Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126344
used (they are pos ted) . On BLM land you can use most roads except in Eu reka Valley where most of it is closed exc ept for a very narrow bywa y. We were to observe all th e Keep Out and No Trespassing signs. I was pleasantly surprised when Chief Monument Ranger Rayner and BL M Ranger Harris. who were very helpful with information. wished us a super ride . Mr. Rayner asked that we notify his office when we started and finished. which was only a precaution . D u r ing the planning stages I obtained three newly published BL M maps which were a tremendous help . The maps covered Saline. Eureka and Pa na m in t Valleys. just the areas we needed . They only cost us a buck each and ca n be pu rchased at the BLM office in Bakersfield. I also obtained 12 USGS (topo maps) which were hel pfu l . although somewhat out of d ate. (Most have not been revised or checked since 1950 , but a few were u pdated in 1958 .) The Au to Club map of Deat h Va lley is one of the best. It detail ed the entire route exc ept for seven m iles. T he road over th e "bypass" is not on most new ma ps, except for t he BLM's. Dea th Valley is aptly named . It 's beautiful and lonely but it can be deadly . The temperature has officially re ached 134 0 at the Greenwater Ranch rsorne claim it's hit 150 0 and stayed over 100 0 nigh t and day for more than a week . The valley was officially explored in 1871 , long after the 49 'ers suffered their wa y across. by a co u p le of Army offi cers named W heel er a nd Lyle. It 's a little hard to believe th is desert was on ce a pr ehisto ric lak e 100 miles long and 600 feet deep; it is now referred to as Lake Ma nl y. Walter Scott sta rt ed bu ild ing his fa mo us "Sco tty 's Castle" in 1926 and completed what now exists back in 1931. It had cost him two milli on dollars up to that point but he never did ge t to finish it. Old age cla im ed Scotty first. The two . m illion acre va lley was designated a National Monument on February II , 1931 . . On May 2 we assembled at Darwin , e~it of O wens Lake and six m iles south of Highway 190 . That evening we drove to Lo ng Pine and hit Ma rgie's Merry ·go· Ro und for steak and wine . I think it's the best food in the Owens Valley and reservations are a must. The next morning dawned bright and clear as we geared up to hit the road at 7:30 a .rn , Our wheels consisted ';- a Hond a XL 125, a XL 350 , a Ca n f 175 , a Yammie 250 and this ~J;ter's slightly modified TS 185. The support vehicles were a very old Baja ~ug and a Br on co st ill under 'l'ilrranty. 1cSta rting at Da rwin we headed north 5.7 miles to Highway 190 . then right 4 .1 ;niles to the Saline Valley Road. The first 9.8 mil es is on very good p av e m e n t , We turned left and traveled 15.5 to the junction of Sa line Valley Road and the road over Hunter . Mountain . The first few miles of th is -~ft i on is very old asphalt, then dirt. I J.1ad planned to go over Hunter Mountain but we were told there was a hirge boulder in the road: The bikes cou ld make it but not the vehicles . Not wanting to split the group , we all ~rop ped down Grapevi~e Canyon. It 's to the left for 10.3 miles , to an un~med road on the rig ht. The first few miles were winding a nd a bit dus ty. ~!>o u t halfway through the ca nyon we crossed a muddy creek about seven ti'iTies (don't worry if your bike isn't ;:' ~~erproof, it's no t deep) . At the road we . urned east for · 6.7 mi les. Called tile "by-pass" , it was like a D·37 _ en d u r o - steep , narrow , lo ts of SWitch b acks and rocky as hell. Charlie McCowos' tin y 125 four banged it up with a little trouble and the road was so n a rro w Rich An drades' Bron co was t.O I-< Q,) ..0 S Q,) u Q,) o ~ ·XT-TT-S SO R O EXHAUST SYSTEMS-HI & LO PIPES • MUFFlERS • SPARK ARRESTERS • MEGAPHONES • CARB KITS-MIKUNI & LECTRDN • LIGHT ALLOY SWING ARMS • CHAIN TENSIONERS • SHOCK . PROTECTORS • CASE GUARDS • SKID PLATES • SEAT COVERS • PISTONS • BIG BORE KITS • VALVE SPRING KITS • OIL LINES • CAMS • AIR CLEANERS • AND MORE!! PLAY BIKE OR RACE BIKE We've got it all ! Am PRO-TEC, INC•• 282 GEMINI • BREA, CA 92621 (7 14) 738-0631 • (213) 697-6759 Works Performance Out Performs! • #1 Dist. 37 250 Desert Bruce Ogilvie '77 & '78 -leJautomatics now in stock M ot o rcycles - Pa rts - Se rvice 605 Frwy. at Ca rson 11747 E. Carson St . Lakewood. CA 90715 213·860·1354 714·521·7112 Performance Pr oduct! 20970 Knapp Street Ch a tsworth. Cal ifor n ia (213) 998-1977 91 ~ ) 1 NORTON BSA AJS TRIUMP H • • • • • RICKMAN LUCAS ~""~IAMAL SMITHS llA"EWEJEJB fiEJNB1\ Hosovarna 1978390 OR's & CR's & • 9 Gold Medals US ISDTTeam GIRUNG BRITISH MOTORCYCLE PARTS LA RGEST STOCK IN THE USA WE SHIP COO ANYW HERE. CA l l FREE 800-854-0493 {EXCE PT CAl i!:hitisl! :§p;; r rs i£tl'l. 601 SO EAST Sf ~ ANAtElM. CA 92805 714-635-5802 19