Death Valley Wildflower Tour 2000
Background
By the summer of 1999 we had ridden several supported
bicycle tours. Ken shared some of those rides with us and told us how
much he had enjoyed the scenery and gourmet food of the Death Valley Wildflower
Tour. This tour was organized by Country Spokes, a family-run
company based in Walnut Creek, California. During the following wet Oregon
winter Linda and I decided to get away from the rain and travel to Death
Valley to join this tour.
Itinerary
| Day |
Start |
Visit |
Finish |
| March 6 |
Furnace Creek |
Badwater, Zabriskie Point |
Furnace Creek |
| March 7 |
Furnace Creek |
Hell's Gate, Historic Stovepipe Wells |
Stovepipe Wells Village |
| March 8 |
Stovepipe Wells Village |
|
Mesquite Spring |
| March 9 |
Mesquite Spring |
Ubehebe Crater, Scotty's Castle |
Mesquite Spring |
| March 10 |
Mesquite Spring |
|
Furnace Creek |
Diary
5 March 2000 (Sunday)
Linda and I arrive at Death Valley by way of Beatty, Nevada, on a cool
and showery afternoon. We find our campsite at Furnace Creek Campground
and meet the tour owners Joe and Jill. We see our tent already assembled
and our pillow and pad ready. Joe and Jill have just finished guiding
a weekend tour in the valley and are expecting three couples for this
week's tour. The second couple, Tom and Judy from the Bay Area, arrive
late in the afternoon. Joe prepares hors d'oeuvres and a gourmet dinner
which we enjoy at the picnic tables. The third couple, Wayne and Trish
from Okotok, Alberta, arrive late in the evening after flight delays to
Las Vegas.
|
|
|
Telescope Peak from Badwater
|
|
|
6 March (Monday)
The six clients ride south from Furnace Creek to Badwater. After exploring
the salt flats we return north to Golden Canyon, where Jill arrives with
lunch. Linda and I ride up to Zabriskie Point after lunch and enjoy the
scenic view of the valley below and the picturesque shapes near by. Many
photographers have set up their large format cameras and are waiting for
ideal lighting. We enjoy the downhill ride back to Furnace Creek and a
very pleasant evening at camp. Over dinner Joe explains that we are a
few weeks early for the peak of the wildflowers this year.
|
|
|
Linda and Trish Climbing to Hell's
Gate
|
7 March (Tuesday)
We ride from Furnace Creek north and take the Beatty Cuttoff to Hell's
Gate at the junction with Highway 374. Jill arrives with another nice
lunch. From here we race down Mud Canyon to Historic Stovepipe Wells.
We carefully ride our street bikes along a gravel road along the sand
dunes, then up to Stovepipe Wells Village along Highway 190. Here we get
motel rooms and have another excellent dinner in the pleasant evening
outside.
8 March (Wednesday)
From Stovepipe Wells Village we drop down the valley and turn north on
Highway 267 toward Mesquite Spring Campground. The day begins overcast
but dry. We enjoy the colorful barrel cactus and silver cholla as we climb.
By afternoon the weather turns wet, cold, and windy and we are all very
cold and wet upon arriving at the campground. We warm up in vans while
the staff struggle to erect our tents in the cold wind and rain. The weather
clears in the late afternoon and we have a lovely evening.
9 March (Thursday)
Linda and I hike west towards Tin Mountain before breakfast and enjoy
the scenery and desert plants. The weather is cool, but dry. After breakfast
we all ride to Ubehebe Crater and hike on a trail around it. From there
we ride up to Scotty's Castle and enjoy the tour. We learn that yesterday
it was snowing at Scotty's Castle -- no wonder the rain seemed so cold
just 1500 feet lower yesterday. The return to Mesquite Spring Campground
is virtually all downhill.
10 March (Friday)
We ride mostly downhill from Mesquite Spring back toward Furnace Creek.
We have our last lunch stop below Mud Canyon on the way and say goodbye
to Joe and Jill and the other riders before continuing on to Furnace Creek
and our truck. We repack our bikes and gear and start for home, this time
by way of Bishop, California.
References
Death Valley National Park
USGS Death Valley National Park Geology
U.S. National Parks Net: Death Valley
Country Spokes
