A HARLEY RIDE

The new bridge above Hoover Dam
Highway 138, northwest of Lancaster, CA

East entrance to Death Valley National Park





Each spring, I usually take off on the Harley for a few days, and for at least the last 4 years, the ride has circled through Death Valley. There's something about riding in the desert, away from civilization, that I have always enjoyed. The more remote the road, the better I like it. This year, I left on Tuesday, and rode north to check out the progress on the new bridge that will take traffic off of Hoover Dam. The prediction is that the bridge will be open to traffic near the end of this year. It has been an amazing project to watch from its inception several years ago, and as the picture shows, there's only one section missing on the actual bridge deck. From the dam, my journey took me quickly through Las Vegas, and over the hump to Pahrump, then west to Death Valley, where premium fuel was $4.29 a gallon. Even with 91 octane, this is the one place where my Harley motor isn't real happy, due to the below sea level elevation. Since building this engine almost 10 years ago, the 10.25 compression ratio works pretty well on premium fuel, even better on AVGAS. But, at below sea level, I have to be careful and not let the R.P.M.'s fall too low, or that distinct pinging sound rears it's ugly head. From the Death Valley floor, I climbed out the west side, where Highway 190 traverses Towne Pass, at a little over 5,000 feet. Continuing west, I dropped into the Panamint Valley, where I turned left on Trona Road, and headed for Ridgecrest, and a stop for the first night. The Panamint Valley has been where I by chance, usually see FA-18 fighter jets from China Lake, and I wasn't disappointed this year. This is obviously an area where they do a lot of low level training, because I've enjoyed seeing them in 3 of the last 4 years I've made this trip. Four years ago, I watched 2 FA-18's make several low level passes, and I waved each time they went by. On the last pass, as one of the jets approached me from the front, I waved again, and the pilot dipped his wings, acknowledging my presence. That was very cool, and something I will never forget. In fact, that experience is one of the reasons I have made this trip, through the same valley in the middle of the desert, for the last 4 years. After spending the night in Ridgecrest, I headed west on Highway 178, over Walker Pass in the southern Sierras, and made a stop at Lake Isabella, where I included myself in the photo at Lake Isabella. From there, I continued west over the mountains, then turned south, and climbed back up the mountains with all of the other traffic on the "Grapevine". Near the top, I took Highway 138 east toward Lancaster, and passed by huge Poppy fields that turned the landscape from green to a golden orange. There are a few places in California where the poppies are dominant, and this is one of those places. I'll finish the rest of the trip tomorrow.