Death_Valley_Page

A sign that said Badwater came up. I definitely had to see that. Badwater is located at the lowest point in the world NOT underwater at 270 feet BELOW sea level. The road I was on was actually a bit twisty as it passed and went over Jubilee Pass (2,527 feet). The turns were no slower than 35 mph but they were close together, making them fun. I realized how much I missed leaning the Hayabusa. After Jubilee Pass came Ashford Junction. Here a dirt road went off into the distance while the road I was on stayed paved off to my right. I kept going on the paved road of course. I passed by the colorful Smith Mountains, all above 5,000 feet in elevation. To my right was a large flat area that looked like a giant dry lake. Off into the distance were very tall mountain peaks: Sugarloaf Peak, Stripped Butte Peak, Porter Peak, Bennet Peak, and Telescope Peak among them. They were all snow capped. After riding for what seemed like forever, I finally got to Badwater.

This point of interest had a paved parking lot and a built up restroom made of rock. It stuck out in the middle of this barren land. All the water that gathers up the mountains forms a large lake or pool here in Badwater. Since the water has nowhere to go and nothing else to do but evaporate, minerals are left over in the form of salt. The surface of this mostly dry lake was white with a small part having some water. The parking lot was also empty except for a couple of people. I parked and took some pictures.

It was now 2:30 PM and I was keeping a close eye on the sun. Daylight doesn�t last very long this time of year and I knew that as soon as that bright ball dipped into those mountain peaks to my West, the available light would severely dwindle. Just when I was about to leave Badwater, I saw a motorcyclist coming down the road from the opposite direction of where I came. The bike got closer and I noticed it was a Dual Purpose bike. The rider pulled up next to me and I noticed the bike was a Honda Afrika Twin with aluminum panniers, bags, maps, and various other doodads that screamed out: WORLD TRAVELER! I was instantly drawn to this individual and his unusual bike and I took out my camera for a photo op. The rider noticed this, got off the bike and immediately walked toward me and introduced himself as Christoff from Germany. Christoff had ridden his Afrika Twin from Western Europe, across Siberia, into Alaska, and now in Death Valley. He camped whenever he could to save money.

He planned on riding down to Central America and into South America�s Atacama Desert and to Patagonia, before heading to Africa and riding North back to Western Europe. Christoff and I talked for while about his experiences. Soon, a couple from Florida overheard our conversation and joined in. The wife started talking to my new friend, and the husband thought I was from Mexico and started asking me to translate English to Spanish, as well as telling me how he and his wife really liked Ensenada (a popular American tourist spot in Mexico). I know a little Spanish from my parents and I took Spanish in High School so I decided to humor this ignoramus for a while. I actually got the translations right. His wife kept on talking to Christoff. I wanted to get Christoff�s email but I didn�t want to be rude by interrupting. Besides, I didn�t even have a piece of paper and pen to write anything with. I looked up at the sky and soon realized I needed to head back to Shoshone. It was now 3PM and it took me almost an hour to get to Badwater, so I really needed to boogie out of there. I excused myself and got back on my Busa. Christoff and I waved goodbye and I headed back to my comfortable motel room. After meeting Christoff and listening to his experiences, I didn�t feel so bad and cold anymore. There was a guy who had the courage to ride through AND camp on the most hostile places on the planet, and here I was complaining about being cold after riding ONLY 350 miles from home!