Croslite Goes to Death Valley!
Death Valley is a very special place and I feel fortunate to live close enough to make the journey there with relative ease. A few weeks ago my friend Janet and I headed north out of LA County, through the spreading sprawl of San Bernadino County, and entered the vast expanse of desert that leads to Death Valley. In a little over four hours we were in another world. And in this world we were going to ride our bikes over 100 miles. I needed a long training ride for my upcoming Ironman race and Janet was happy to accompany me to one of the hottest, driest, and lowest places in North America. Like I said, Death Valley is a special place and it just draws you to it. Even if it means you have to cycle 108 miles once you get there!
Poor Croslite. We have to get him a bike...
The AdventureCorps Death Valley Century and Double Century attracted cyclists from all over the country. Twenty-three states were represented as cyclists flew in with their bikes from as far west as Hawaii and as far east as Virginia. That’s the magnetism of Death Valley, a magical place like no other. About half of the 300 or so riders were tackling the 108 mile route while the rest were going to cover 200 miles through this stark landscape. The rides started and finished at the Furnace Creek Ranch, one of only two hotels in the Furnace Creek section of Death Valley. Janet and I brought along little Croslite and he was content to stay behind at the ranch as we headed out into that awesome desert terrain. (But, as you can see, he helped us get our numbers ready on the day of the ride.)
Janet at the start. A great day for a ride!
Interestingly, and very much out of the ordinary for this time of year, it rained the night before the ride. We awoke to find standing water in the parking lot and clouds overhead. That didn’t dampen our spirts though. In fact, it was a rare treat. There’s nothing like the scent of the desert after a rain. And those cloudy skies sure beat the relentless sun and triple digit temperatures that we could have encountered.
Andi and Michelle are ultracyclists. They were doing the double century!
The century course is an out and back affair, with steady climbing to the turn-around point at Scotty’s Castle in Grapevine Canyon. This oasis in the desert is a popular tourist spot but on this day there was no time for a tour. After grabbing a quick bite and refilling our bottles, we turned around and headed back, looking forward to the downhill. But wouldn’t you know it, the dreaded headwinds hampered a fast return! Oh well, at least it wasn’t uphill into the wind. And at least we didn’t have 150 miles left to ride like the double century folks did!
Scotty's Castle was the turn around point.
Seven hours after we started our ride, Janet and I made it back to the Furnace Creek Ranch. There we found a finish line feast for all the riders. We kicked off our cycling shoes, changed into our comfy Crocs, and enjoyed the pizza and other treats. As the sun set, we set out for home, already planning our next Death Valley adventure.
Death Valley at dusk
