2024 Pashnit Touring on a Hayabusa
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Dropping out the range to Stovepipe Wells.
Did you know there's an airstrip right beside the highway at Stovepipe Wells. A friend showed me this a few years ago. I had no idea, you can't see the airstrip from the road. It looks pretty unused and beat up in the desert heat.
Did you know there's an airstrip right beside the highway at Stovepipe Wells. A friend showed me this a few years ago. I had no idea, you can't see the airstrip from the road. It looks pretty unused and beat up in the desert heat.
The emails started several weeks before the ride.
People sending me links to articles in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle. My Instagram feed, Reels, FB exploded.
Remember the salt flats at Badwater Basin, 282 ft beneath sea level, in Death Valley. It's full of water, now a lake and people are kayaking in what is now called Lake Manly.
And you can walk across the lake.
A hurricane off the West Coast in December plus more <very rare> desert rain in the early spring filled the basin with water which has no natural outlet. How rare? Death Valley averages less than two inches of rainfall each year. Yet this basin was once an ancient lake spanning 620 square miles, but that was 120,000 years ago.
We've been to Badwater Basin many times with Pashnit Tour groups, it's actually a very cool place to walk out onto the salt flat but this was a very rare occurrence. Last time it was this big, was 20 years ago. Plus, the updates about the lake stated it was evaporating quickly. It will be there till the end of March, the end of April, no one really knows. The new lake made Death Valley a very busy place, traffic seemed to be easily double or even triple what we've experienced in the past.
Let's go there first thing I told the riders, it's going to be busy if we go in mid-afternoon.
I told the riders, we're going to get an early start tomorrow.
Jeff says I need more time to finish my coffee. Randy finished his.
Lined up & ready to ride.
People sending me links to articles in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle. My Instagram feed, Reels, FB exploded.
Remember the salt flats at Badwater Basin, 282 ft beneath sea level, in Death Valley. It's full of water, now a lake and people are kayaking in what is now called Lake Manly.
And you can walk across the lake.
A hurricane off the West Coast in December plus more <very rare> desert rain in the early spring filled the basin with water which has no natural outlet. How rare? Death Valley averages less than two inches of rainfall each year. Yet this basin was once an ancient lake spanning 620 square miles, but that was 120,000 years ago.
We've been to Badwater Basin many times with Pashnit Tour groups, it's actually a very cool place to walk out onto the salt flat but this was a very rare occurrence. Last time it was this big, was 20 years ago. Plus, the updates about the lake stated it was evaporating quickly. It will be there till the end of March, the end of April, no one really knows. The new lake made Death Valley a very busy place, traffic seemed to be easily double or even triple what we've experienced in the past.
Let's go there first thing I told the riders, it's going to be busy if we go in mid-afternoon.
I told the riders, we're going to get an early start tomorrow.
Jeff says I need more time to finish my coffee. Randy finished his.
Lined up & ready to ride.
And we manged to get there before 8am beating the hordes of people that would show up later in the afternoon.
No wind. And the sun had not come up over the range behind us yet. Perfect timing. And glass. The water was like glass reflecting the nearby snow capped range across the surface. Yes, I walked across the lake, the highlight of my day, while the water was only about 6 inches deep. A strange and fascinating occurrence to see in person.
Have the chance, go see it before it all evaporates.
Mark n yours truly
This is what it normally looks like
No wind. And the sun had not come up over the range behind us yet. Perfect timing. And glass. The water was like glass reflecting the nearby snow capped range across the surface. Yes, I walked across the lake, the highlight of my day, while the water was only about 6 inches deep. A strange and fascinating occurrence to see in person.
Have the chance, go see it before it all evaporates.
Mark n yours truly
This is what it normally looks like
We managed to get here before 8am, before the sun even came up over the range, but still a fair amount people here
Walking out to the lake, so odd to see water here. This is one of the driest places on earth. Maybe 2 inches of rain per year. Total.
Walking out to the lake, so odd to see water here. This is one of the driest places on earth. Maybe 2 inches of rain per year. Total.
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For another perspective so 282’ below sea level. That’s a 26 story building below sea level, 26 stories!
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