It's supposed to be a really pretty view, and it probably was. But by the time we got to the overlook at Artist's Palette, we were soaked to the bone, borderline hypothermic, and wondering what ever possessed us to start a ride in the rain.
Since this was our first ride, and it started at 1 PM, it was only a short 25 miles. We start all of our rides from our home base at Furnace Creek Ranch, and for this ride we headed out on Hwy 190 toward Badwater. Artist's Drive is a 9-mile one-way loop road climbing out of the valley to an elevation of about 3000 ft, which means a 10% grade for the first half of the loop. Then after that, it was a series of serious whoop-de-doos and twisting ups and downs, by which time our brakes were worthless, and the route was a bit nerve-wracking. The whole ride was hard.
Of course, that just gives us something to talk about, because I'm sure it will be one of our most memorable rides, ever.
Since I didn't bother to carry a camera with me, these photos are from Badwater Basin, which we visited earlier in the day. The photo with the two of us was taken after the ride. Check out the standing water covering the sidewalk.
