DV '15 - The Ride - Part II

DV ’15 – The Ride, Section II  of Lone Pine to Las Vegas

We made it to our brunch reservation at the Inn at Furnace Creek with room to spare and within minutes of the Las Vegas pair joining us; Mike on his Cross Country and Kathy on her Kingpin Trike, a very cool looking arrangement.

Furnace Creek Inn Pool and View
Courtesy of Tim Robertson

We had time to explore the Inn which was built by the Pacific Coast Borax Company in 1927 and has been grown and seriously upgraded since, several times over. Views of the pool and the valley are very nice and spa amenities are tempting. We had time to catch up on communications and jot down a few notes before enjoying our breakfast buffet and freshly made to order omelettes at adjoining tables, catching up with Mike and Kathy and just generally chatting up food and riding, two or our favorite things to talk about.

Photo of an old Furnace Creek Inn photo from
Brad Parrack

Dante's View adventurers
as posted by Kevin Shaw

Caravanning out SR 190 we heeled over to a 13-mile side road to Dante’s View with posted road signs that warned of progressively more strict vehicular constraints until the last half mile no trailers were allowed. It was a technically challenging little ride up to a spot that overlooks Badwater with the lowest elevation in the United States at 282 below sea level while we were standing at 5475 feet in elevation. The view was stunning. Brad pointed down to the road leading through the mineral-hued dry lake bed and said that he wanted to be down there. I looked across the valley and tried to find my old helicopter access only MW repeater site on Mormon Peak but I’ve never been able to find it without binoculars. Several of our riders spread out along a short walking trail to another view point…we are an adventurous bunch.

Dante's View
Courtesy of Tim Robertson

A chill wind blew as we descended from Dante’s View. Only when we reached the floor of Greenwater Valley did the winds die down and allow the sun to warm us. That was how it was all day; up in elevation and the edge of chill and down to the valleys and the edge of warm.

I can’t tell you exactly how we got to Pahrump NV; we got turned around and I last track completely of the route – an advantage to being in the middle of the pack and without the mantle of “Ride Leader” draped over my shoulders. Since the second half of my book takes place in Pahrump I refreshed my recollections as we rode through town and then down the Highway 95 to our next destination, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

A view of Red Rock Canyon landscape from
Tim Tarbet

Bev on her Vegas cruising
Red Rock Canyon
Photo from Tim Robertson

Red Rock Canyon is managed by the BLM and I had no idea that such a place exists within fifteen miles of Las Vegas. The appearance of the canyon was startling with the red-orange spectrum of rocks and crags jutting out of the beige and olive-green landscape. It’s as if God Himself dripped the color off His pallet while painting the rest of the world on His paint-by-numbers set and decided to leave it because why not surprise people whenever you can? During the 13 mile, one-way loop, we could have stopped every few hundred yards for a different view but limited them as best we could. Our late afternoon timeframe gave softer light in which to enjoy the show; my two favorite times of day in the desert are the morning and evening hours when the low sun softens the harsh desert landscape and in Death Valley it can be so harsh as to seem as though we were riding on Mars. I can see myself going back and taking the better part of a day doing the loop, hiking around and perhaps bringing out a 4X4 to drive into the Red Rock Canyon proper.

My room view with Red Rock
Canyon in the distance

Our evening check-in at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas gave us just enough time to hike through the massive casino, check-in, trudge to our rooms, shower, catch up with folks, and make it to The Yard House for a very nice dinner that launched a couple of folks back to the casino to play, others to hang out, and me to my room to jot a few notes and reflect on what was a very full and amazing day with extraordinary people.

Y’all be keep the iron side up, something amazing is just around the corner…I’d love to hear about it when it happens.