2015 Fall Gathering in Death Valley

[rboe]

Funny story with that shot. Apparently the guys like to coast back down to Furnace Creek Ranch from Dante's View. I made it about half way down the access road, but two or three guys coasted 26 miles, all the way back to the resort! First couple miles you need to apply the brakes (for me it was to avoid running into the leader - but once we hit the long straight in the valley I lost him). First quarter mile is very steep. Next mile or so is also fairly twisty as the road follows drainage gullies.

I left the resort at 6:20 on Saturday to get up there in time to get pre-dawn shots. As you can see, this a few minutes after the sun rose. Then the time changed (daylight savings) and Sunday I had to leave at 5:35 or so to get to Zabriskie's (it was only five miles away, less transit time).

Note: The trip meter will not roller over one thousand miles. I checked at 996 miles, when I got home a bit after that it said 31 miles. So I did 1031 miles in three days. Not an Iron Butt, more like a Firm Butt.


I keep forgetting to comment on my "problems".

Left hand counter weight screw backed off twice, caught it time before I lost it. Need to put in some Loctite.

Chain is loose (while I packed tools, I did not have anything to loosen up the axel nut), I did pack some chain lube.

Tires are starting to square off. Dang! I think I have 4300 miles on the bike now.

MRA windscreen with laminar lip, not as nice, especially in the wind, as I'd like. I'll post my solution if it works out.

The power tap for the electrics abraded the tank a bit. Need to prevent that in the future.

River Road magnetic tank bag, works OK in town and on day trips. Found wanting a bit on the trip. Wants to lean to one side one you unzipped the extension, yet feels like it's full when you want to cram stuff in. The solution I'm considering is a top case.

I really don't "need" a GPS, except in towns like Las Vegas where the signage is confusing (especially if you are hot and tired), not numerous enough, or simply does not match what the GPS is labeling it, so a means to put my iPhone up front or a dedicated GPS would be great. I always got lost going through Fargo too. Very annoying. At least it's not a fault of the bike.