Death Valley January 2022

January 1, 2022

Rain in the desert. Let it flow!... (away from my tent)

Going off the beaten path at O'Dark Thirty in the middle of the desert. What could go wrong?

-6C temperatures with completely frozen water bottles and food. But I had two apples! Wahoo!

Trona was kind of creepy at 0100 in the morning.

News flash. On a bike there is no hiding out here. Let the Exposure Fatigue begin.

Tracking down another bucket list item...

Alright, kids. Now I can shut-up about it. I'm here.

Panamint Springs in the rear view mirror.

Insane descent into warmth and a parking lot for a campsite

Feeling pretty exposed, and feral, right about now. Tapped into something primal. Note: Being out here on a bike is *not* the same as being in a car. Full stop.

Found this along the side of the road. It was either a good sign, or a bad omen. Not sure which...

Eight hours of trying to keep the bike upright on 38mm tires. In all fairness I was warned...

I liked the mud so much that I didn't even care about the rocks.

Subtle, Simple, and a Scale that has to be experienced to be... experienced.

Because I don't know where I'm going next.

Artists Palatte. Phooey on all the colors. I like this one best.

Dante's Point. Supposed to be a good place to take pictures.

O. M. G. A Grocery Store. With Food. And aisles. And carts. And reasonable prices. No. Way.

In the Willamette Valley there are deer. In Pahrump, it's horses.

Putting it to use after 42 years . Thanks, Grandpa! You were right. Hold onto it and some day it'll have more value. Now I'll know which way to go next!

I've been on the road for six months now.

What a trip.

Time is squishy out here. Six weeks feels like six months. And six months feels like six years.

I've been in a rainstorm for three weeks straight. Not recommended.
I've discovered that losing your phone really is as bad as it could be. Password protect your phones, people!
I've heard weird ass whistling in the woods deep in the middle of the night that could not be explained away. Super. Frickin. Creepy.
I've had a cougar growling right outside my tent right by my head, after I spooked it in the night. It was not happy about my presence.
I've been in a windstorm that appears to have left, to this day, some emotional scarring. I f***king HATE wind...
I've been shot at in the Mojave. So that's what it sounds like when bullets are going past your tent!
I've discovered a vortex in the desert. Weirdest damn thing.
And I've tapped into feral mode in Death Valley. As per the National Park: "Be careful when entering mine shafts, since wild animals may be seeking shelter". I was that wild animal.

Thanks to everybody, friends and family, for all the support out here!!!

Know that I couldn't have done it without you.

And right now a little downtime is in order while I chart the next leg of this journey. I'm just as curious as you may be to see what happens next...

Peace Out for now.

Raven.

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Bill ShaneyfeltEnjoyed it, especially the desert (of course)! Thanks for posting! Looking forward to the next installment.
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2 years ago

Mark BinghamGreat pics! I enjoyed the ride! (and I get it about the wind... brushing against insanity at times)
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2 years ago