Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Built in'1906, Rhyolite's Cook Bank building cost $60,000. Rhyolite is Nevada's most famous ghost town. Death VaIley~ Ride five is four· days through two ·states By Donald E. L. Betsworth Death Valley, an awesome looking concavity laying between two lofty mountain ranges, is a land of extremes and of grandeur. Once a forbidding place for many, today it's a visitor and scooter riders' delight. Come with me to this land of ghost towns, rocky n,arrow canyons, famous old mines and mill sites arid some of the desert's' most beautiful scenery. This fifth annual ride covers new areas of this fantastic valley. In the first four annual trips, we've covered mostly the western and northern fringe. But on this ride we start in the middle and ride to all points of the com ass. We'll ride some ~1!qdred year old tracks, some modern pavement, and travel from a minus 276 foot elevation to over a mile high. We used Furnace Creek Campground as a base due to its facilities of food, fuel and water. Oh yes, nearby is a motel for those tired of sleeping in a van or in the dirt with the little critters. The restaurant was handy as some of my partners said they ,were tired of my spartan menus. The loea, tion is also helpful, as it is near the geographical center of the monument. We chose October as our star,tin,g. time as it has the year's most stable weather. The days are usually mild and there is little chance of a tripruining desert downpour. Death Valley is full of beauty, nostalgia, anomilies and a host of other three dollar words. One must go to see, to feel and yes, to smell this unusual place. Doing it on a bike with friends is super. President Hoover, using the Antiquites Act of 1906, established Death Valley National Monument, Feb. II, 1933. Its then 1,600,000 acres were all in California. Enlarged twice, once by FOR in 1937 and then by President Truman in 1952, it now covers 2,067,793 acres in both California and Nevada. The valley, once called Lake Manly and 600 feet deep, is on record as the hottest place in the United State~ w~th. 1,3.4 degrees, read~~. on July 10, 1913. That same year the area's lowest temperature was obtained, 15 degrees above zero. Old timers and residents living nearby will highly dispute these figures. Rainfall figures are quite interesting. The average is 1.71 inches. 1913 was the wettest with 4.54 inches, and 1953 was dry with just.09 inches. In 1929, not one drop fell in the entire valley. The above is just general information. For the geologist: There is a place in Mesquite Flat near Stove Pipe Wells where the alluvial fill, rocks and sand washed, out of the mountains, is 10,000 feet thick. Eons ago it's possible that the difference between the valley floor and the top of Telescope Peak was over four miles. Boggles the mind, don't it? The highest point, 11,049 foot Telescope Peak, and the lowest, a minus 282 near Badwater, are but a few miles apart. Over 500 square miles of the valley's 3,230 are below sea level. There are rocks in Butte Valley reported to be 500 million years old that you can touch. For the botanist: There are 600 species of plants and trees, and 22 of these exist only inside the monument boundaries. For the camera clickers: Take a ton of film and a handful of your trick filters. You won't be sorry. 'The Moorish looking Furnace Creek Inn was built in 1926 by the U.S. Borax Company for their employees. It has since become a moderately expensive hotel. The old cabins at Furnace Creek Ranch were built in the early 30s when tourism in the valley increased. Later, a Holiday Inn type motel was added. Reservations at any of these is a must, and the cost of most everything is high. Author Cora V. Lee wrote in 1939 that you could take an 800 mile, 200 in Death Valley, all expenses tour from Los Angeles to the valley and return for $64.50. The cabins at the Ranch rented for two dollars per day. You could stay at the Inn for $15 per couple (room and two meals) per day. Golf was 50¢ and horses rented for $2.50. Check the prices today, and don't faint. The Death Valley Museum, at the visitor's center, and the Borax Museum at the Ranch are both free and are well worth the time for a "Iooksee." The first day was used up getting everybody to Furnace Creek and the camp set up. The fee at Furnace Creek Campground is three dollars per night. The fee is for running water and lighted, flush-type potties. One rider even flew in with his private plane. Some class. We used the plane later to fly over all the routes used. It's quite different from 5000 feet. The second day dawned bright and cool. At 7:30 we kicked the bikes to life and started our long, 122.8 mile, ride. This was an interesting trip with many excellent stopping places. One, about the halfway point, has food, drink, fuel and slot machines for the lucky. Starting at Furnace Creek Ranch, we headed north 10.5' miles to the Beatty Junction. Go right, and, after 5.7 miles of moderate climb, a small sign on the right points the way to the Keane Wonder Mill site. It's a short 2.8 miles of dirt to the mill site, but the mine itself is a steep hike up the hill. The first claims were staked out in 1903 by Jack Keane, and almost immediately they were sold for $150,000. In 1907 mining started in earnest with a 20-stamp mill crushing 1800 tons per month. The top years of this operation were in 1912 to 1914. It shutdown in 1916 after a reported production of $750,000. Some minor ore was turned out during the 30s. A 1400foot tram line was built up the mountain to the mine, and some of the towers are still visible.

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