Death Valley Moto Sport Touring 2005 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Daniel Hienzsch   
Saturday, 12 May 2007
Page 1 of 4

Highway 14 Wildflowers
Highway 14 Wildflowers
With all the media coverage of the "100 year bloom” at Death Valley, I and Robyn decided that we would be fools to miss out.  The Sprint had performed marvelously despite both fate and my best efforts to beat it to death the previous weekend heading through the Grand Canyon and parts Soutwestish so what the hell.  To compliment this, when I bought the bike, the previous owner (and I’m starting to use that phrase “previous owner” more as a euphemism as time goes by) had included a Corbin gunfighter and lady so it was time to see just how comfy the two of us would be touring two-up over a grander distance than just to the movie theater.  As seems to be the case, most of these tours early in my acquaintance with the Sprint are about learning how she handles under various loads and conditions.  The grand goal is to take some time later this spring and for the two of us to go to Yosemite and the Gold Country, but we don't want to commit to something of that duration without doing some sort of intermediate trip first.  We had tried riding from Irvine to San Diego on the SV650 once, using the stock saddles and not only was the bike not really up to being flogged two-up down I-5 and back in heavy wind, but both of us were mighty uncomfortable by the time it was done with all manner of bruises in unholy places.

Death Valley Sport Touring Photo Album 

This would be a perfect distance with beautiful scenery and the admirable goal of seeing as much of Death Valley as possible.  Not only did we get that, but the magnificent surprise of Whitney Portal Road in Lone Pine on the day of departure.

Highway 395 Wildflowers
Highway 395 Wildflowers
Two weeks previous we had made the decision to do this and I started to make phone calls to lodging in the area.  I kid you not, the reservation desks laughed at me.  It was incredulous to them that I would be trying to book a room for a Friday and Saturday night anywhere near Death Valley with all the word around the country of how gorgeous things were.  Undaunted, I kept calling until I came across the Comfort Inn in Lone Pine.  I think I had passed through Lone Pine once while driving from Lake Tahoe to my then-apartment in Las Vegas; all I recalled though was US395 on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains holding some the most awe inspiring mountain views I can remember seeing.  Lone Pine is about 60 miles west of Death Valley over the Panamint range, but I figured that wouldn't be too bad a jaunt in and out of the park.  Besides, it was the only place I could find a room.
I originally had planned to try out my new Triumph Panniers but was lacking significant quantities of parts to install them so we would have to pack extremely efficiently.  One and ' days clothes a piece plus toothbrush and toothpaste, quilted liners for the jackets and my pants, a fleece vest and the Widder electric vest would be it.  All that would have to be crammed into one small laptop backpack and the Triumph touring tankbag next to the emergency kits, clear / tinted visors, spare batteries, farkles, cameras, etc.  It would be tight but we could do it.


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Last Updated ( Thursday, 08 January 2009 )
 

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