Every time we ride to Dante's View, it reminds me of a few years back to 2021, as we rode up to the summit & found ourselves surrounded in a light dusting of snow, then an additional bonus, to be greeted with very high winds coming over the crest of the range. I didn't bring my wind gauge but I did bring my buddy Peter and the wind sock on his head which immediately reminded me of wind socks on a firing range. If the sock is straight, like Peter's, how fast is the wind? We were just supposed to know stuff like that. The wind in 2021 was fierce, and cold. The riders in the tour group walked up to the edge, looked down 5575 ft below us at Badwater Basin (which is below sea level) & I asked, Okay, ya seen it?
They said yes. I said, perfect, Let's go, and we left. It was freezing cold! That particular tour in 2021, we left the snow and high winds behind and dropped down in elevation to warmer temps.
This visit, no wind, no punctured radiators, just perfect spring temps, but we got to look down on Lake Manly, the temporary lake several inches deep that covers Badwater Basin we had been walking through earlier in the day. On very clear days, the highest and lowest points in the contiguous 48 states of the United States: Mount Whitney at 14,505 ft and Badwater Basin at -282 ft, can be seen at the same time. No one wanted to walk the 400 vertical feet up to the top of Dantes Peak to take in the 360 degree view from the peak.
The temporary Lake Manly below is covering Badwater Basin
By mid-afternoon, this road was lined with parked cars & people walking out to the lake