Finally done calling, the guys decide they'd better head back before it gets dark. Grant and I thought it wasn't much further so we pushed on without them. Turns out Skidoo is an empty mining town. By "empty" I mean no buildings left at all. Just a park sign with some information about the town. It's hard to believe there was ever a town there at all. So after a couple more pictures Grant and I headed back to camp, arriving at about 5:30pm which was dusk.
That was the first day's riding and it was loads of fun. I have to admit that the desert has a beauty all its own. The sunset was beautiful, but like I had read, it gets cold in the desert. Dave got back not long after Grant and I did, so we got his bike partially put back together and got dinner going.
We sliced up some sausage that Dave brought and had plenty of. Added to that was some potatoes and mushrooms. Mike built a nice fire and we had a relaxing time chatting about the day and looking forward to the next one.
Tuesday - March 3, 2015
We awoke to a beautiful sunrise, shining red on the mountains past my tent. Dave got to work on his bike right after breakfast, getting his forks back on the bike and the front wheel in place.
This would be the first full day's riding as a group, Dave included. Rob has taken the role for himself of tour guide and had a plan for the day. We headed toward Furnace Creek 25 miles away, turning off 6 miles past the resort onto Westside road which parallels the paved road through Furnace Creek for about 36 miles. We were in the Badwater Basin, so we're basically at about 280 feet below sea level. Pretty cool.
The road though was one big long washboard. I didn't really enjoy it as the Vstrom is just too heavy.
About 12 and a half miles in we stopped at the site of the Eagle Borax Works. Started in 1882 by Isador Daunet, it lasted two years, closing in 1884 due to the operations inefficiency. You can see from the pictures that there's not much left. We eventually got to the end where we stopped to take a break. Click on the picture at the right - notice the right blinker on my bike? The road had caused the nut that holds it in place to vibrate completely loose. I didn't realized this until later in the day. It just sat there banging around while I rode.
Tom Clark
I'm a Senior Software Engineer at Intellitect, living in Spokane, Washington. I also do a little development work on the side. And I love riding motorcycles all over the country with my friends.
