My trip to Death Valley

[msno...@yahoo.com]

I started out from the Bay Area Saturday March 14. My plan was to head down I-5 to Bakersfield, then East on 178 through the Kern River Canyon, over Walker Pass and spend the night in Ridgecrest, then from there to 190 and the Furnace Creek Campground. This trek is 375 miles. I was doing fine until I reached the twisties through the canyon. At that point I started to feel tired and achy. I stopped at Nelda's in Lake Isabella for a restorative milkshake (Neldas has great milkshakes, and a list of 100 flavors) which perked me up until I made the turnoff to Ridgecrest. I got to the motel and collapsed. FYI: The Oasis motel is now Howard Johnsons. Tiny rooms, but very clean, reasonable rates and friendly staff. There is a Vietnamese/Thai resturant a few feet away that is quite good. 

All roads that I was on were reasonably well paved

Off to Furnace Creek the next morning. Set up my tent and bought supplies. The General Store at the Furnace Creek ranch charges about 1/3 more than what any grocery store in the Bay Area charges. I had brought some food with me, but in the interest of keeping the size and weight of the pack down, had decided to buy most food at the General Store. Gas in Death Valley was only about 75 cents more per gallon than gas elsewhere, a nice surprise. 

The Bay Area heat wave had hit Death Valley. Expected temperatures in the high Eighties were instead hovering just short of 100. The heat made it impossible for me to do anything between 11 AM and 5 PM. Luckily I had brought a battery powered fan. I saw some wildflowers, hiked to Golden Canyon (I started a little late and felt mildly ill the rest of the day) rode to Zabriskie Point and Badwater. I saw a lot of yellow, red and purple flowers, an albino snake, lots of pushy grackles and some tiny fish in a stream. Also the usual spectacular scenery. The lake that forms in some years in Badwater had been deep enough earlier in the year that the rangers put out a NO BOATING sign. 

Started back Wednesday AM. This time I went West on 190 to 395, then south to 178 over Walker Pass. The twisties on 178 are much fun, and the wildflowers were much better than the ones in Death Valley, which were starting to fade from the heat. The roadside is dotted with Joshua trees and other interesting vegetation. There were so many wildflowers on some hillsides that they looked spray painted yellow

After the obligatory stop at Nelda's, I continued through the Kern River Canyon, then 58 to I-5. Stopped at the Rt. 41/I-5 junction for the evening and then reached home the next day. 

My takeaways: I had been worried that my touring days were coming to and end, due to Advancing Age. In actuality, I am good for 300-325 miles a day and can if pushed, do 375. 

I can also hike 7 miles without issues. My problems appear with heat. I can't deal with direct sun and heat for any length of time. 

Before the trip, I had bought a small MSR pot with a lid, and took limited clothes and some detergent. I washed clothes in a large plastic bag (Furnace Creek has large outdoor sinks for dishwashing) and hung to dry. This kept the weight and bulk of my pack down to the point where I had no problems managing my motorcycle. 

Triumph gets 45-50 mpg, a real help with increasing gas prices. 

I am planning a two night camp at Cambria and am looking forwards to the trip with confidence. 

[Harry Bahlman]

Great write up Margie. And glad to hear your touring worries have been held at bay. 

H

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[Mike Geggie]

Nice write up Margie! Great to hear that you're not hanging up those saddlebags just yet!

On Thu, Mar 19, 2026 at 9:31 PM 'msno...@yahoo.com' via Sunday Morning Breakfast Club <smbc...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

[CARL TYLER]

Wonderful write-up, Margie.  Congratulations on a successful ride.  Curious, where did you stay when you stopped for the night at Kettleman City (Rt 41/I5)?  Tom and I stayed there a few years ago and found the dining options rather disappointing . . . highest Yelp-rated restaurant was Denny’s.  Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Carl 

[Joe Steiner]

Loved it. What spirit 

J Steiner JTNS 

🗻 Climbing 🧗‍♂️ the second mountain 

On Mar 20, 2026, at 9:14 AM, Mike Geggie <mikeg...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[robhyman1]

Good job Margie.

Even in March you gotta watch out for heat exhaustion in DF

Thats why i dont go there any more.

Rob

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[msno...@yahoo.com]

Additions and corrections: Alameda to Ridgecrest is 375 miles. Ridgecrest to Furnace Creek is 150 miles

The motel I stayed at on I-5 is Quality Inn. Nice place, except the entry and exit is up a hill and off camber turn. 

The only dinner option beside Dennys is a 24 hour taco place that I was too tired to check out.