MTA California Chapter 3 - Death Valley 2004 Ride

Tonopah "Ice-cycle" Ride - March 1-2, 2008

Submitted by
Steve Morris Chapter Chairman
Photos by Heidy Betchart and Adrian Hubbard

MTA CA #3 had planned a Winter weekend getaway to Tonopah, Nevada during our Christmas party last December 2007. It was scheduled for February 23-24, however Mother Nature did not cooperate. While we expect cold temperatures for this ride, we did not anticipate the 8 inches of snow that blanketed Tonopah the Friday before the trip. We decided to postpone the ride to the following weekend.

On Saturday morning, March 1 we met at the Denny’s in Sylmar for breakfast, and were on the road by 9:00am with 9 bikes and 13 participants and enjoyed the balmy clear weather as we headed north on California Highway 14 through the mountain passes towards Antelope Valley. The temperature was in the 50s as we traversed the Valley with the usual gusty winds, which died predictably near Mojave where we shifted to secondary roads – we generally prefer the “road less traveled” when possible. Our first fuel stop was in the town of Trona, a mining town alongside Searles Dry Lake where borax and other minerals are mined. Trona has a “characteristic” aroma from the mining activities, which we were glad to leave behind.

Within minutes of leaving Trona, we entered the Panamint Valley just to the west of Death Valley National Monument. Peering up from the highway, we all observed the snow-capped Telescope Peak. We traveled along this beautiful range noting the high peaks and alluvial fans, which were formed over geological time by the action of weathering and numerous faults in the area.

We entered Death Valley by Highway 190 ascending up and over Towne Pass (elevation 5,500 ft) and descending into the Valley toward Stove Pipe Wells (elevation 0 ft). We did not actually stop in Death Valley since we wanted to get to Tonopah before dusk when it would get really cold. We motored straight through and out the east exit to Beatty, Nevada. On the way, we at least got in some sight seeing from the highway. We passed the Great Sand Dunes and the cantina at Stove Pipe Wells (seen in the original Star Wars where we first meet Han Solo and Chewbacca). The weather was in the high 70s with clear skies. One the way out of the Valley we passed Titus Canyon, one of the roughest and most scenic spots in the country. However, since none of us was driving a 4WD vehicle or off-road bike, we could only peer up the road to Titus Canyon! The next stop was Beatty for gas and snacks.

From Beatty we headed north on US 95 across the high desert plateau, steadily gaining altitude. We drove past the Cottontail Ranch but did not stop – the ladies in our group would not have approved given the nature of the business that Cottontail Ranch is famous for. As we ascended the plateau, the temperature began to drop steadily. By the time we reached Goldfield Summit (elevation 6,650 ft) it had dipped to 45° F. Although there was only 50 miles to go, the last 5 miles were difficult with sudden gusts of wind blowing us all over the mountain road. At this point we were all exhausted, so the last few miles seemed to drawn out indefinitely. We managed to beat the sunset when we reached Tonopah at 4:30 pm. The snow that had fallen the weekend before had melted by the time we had arrived. At 6,000 feet, it was definitely chilly, but still light out and hence not as cold as it would have been had we arrive a few hours later. We checked into our rooms at the Ramada Inn and met for dinner at 5:30 pm. The hotel restaurant gave us our own private dining room. We were not sure if they were being hospitable or if they didn’t want a group of motorcyclists disturbing the other patrons! We had a great dinner and fun talking about the events of the day. We all had a chance to get to know our newest members Isaac and Ronnie Lindsay, and we wished a fond farewell to members Mike and Heidy Betchart who are moving to Illinois.

As we sat relaxing lazily around the table, Mike asked me “Why Tonopah?” I tried to come up with something meaningful, thinking about the extreme beauty of the mountains, the cold temperatures, and the challenging roads. But my response was simply, “Because it’s there”. That seemed to satisfy us all.

Photo 1. Sierra Nevada Range in the distance

Photo 2. Westgard Pass at 7,271 ft elevation

The next morning, we began preparing for our return journey. I think we were all expecting to see nice scenery, but I don’t think we were really prepared for the amazing beauty we would encounter throughout the day. We had breakfast at 7:00am and were mounted up and ready to depart within the hour. It was 27 degrees when we left with everyone bundled in their cold weather riding gear including electric heated gloves and vests. We decided to take a different route home, heading west on US 6 toward Bishop where we traversed rolling hills with the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range looming in the distance. It was beautiful, covered in snow and framed with a picture postcard blue sky (Photo 1). After an hour we headed south on Nevada 773, a small secondary road used by the few ranchers who inhabit this totally isolated corner of the world. Then we traveled south on Nevada 264, a desolate stretch of highway where it would be 20 minutes or more between sightings of other vehicles. When we crossed back into California near the “town” of Oasis, which had a mere couple of old barns to its name, we then headed west towards the White Mountains on California 168, aptly named for the exquisite snowcapped view! Rising twice on this route to over 7,000 feet, the temperature dropped and the snow bank on both sides of the road approached 3 feet deep in places. There was one section in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest where the road cut through a massive of rock butte and was only one lane wide for a hundred yards. These bristlecone pines are the oldest living things on earth with some trees at 5,000 years old. We stopped at the top of Westgard Pass for a unique photo opportunity (Photo 2). Perhaps this forest will serve as a destination for a future ride when we will spend more time enjoying the surrounding beauty. We threw a few snowballs and then continued west toward Big Pine and the Owens Valley.

We returned to civilization on US 395, passed through the towns of Big Pine and Lone Pine, where we stopped for gas and lunch. It was considerably warmer here, with temperatures in the low 60s. We all sat contently recounted the journey and mentally prepared for the LA traffic we could all expect a few hours down the road. This was an exhilarating weekend experience that we are seriously considering repeating. This was the kind of ride that any touring biker lives for!