RIDIN THE DESERT

After an early breakfast at the Saddle West Casino in Pahrump, NV, I fired up the Harley, and headed west toward the lowest point of land in the Western Hemisphere. At Death Valley Junction (Hwy 127 & 190), I followed Hwy 190 into the Valley of Death, stopping at the only gas station for many miles in any direction.

As you can see, with no competition, the prices at Furnace Creek Chevron are in the stratosphere! I never thought that filling the 5 gallon tank on the Harley would cost nearly $30.

I wonder if golf balls travel less distance when you're playing below sea level?

From Furnace Creek, the road took me north towards Scotty's Castle, and a quick stop for a picture. Even though it's called Scotty's Castle, the person who built it was from Chicago, and his name was Johnson. He and Death Valley Scotty were best of friends, and most of the money that Walter Scott spent, was allegedly from the pockets of Mr. Johnson.

From the Castle at the north end of Death Valley, I followed the road east to it's junction with Hwy 95. A few miles north on 95, and I turned west on Hwy 266, with Fish Lake Valley, and the town of Dyer, NV as my next destination. The highway through Dyer is one that had eluded my travels, but is now checked off the small list of remaining roads in CA & NV that I have not driven on.

After a gas stop in Dyer, I continued north to Hwy 6, then southwest to Benton, where I turned west on Hwy 120. About 5 miles west of Benton is a small valley with an abundance of water from natural hot springs. The picture of the pipe spilling very hot water into the pond, is one that brings back quite a few memories. When the kids were little, their grandfather had an old trailer parked next to this pond, and we used to camp at this natural jacuzzi several times a year. This is the place where I started to really like the desert, particularly the fragrant smell of the blooming sagebrush.

During the years we camped at Benton Hot Springs, the old store was open, and you could buy a beer, or a shot of whiskey, even though the owners, Buster & Mable Bramlett didn't have a liquor license. Since their passing, I understand that their son lives on the property, and operates a bed a breakfast across the street from the old store.

Mono Lake as viewed from Hwy 120, east of Hwy 395

Not wanting to tackle Tioga Pass over the Sierras until morning, I stopped at the Lake View Lodge in Lee Vining, CA for the night. Tomorrow, it's westbound through Yosemite, with the next destination probably somewhere around Monterey, in preparation for a ride down the holy grail of motorcycle roads, Hwy 1 on the Pacific Coast of California.