2018 DV Noobs Rally

[2018 Death Valley Noobs Rally, a trip report 5 years in the making]

I first read about the Death Valley Noobs Rally in 2014, after coming back to motorcycle riding and discovering the AdvRider forum. Unfortunately, the scheduling of DVNR is very tough for me to make. I have two kids with birthdays on 3/27 and 4/2 so every year it seems like we have a conflict with one or the other birthday party. Finally this year with the schedule shifted just ahead a few days, I knew I had to make time for my first ever DVNR.

Here we are packed up and ready to roll:



There's one on the inside too:



So many places to explore out here:



We got in on Tuesday evening and woke up to a nice morning Wednesday:




DVNR Day 1 - Panamint > Saline Valley Hot Springs > Steel Pass > Saline Valley Warm Springs

On Wednesday there was supposed to be an overnight ride and camp to the Saline Valley Warm Springs, however, due to weather it was cancelled. I was able to connect with Mike and Tim and their friend Paul, who were originally planning to add Steel Pass, Lippencott, and Hunter to the ride. These guys looked like seasoned adventurers and still planned to go anyway, so I invited myself to tag along for the ride. The weather turned out to be dry for the entire trip, but we did have a very windy night (more on that later).

Maiden run on the new Mosko Moto R40 setup packed and ready to head out:



Since the main ride was cancelled, our planned refuelling at the Warm Springs was also cancelled. I had borrowed my Drew's 5.3 gal tank so I wasn't worried but Mike and Tim each carried a dromedary bag filled with gas. Tim's gas bag cap was leaking a bit so he and I went up to South Pass while the other guys were getting ready so he could dump his fuel bag into the tank. Turns out South Pass was in the clouds and it was a cold 20 minutes while we waited:



Coming down South Pass into Saline Valley it started to warm up and the road was nice a smooth. However, some of the embedded rocks are quite large and quite sharp, as I found out with my very first pinch flat and road side repair. Thanks to Mike for filling up my tire with his air pump while I took my commemorative photo:



Stopped to help me with tube change at the Lippencott turn off.



We setup camp at the Warm Springs before heading out again. I was so sure that it was going to rain and flood I set up my camp at the top of a small hill, come morning they're all gonna be washed away and I'll change my name to Noah.



After setting camp we set out to do an out and back to Steel Pass. this is where this noob found out he had bitten off more than he can chew. Leaving camp we basically ride a wash with alternating rocks and fine loose gravel all the way up toward the pass for about 20 miles or so, and since we were running out of daylight (pinch flat partly to blame) the pace was quick and stops were few. I have never ridden much rocky terrain so I was fighting it the whole way out. Then we started climbing the pass and fatigue really set in and I started making stupid mistakes, I stalled my bike and dropped it within sight of where the group was stopped waiting for me. They didn't rush to my aid, nor did they take any photos, so I guess we are even . At this point I decided I needed to conserve my energy to safely ride back to camp and decided to wait for them until they backtracked. Here I am parked, exhausted, and wondering how much I'll be testing the new Baja Designs lights later.



It always looks easier in the pictures, I did force myself to loosen up on the bar and stop fighting the bike, so the ride back down was a lot better.

DVNR Day 2 - Saline Valley Warm Springs > Lippencott (Skipped) > Hunter Mountain (Skipped) > Panamint > Darwin > Father Crowley > Panamint

Previous evening, we made in back to camp safely and had a nice shower and soak. It really is an amazing place out in the middle of nowhere, there was hardly anyone there due to the forecast, so we basically had the place to ourselves.

2AM: Remember that asshole who set up his tent on top of a hill? Yeah that was me, every big gust of wind would push sand under the tent fly and shower me. Higher ground clearly was not the best place for a windstorm, and my tent became rather lopsided when the wind direction changed and I started getting hit broadside. When the gusts would die down we'd call out to check and make sure no one had been swept away by the wind, I don't think anyone in our camp slept much that night. The final damage tally was one broken tent pole (Mike) and one collapsed tent Matt. By morning everyone had gathered by the bathroom to use it as a windbreak, thankfully the Pit toilet is indeed very clean so it was not as shitty as I thought it would have been.

We packed up everything in the wind and looking across the valley there was a huge sandstorm blowing all the way up the valley. Mike and Paul decide to stay and make new friends at the Warm Springs and I head out with Matt Matt and Glenn. To get a head start on the day in case I had to go slow through the storm, which turned out to be not so bad at all.

If you are looking for the Warm Springs, turn here:



Back at the Lippencott turn off, the weather over Hunter was looking extra gloomy so I decided to skip that part of the ride and head straight back to camp:



Last picture before heading into the clouds again at South Pass



We got back to camp pretty early and had a leisurely lunch. After lunch I was still itching to ride, I head out with Tim, camello911 and our leader on the DR650 that I forgot the name of toward Darwin via Darwin Falls and China Garden for a short afternoon loop.

