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/126673
Po ints of interest in Death Va lley in clude th e g raves of two prospect ors. S ho rty Har ris a nd Jim Da yton. Ca mping fee a t Furnace Creek Ca m pgro u nd is $4 per ni ght. You g et a table. fir epl ace. wat er , flu sh pott ies a nd a little sha de. T h e ca m p g ro u nds a t Sunset a nd Texas Spri ng are $3 but lack so me o f th e a bo ve. m ain ly th e sha de . T he bikes o n thi s trip were a n o ld 350com p lete with homem ad e sideca r, a nd RM 250 made legal. a n XL500 and m y trusty TS 185. T he 250 showed up with six-m o nt h-old pre-mix in i ts tank . So me time was spen t curi ng th at p robl em . In Augu st and Sep tember the ra in s had pl a yed hav oc with most o f Death Valley. St ra ngely th e din roads seeme d to have held up bett er th a n th e paved . T he d irt roa ds in som e wash es a nd ca n yo ns we traveled a re in very good sha pe and ridea ble. O n e p aved sect io n, the Beatty C ut off. is still closed by roc ks a nd sa n d. Ch ief Ra n ger Ra yn er a nd hi s sta ff ha ve worked su pe r hard in ge tti ng the faci lit ies back in sha pe for th e fall a nd winter vi sit ors. Our fir st ride was do wn the lon g. du srv a nd wat erl ess West Side Road . Thi; is a fin e trek i nt o a n area with mu ch Death .Va lley h istory. We left Fu rnace Cree k a t 7 a .m . a nd head ed so u th clad o n ly wit h lig htweight sh irts . It was a ll we need ed a ll da y. Th e 350 had its sideca r loaded do wn wi th a pa sse n ~er a nd ex tra ga s, p lus a few ca ns o f so da . T h e ex tra gas will be ment ioned a lilli e later. G o so u th to the Badwat er Road a nd turn rig ht. Set yo u r odo me ter a t 0 .0. P roceed 5.9 mi les to a g ra ded roa d o n th e ri glu and tu rn th ere. Abou t 1.8 mil es o u t vo uI l cross Sa lt Cree k. T h e eleva tio n here is a m inu s 276 feet. Con tin ue and a t 11.2 miles is Tria l Ca nyon . The road u p is wash ed o u t and it is a no-no to use it. Wh en we passed th ere wa s no sign. A few miles farth er is Bennett 's Long Ca mp. T hi s was used . by the Benn ett-Arcane fam ilies in Decem ber o f 1849. Abo u t tw o mi les eas t o f here, o u t o n th e sa lt flats . is th e low est spot in th e Un ited Sta tes at minus 282 feet. At 17.8 m iles yo u wi ll find th e g raves o f "S horty" H arr is a nd J im m y Da yton . H a rr is di ed bro ke in 1943 after d iscov eri n g rich mi nes a ll over th e Dea th Va lley a rea . O ne of h is bi ggest fi nd s was th e Bullfro g M in e a few m iles fro m Rhyol it e. Nevada . H e was a n o ld friend o f Da yton 's a nd wanted to be buried n ext to him. A half mil e more is th e Eagle Borax Works. Fo unded by Isad o re Daunet in 1881. i t wa s th e fir st in th e valley a nd th e first to fo ld. It was poorly run a nd su m mer h ea t a id ed in its demise. Ver y h igh tran sportat ion costs didn 't h elp Daunet 's pocket boo k. H ead so u th aga in a nd a t 3 1.2 m iles yo u reach th e Sa lt Well Ta nks an d a maj or roa d junction . At thi s po int you h ave tw o choices . A tr ip to Butte Vall ey wh ich is lon g , ha rd a nd ro cky o r a n eas ier run do wn to th e Ashford Mill Ru in s. Bulle Va llev with it s interestin g Stri ped Bu lle i"s 5.5 miles due so u th th en a I5-pI u s-mi le run head ing west. Bu tte Vall ey .is pro ba- 47