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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126344
toO l-c CI.J ..c 8 CI.J u CI.J Cl WILLOW CREEK • ... ~ THE ; : RACE '.: TRACK / N HUNTER MT. DARWIN (Above) The explorer's route mep. (Below) Scotty's Castle, 20 ~" • almost too wide in a couple of spots. Poor Andy Andrews' old bug had to make a couple of shots in several steep places. . It was loaded down with two . . . . . .. ' . A 1Il •• . • '! . large 15 gallon gas tanks, two heavy ice chests, our cook, plus its own 21 gallons of fuel. When we all finally crested the top, I suggested that if he jettisoned the beer he would have less trouble. Needless to say my idea was _quickly rejected. From the top, the " Racetrack" came int o view. We were lucky and did get to see some of the famous sliding rocks and a large herd of burros. Most of the rocks though were on the far side and since the dry lake is closed to all vehicles , we elected not to hike across the hot alkali. Heading north from the " Racet rack" we soon passed Teakettle Junction , its road sign laden with old kettles and coffee pots. Continuing north , at 28.8 miles we came to Ubehebe Crater. This is one big hole, 3000 years old and 800 feet deep . The road from "Racetrack" was in good shape except for a mile or two near the crater. Heavy .ra ins had played havoc with the sand and pumice, causing the road to almost disappear. There were . still some large muddy water holes with bottoms slick as grease in the road so, remembering the rules, we stayed on the road and blasted our way through. Several riders had never seen Scotty's Castle and, arriving a little ahead of schedule, we took the time to go have a look . The road from the crater to the castle is paved but it's used by tourists , so watch them carefully . It 's only 8 .6 miles and the green grass and shade trees were well worth the few extra miles . Several took th e tour and two of us kicked back in th e shade for a nic e 45 ·minute nap. On this particular day gasoline was available but the ranger-in -charge echoed what I mentioned befor don't ever count on it. Leaving the castle we backtracked 5.9 mil es to the well -posted d irt road heading north toward Big Pine. The climb is hardly noticeable for 21 miles, then a slight turn to the west put us into the Last Chance Range. This is a finger of mountain splitting North Death Valley and Eureka Valley. This section was very pretty , everything was green and the wild flowers were still in bloom . Along the way we passed rwo springs which have been used for over a hundred years, but I wouldn't trust the water now . Climbing the mountain for 7.5 miles, suddenly''w e rounded a turn and Crater Camp appeared on our right. This i b id Sulphur mine. said to be the la~gest known deposit in California, I'! wa s mined from 1865 to 1954 and saw its peak sometime during the 30·s. :Just north of the mine a cluster of collapsed buildings marks the old townsite. This is about th e halfway point on the trip and it's a good spot to ca m p. W~ left not a sign of our ca m p except for a few ashes in a fire ring of rocks and a few of our cans in a trash cont a iner. U Being self contained, we broke b u t th e stove whil e the cook . Robert " Fe n wic k" Armstrong . started banging pots and opened the , b ar. Cold beer , vodka gimlets and tequila . straight up , really hit the spot. As they sa id in th e old days, we d id it. "j us, to cut th e trail dust." While th e stew was simmering a few of us just had to try out the othe r gu y's scoo ter. AI Gaer noticed a fa int trail and decided to give it a go but he ran out of beans. stopped th e bike. then dropped it ' and broke a lever ( front brake . fortunately) . I call him Albert but after that act, a few others called him something else . d With most of the bik e questions answered we sat down to a filling meal , topped it off with carrot cake. and sat back for a couple of hour , to watch the sun set. "Crazy LeRoy" Jennings and Armstrong then hauled a couple of rusty bedsprings out of a gully while air mats for the rest were blown up and we bedded down for the night under a star studded sky. At 7:30 a .m . we were back on the road and headed north . Leaving camp we followed a short piece of asphalt dropping down into Hanging Rock Canyon: Pavement is the only way to keep a road in here . At 4.5 miles we crossed the road going south to th e Eureka Sand Dunes , said to be the largest in the United States. 800 feet high and five miles long . We continued northwest and then southwest for 23 .9 miles , about half of it on good pavement, to the Sal ine Valley Road. There is no sign . but it's at the top of the pass and the good dirt road io Saline Valley only heads southeast. At this point we were just below snowline and our warm jackets came in very handy. We took a short break, topped our tanks and prepared for the GO·mile ride down Saline Valley. Some say it 's hotter than Death Valley because it's very narrow and surrounded by high mountains. Within a few miles we dropped dJwn into Marble Canyon which has many private mining claims with lots of Keep Out signs. A mile or so into the canyon bottom there is a sharp right turn . If you go straight ahead, you'll be on private property and the road