Desert oasis, skies cleared up as soon as we left Panamint:



Everyone gets fish pictures, now I have mine, box officially checked:



Poser Photo at Father Crowley



Skip to Day 3

GREAT WRITE UP ALEX!

Looks like you had a fantastic time in the desert! Glad you are getting out there and exploring while the sun is shining! Love the pictures and emotion.

I hope you are coming to StonyBARF. I want to do a day dedicated to dual sporting.

Your photo at Father Crowley is gorgeous. And, I think, really captures some of the appeal of Death Valley. It's a gorgeous place.

Good stuff Alex!!!

Thanks for taking me along so to speak.

Good stuff Alex! I love Death Valley, and can't wait to get back there.

two wheel tramp said:

Your photo at Father Crowley is gorgeous. And, I think, really captures some of the appeal of Death Valley. It's a gorgeous place.

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It's just a bunch of rocks and sand but I never seem to get tired of looking at it.

madsen203 said:

GREAT WRITE UP ALEX!

Looks like you had a fantastic time in the desert! Glad you are getting out there and exploring while the sun is shining! Love the pictures and emotion.

I hope you are coming to StonyBARF. I want to do a day dedicated to dual sporting.

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Stonybarf looking iffy so soon after doing DV, might be able to sneak away for a day and a half, in which case I will be bringing the smoker and possibly trials bike for screwing around at the campground.

DVNR Day 3 - Panamint > Trona > Manley Pass > Goler/Mengel (cancelled) > Barker (cancelled) > Furnace Creek (cancelled) > Panamint

On Friday I hooked up with my friend Marcelo's group to do an ambitious loop to see some famous sites in the southern end of the park. Unfortunately the ride was cut short as we had an injury crash going over Manley Pass and I got to participate in my first DV extraction. It is a good reminder of how small incidents can become major ordeals in places as remote as Death Valley, definitely ride well within your limits out here, the consequences of riding over your head can be quite serious.

We started the day by taking the dirt southward toward Trona. Here we are waiting on the rest of the group after doing a nice little rocky climb to the Slate Ranch Crossing and looking back on Panamint Valley:



After the group gassed up in Trona we headed out toward Manley Pass to get back to Panamint Valley, here we have started the descent into Panamint, I believe the gap behind my head leads up into Goler wash but I'm not 100% sure:



Stopped in the middle of a rather loose and rocky descent, this is where we found out one of our riders had crashed behind us, photo of ride leader John who lives relatively local and rides the area fairly frequently:



After learning the rider was injured but in stable condition, we split the group in two. Half the group went back to take the injured rider 2 up back to Trona, while half of us continued down the pass and up past Ballarat back to camp as that was the quicker way. Unfortunately after this point there was no time to stop for any more pictures but we did go through a nice rock garden section and then some sandy bits that were nice and damp. I got to camp and grabbed my van and we picked up the injured rider and bike at the Trona gas station. Kudos to the group for working as a team to achieve the best possible result after the mishap.

Skip to Day 4

Guoseph said:

It's just a bunch of rocks and sand but I never seem to get tired of looking at it.

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My friend bought property nearby. I can't wait to stay there and visit more often
The colors, the sky, the lack of cell phone reception...

Guoseph said:

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... love this pic Alex!

... fun running into you at Saline Valley,
and watching Jimmy Lewis in Panamint ... arty

PS: proud of the way you all handled the injured rider!

SFMCjohn said:

... love this pic Alex!

... fun running into you at Saline Valley,
and watching Jimmy Lewis in Panamint ... arty

PS: proud of the way you all handled the injured rider!

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"I know that KLR"

I didn't get a chance to ask about your ride back, mine was cold and damp but the dirt was nice and grippy except in a couple of spots.

I really thought that guy on the Husky was gonna run everyone over, didn't anyone teach him to cover his levers?

I'm building DV karma I hope, we had a rider extraction day 3 and helped a rider with a flat on day 4, hopefully next time I get stuck out there someone will be around to help out

Guoseph I like how you think re: karma and helping. It's what we do!

I'm already thinking about a next trip to DV and building my skills so I can do some more interesting routes.

DVNR Day 4 - Panamint > Darwin > Hunter Mountain > Teakettle > Race Track > Lippencott > Saline Valley Warm Springs > Panamint

Final Day - Longest Ride of the Trip

Today my group decided to do the Hunter Mountain / Lippencott loop. Since I missed that section my first time through I went ahead and tagged along. I even convinced them to add Darwin and the Warm Springs to the list, since some of guys in the group hadn't been to those places. It was another very long day with a rider assist at the end (more later), total 180 miles with only about 30 on pavement.

We started off with me leading the way to Darwin since I had the GPS tracks from the previous ride, lots of random off-shoots up here. Here is a small mine shaft after the road starts to climb beyond Darwin Falls:



My first time leading the group and I fail to stop at the split to China Garden, luckily everyone leap frogged behind me and we came down the right path. Second visit to the fish, can't seem to get enough I guess:



After China Garden we continue up the road into Darwin:



Post Office is closed, I think:



After Darwin we met our fuel truck at the Saline Valley Road/190 intersection and topped everyone off. A few of the bikes only had about 3 gallons of capacity and with the Warm Springs added we needed every drop of fuel. Since I had a 5 gallon tank I was the back up in case someone ran out, but I ain't gonna be the one doing the sucking . Also once we got off Lippencott we would be on Saline Valley Road the entire time, and that road is easy enough to get an extraction vehicle into.

