THAT was my problem

Now I see why some of these rides were so tough:

My chain was missing, I had two flat tires, and the Angel of Death was trying to wrest my bike away from me...

Last Ride in Death Valley

The ride today, according to the schedule, was to go back out on 190 west - again - toward Stovepipe Wells/Scotty's Castle, and presumably fight the same headwind coming back, just like yesterday.

A group of us chose the unpublished Option B: Ride a relatively flat road out toward Badwater, then turn around whenever we felt like it. We were back at the ranch in time for multi-grain blueberry pancakes with prickly pear butter and endless coffee at the 49er Cafe.

Recovery is SWEET!

Scotty's Castle Century

108 miles from Furnace Creek to Scotty's Castle. I was apprehensive, but ready! The weather was beautiful at 6:00 AM when we all gathered for our dynamic warm-up, then rolled out at 6:15.

Ride profile: 54 miles each way (out and back) of mostly flat roads, up until the last 15 miles leading toward Scotty's Castle, which covers 2000 feet of elevation (the apex is around 3000 ft). Then, you turn around and FLY back downhill the second half of the ride.

Only it didn't quite work out so well. By the time we came down from Scotty's Castle (feeling strong and energized), the wind was starting to pick up. We were told that the remaining riders, those who hadn't yet reached the summit, were being told to turn back. (Turn back now, Dorothy! And your little dog, too!)

I rode with Jill, who was doing her first century. She was fun to ride with, since we're of about the same ability and we both were from cold climates. She reminds me of Jackie (wish you were here, Jackie!), and she was good company.

However, I have to say that, apart from Jill's company, there was nothing even remotely enjoyable about this ride. For all of our efforts to work together on the descents, the wind was so strong (we're guessing 45 mph gusts, and a steady 30 or so mph head/cross wind ALL the way back) that we were never able to coast, even when the elevation dipped sharply. Trying to grab a drink or a Gu or a snotrag was completely out of the question. At 10 miles from the finish, we saw a dust storm rising from the salt pan, and sand was spewing into our faces. We made it to mile 103 before we decided we were no match for Mother Nature. Luckily, the tour truck was right there when we needed them!

All told, I was on the bike for almost 9 hours (ironically, I made better time on the ascent then I did on the way home). There were only 15 people at yoga this afternoon. I'm thinking of selling my bike and switching to something less brutal, like wing-walking...

(By the way, Dave rode 61 miles, and got back before the wind became ridiculous. Smart guy...)

More photos from Day 3

These were taken in Death Valley Junction, and at the hike into Golden Canyon, and then at Yoga on the Lawn...

Death Valley Junction (4000 ft of climbing)

Another gorgeous day - probably hit 78 degrees, high clouds.

We all left the Ranch around 7:30 AM for a group shot at Zabriskie Point. To get there, you go 5 miles uphill, then up a really steep climb to an amazing overlook. There are 50 some of us in the group, and it was fun seeing all those bikes and colorful jerseys trying to compete with the devastatingly beautiful scenery of Death Valley.


After that, the group split up. Your choices were a 43-nile 'epic climb' of 15% for 4 miles (PASS), climb up toward Death Valley junction to the 3000 ft summit (Dave's choice), or continue on to the town of DVJ for a 60 mile roundtrip, and an additional 1000 ft of climbing (Pam's choice). Dave and I regrouped afterward for a hike in Golden Canyon, then we had our daily yoga on the lawn (I suck at yoga), followed by a wine and chocolate social. The days are just packed.

Stovepipe Wells

And what a difference a day makes! We awoke to a cloudless sky, and the desert warmth that we craved after escaping Cleveland.

50 miles out and back to Stovepipe Wells. Great scenery, very little traffic, and long stretches of open highway - perfect!

Artist's Drive/Artist's Palette

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.