| Author | Message | ||
     Jerry_haughton |
yesterday (and today) i rode. MAN, did i rode! 814.7 miles in 25 hours (4:30 a.m. yesterday 'til 5:30 a.m. today). there was one 30-minute power nap on the ground this morning in my helmet and 'Stich in Coso Junction, CA. other than that, i was either riding, or taking photos and riding. or, just standing there gob-frikkin'-smacked. the destination? local road(s) that i'd not yet ridden. that's becoming a challenge for 'ol Ferris anymore, but yesterday i done good. REAL good. pull out your Southwest America map, if you would, and cast your gaze about 30 miles to the north and west of Las Vegas, Nevada. do you see highways 156, 157 and 158? and Mt. Charleston? this particular highway set, and the fact i hadn't ridden them before (and the fact the word "mountain" was associated with them), was a good enough reason to go there and see what there was to see. there was PLENTY to see, as it turns out. but to get there, first i had to GET there. it was an amazing day, without exaggeration one of my most exhilarating days of riding EVER, in a four-decade career of same. care to relive it with me? cool! please be patient, this may take a bit. FB   sunrise, from Owens Peak Wilderness Area, looking east towards China Lake, California. Death Valley is out there, somewhere... (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Bodyshot1 |
man that's nice.... great shot! | ||
| Brineusaf |
Nice picture.... ....  Seems we have the same taste... except you like sand more than I. Kyle Brine United States Air Force | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
thanks guys.  i assume Owens Peak would be one of those pointy things in the background. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 found this egg lying on the ground. it appeared and felt viable, but was, in essence, just "lying" there. don't know what matter of critter may be developing inside, but i wished it well and carefully set the egg back exactly how i found it. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
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| Jerry_haughton |
 i decided that THIS particular little beauty didn't need to be cradled in the palm of my hand to obtain a presentable photo. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 just off Highway 178, between Ridgecrest, CA and Trona, CA. they don't bite. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 cool mural on the back of the Old Guest House Museum, Trona, CA. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
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| Jerry_haughton |
 the mill depicted in the background is still in operation to this day, processing borax (among other minerals) mined from the Searles Lake lakebed. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 have you ever washed your hands with "20 Mule Team Borax?" this area is where the borax comes from, hauled originally by wagon teams pulled by nine pairs of mules and two horses. more cool reading here: http://www1.iwvisp.com/svhs/BrochurePg.html http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_mule_team (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 the "R-Ranch" in uptown Trona. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 words to live by. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 overlooking the Panamint Valley, which parallels Death Valley (to the east, beyond the Panamint Mountain range you see in the distance). Panamint Valley is, believe it or not, even more desolate than Death Valley. on a relatively cool day like today, it's an enjoyable, albeit slightly surreal, ride up the valley. in the meat of the summer, Panamint Valley is a Grade-A Number One Bitch. the highest point you see is Telescope Peak, at 11,049 feet. just beyond Telescope Peak is Badwater, the lowest point in the US at -282 feet. this is a land of stunning, often brutal, extremes. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 regular viewers will recall this basic pose with several different motorcycles over the years, but not with THIS sign, and not with THIS bike. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| U4euh |
I'm inspired! | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
cool. Spiderman, if you're lurking, you will recall the following series of photos taken last September during the epic FBRAT saga:  | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
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| Jerry_haughton |
 well son, i got some good news, and i got some bad news. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 the GOOD news is you're still "there." (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Spiderman |
Almost still there!!! AWESOME!! FB STRIKES AGAIN!!! (Message edited by spiderman on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 the BAD news is you're just a shadow of your former self.  (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 i hung out at the Furnace Creek General Store for about an hour, munching on trail mix, jerky and Gatorade (Road Food of Champions). had a nice visit with a guy on a BMW R1100S. Dan is a professional photographer from Texas, but he and his girlfriend have an apartment in Los Angeles. she, per he, was in Las Vegas doing make-up for some sort of music awards show, so he'd jumped on his Beemer and headed to Death Valley looking for photo ops. Dan was packing a digital panorama video/still Hasselblad contraption that made my $150 Nikon look like a Cracker Jacks prize. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 part of the reason i was in no particular hurry to vacate Furnace Creek is that it was so derned comfortable. if i'm squinting right thru these old eyes, the thermometer above is reading 74 very pleasant degrees. that's a mid-day temp one would expect to see out here in late January, not late May. very odd indeed, and i soaked it in like a hungry sponge. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 Old Dinah was state of the art for her day, and handled the work of 18 mules and two horses. i bet driving this thing was pretty intense. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 24, 2006) |
