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I've never been to death valley and i'm getting the idea I've been missing out. I've been to borrego/ocotillo numerous times and this would be a nice change. In the latest issue of motorcyclist there is an article on the original BMW GS with some pics of DV that are intriguing. There was a recent ride there but I wasn't able to attend but want to get to DV before it gets too hot. March should be good weather wise--not too warm not too cold. i'd like to get up there either on a thurs eve or fri am and return sunday and stay at panamint. I would ride a KTM 1190 so no technical trails, mostly exploring the park dirt and street, going to: Trona, Pinnacles, Charcoal Kilns, Teakettle Junction, Ubehebe Crater, Crankshaft Junction, and anything else interesting. LMK if you are interested!

Rumor had it this would be a good one. You never really know with some group rides. So I signed up with 30 soon to be friends for a moto camping 3 day weekend on February 10-12. Wasn't any 'risk' really because it was to be sponsored by Vey's and Klim, and they are good people who know how do it up right. The challenge was going to be weather, and which tires to run. Destination was undisclosed. You'd find out when you signed in Friday morning to launch. We knew it would be high desert, and it was going to be cold. And rain. And 5.5 hours of pavement to get there. So I decided on running the Tourances instead of knobbies and would air down when necessary. Friday 8am at Vey's and 7 out of 30 show up. The forecast is rain, cold, then more rain and cold. Campsite destination was disclosed as Tuttle creek outside of Lone Pine. The Saturday ride would be Death Valley. YES!! We took a somewhat indirect route up until 79 forced us finally onto HY15 North. Then the long slog up 15 and 395 to Lone Pine. The Klim van beat us there and set up a nice kitchen and had the fire roaring which was great... because it rained off and on much of the way, and the wind up there never stopped. Jason and Steve were perfect hosts always keeping a fire going, and food pumping out of the 'kitchen' with plenty of beer and water to boot. These guys rocked it. Even the coffee was awesome! Camp was set, toasts were made, food and beer was inhaled... and the ice cold wind never stopped blowing down from those mountains all evening long. To be continued ...

https://spotwalla.com/embed.php?id=92a05338c5bbb8d98&width=600&height=600&scale=on&zoom=default&refresh=no So decided to hit up the Noob Rally this year up at Death Valley cause I had never been there before. The ADV group seems to be a lot of fun to hang out with too. I was one of four Stroms that we noticed there. Most of the field was made up of BMWs, KTMs, ect. And a bunch of KLRs also. I got off work around 500pm on Thursday. Rushed back to the barracks and got the bike loaded up and was on the road before 545. Took me about 4 and a half hours to make it there with over half the trip being done in pitch dark with no moon in across the desert. I had no idea what was around me until I came back though this morning on my way out. It was beautiful. All I could see on the way up though was where my headlights were shinning. I rolled into Panamint Springs resort around 1030 then proceded to putt around camp on the bike trying to find the campsite. I was looking at the map of the campground they had put on ADVRIDER upside down :/ The next morning. You can probably guess which one is my bike. Sunrise The gas station across the road had some old equipment setup for show Glad I have a 200 mile range. I only bought gas here one time The different groups meeting up in the morning Our first stop is a cabin in the middle of BFE. Apparently there are cabins like this scattered thoughout DV and they work off the honor system. Use whatever you want but leave what you can behind for the next group and cleanup after yourselves. One of my riding buddies from out here in San Diego. He couldn't stand up right in the cabin The next stop. Pretty good view. Ted on his Strom Group Panorama Josh next to a Joshua Tree Teakettle Junction was interesting. I signed one of the kettles. For the next 35 miles after this we were on heavy washboard to the "racetrack" to see the moving rocks then to the Crater Trail in the dry lake bed bed left by one of the moving rocks. I think that when it rains and the lakebed becomes muddy the high winds in the area actually push the large rocks across the lake bed. The rock that left the trail from the edge of the lake bed Extremely vast