it to enjoy the scenery.  We saw only one other group of 4 riders.  The leader commented with pride referring to his group and us that it was great to be over 50 and able to ride this.  We stopped on the last third to examine the Leadfield Mine which was also a  virtual geocache.  The Titus Canyon road terminated at the intersection with Scottie’s Castle Road.  (Scottie’s Castle was closed or we would have taken it in.) 

Ubehebe Crater

We followed this road northwest about 25 more miles to the Ubehebe Crater.  This is a huge 500 foot deep volcanic crater.  We hiked (more like slid) to the bottom on pea gravel and picked up a couple of geocaches there.  That 500 foot drop occurs in a horizontal distance of ¼ mile.  I believe that works out to about a 38% grade.  It was cold and windy on the crater’s edge but after that climb out it was time for lunch.

Stove Pipe Village Motel

After our picnic lunch we headed back down Scottie’s Castle Road to the motel at Stove Pipe Wells Village.  After checking in and getting settled we traveled the short distance over to the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes and looked around a bit.  Then back to the Village where we looked around more and had a good dinner at the restaurant there.  Our room was at the end of a little court with a raised fire pit in the center and there were often folks around it in the evening.  I had to get a rollaway bed as our room only had one bed.  However, it was really comfortable and I don’t know when I’ve slept more soundly.  We had traveled 170 miles that day. [To be continued]  M/W