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Bill Bikes My bicycling expeditions and jaunts |
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Death Valley: Rocks, Sand, and Sweat, January 2020: Base Camp at Mesquite Springs
20 January 2020
Rocks, sand, and sweat.I've been to Death Valley, so I know what bicycling is like in that environment.
I've lost track of the total number of times I've visited the hottest, driest, lowest National Park, but I know this was the fifth time I've done some pedaling there. My most recent expedition involved Titus Canyon by bike and Telescope Peak by foot in October 2018.
This time around I had something a little less ambitious in mind. Also less ambitious than the big bikepacking circuit I want to conduct. But a lesser excursion is better than none at all. With typical January rain in the forecast at home, I kept my eye on the DV forecast. Just about the time a window of opportunity opened up, my ace support crew sat me down for a serious talk. Although she enjoys Death Valley almost as much as I do, she wasn't up for a cold weather camping expedition. On the other hand, she also wasn't terribly thrilled about Old Grumble-Face embarking on another solo safari in remote parts of the park. Thus, the serious talk. She insisted that in my declining years I should not go into the wilderness alone until I equipped myself with some kind of emergency communication device to allow me to send an SOS by satellite in the event of calamity.
It's difficult to argue—at least successfully—with my ace support crew when her mind is made up like that, so I surrendered and spent a few days investigating and shopping for a suitable device. I eventually acquired a Garmin inReach for satellite communications. With that issue resolved, when the next window of opportunity arrived I loaded the Ogre and ten tons of car-camping gear into the back of the Forester and hit the road.
On the long drive down I-5, I spent some time thinking about previous bicycle rides in Death Valley:
- Death Valley, November 2010 (Opens in new window/tab)
- Death Valley Bicycle Days, February 2012 (Opens in new window/tab)
- Death Valley and the Panamint Range, April 2018
- Death Valley: Titus Canyon, October 2018
By the time I entered the park, I was pumped and ready to ride
The eastern face of the Sierra Nevada, as seen from Lone Pine on Monday morning.
Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the Lower 48, hides in the clouds.
I hope to win one of the limited number of slots in the annual lottery for permits this year so I can make it to the summit again.
Towne Pass on the main road into DV from the west.
This guy was my avian companion and good luck charm every day, assuring me I would have no need to press the Garmin's SOS button.
Base camp at Mesquite Springs at the northern end of the valley.
I'm not exactly the world's most fastidious and germ-free guy, but I was appalled by conditions at the campground. Hardly anyone there, but the dumpster overflowed, the electronic registration unit was out of order, a broken main meant no potable water, and the restroom was practically a bio-hazard. Could it be possible the National Park Service budget is not an especially high priority for this Administration?
Comments? Questions? Suggestions? I'd like to hear from you.
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