After topping off we book it to South Pass, drones are so cool:



South Pass looks so different without all the clouds:



Hunter Mountain has mostly dried out with a few mud puddles that you could ride around, so we high tailed to Teakettle Junction cuz we knew we had a long day ahead of us. While at Teakettle the Honda XR owners club of America went past, it was probably a guided tour of some sort but it was funny seeing Honda after Honda show up and go by. There's cell reception here so I Facetimed the kids. Here is the standard Junction shot:



We caught up to @PukaWai 's huge group taking lunch break at Race Track, a couple folks from that group broke off from that group to come check out rocks on the southern end (there are usually more rocks to the south). The light was kinda flat so I'm cheating and putting in a picture I took from my 2015 car trip:



On to Lippencott Mine Road, which made me a bit nervous as it's been talked about quite a bit around the forums. It's the only place where the local Jeep rental place won't come get you if you are stuck. We'd be going down from east to west and I'm usually better at downhills than up so I figured I'd just pick my way through. Turns out the off-road practice I've been doing this past year helped quite a bit (and the road really wasn't in that bad condition). It was still a workout, and the remoteness of the location amplifies any potential problems. I dunno if I'd want to do it on a bigger bike though, props to the guys who made it down on big Adv bikes.

Descending Lippencott:



Photo credit @GeoMoto Thanks for taking pictures of everyone



After descending Lippencott we turned right for the Warm Springs, speeds were kept relatively tame as I was still thinking about my previous flat and the guys were trying to conserve fuel. Along the way we spot an African Twin laying on its side, we stopped to offer assistance but he told us everything was under control. So we headed to the Warm Spring for a quick shower and soak. On our way back, the African Twin was still there, turns out it was ifarslow (names changed to protect the innocent). Turns out he had pinched his spare tube, one of our group gave him a tube and after much unnecessary advice and some extra tire irons and a few helping hands were given, we get him squared away and on his way back to camp. Here is the last photo I took of us leaving the Warm Springs:



We made in back to camp just as the raffle was starting, but we were pretty cold and miserable so we spent the next two hours at the restaurant eating and drinking beer. I handed my ticket to a friend but I don't think I won anything, next year maybe.

Guoseph said:

[2018 Death Valley Noobs Rally, a trip report 5 years in the making]

Then we started climbing the pass and fatigue really set in and I started making stupid mistakes, I stalled my bike and dropped it within sight of where the group was stopped waiting for me. They didn't rush to my aid, nor did they take any photos, so I guess we are even . ]

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What? No photos??
Tsk...those guys are a buncha rookies!

two wheel tramp said:

Your photo at Father Crowley is gorgeous. And, I think, really captures some of the appeal of Death Valley. It's a gorgeous place.

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I agree! DV is a very special place, and this photo captures it as well as any one photo can. That's not easy to do!

Guoseph said:

I'm building DV karma I hope, we had a rider extraction day 3 and helped a rider with a flat on day 4, hopefully next time I get stuck out there someone will be around to help out

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two wheel tramp said:

Guoseph I like how you think re: karma and helping. It's what we do!

I'm already thinking about a next trip to DV and building my skills so I can do some more interesting routes.

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Yess! The freedom in knowing you're capable of going anywhere you want to go is intoxicating!

And a big "yes!" to the karma idea. It's always worked for me!


Thanks for taking us along, Guoseph! I'm glad you finally got to do your DV ride, and even more glad it was all you hoped it would be


WoodsChick

Great pictures Alex. Looks like a great time, mostly. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing the adventure and bringing up the fresh memories I have of many of the same places!
(my camp's right next to Alex in picture # 4 of post # 1)

You have some really great photo's to bring back the memories!

Kudos for the rider assist.

WoodsChick said:

Thanks for taking us along, Guoseph! I'm glad you finally got to do your DV ride, and even more glad it was all you hoped it would be


WoodsChick

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Your many wonderful reports are part of the reason I am so keenly interested in adventure riding. Since I've been working on my dirt riding skills more seriously I am starting to get the confidence to tackle more and more rides regardless of terrain. Now if I can only find the time to go ride more...

m0t0_ryder said:

Thanks for sharing the adventure and bringing up the fresh memories I have of many of the same places!
(my camp's right next to Alex in picture # 4 of post # 1)

You have some really great photo's to bring back the memories!

Kudos for the rider assist.

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Hey John,

Thanks for taking Steve along on your Darwin ride. He's pretty new to dual sport riding (and riding in general). I dragged him all the way to DV and promptly told him to go make new friends I had a pretty aggressive agenda planned that I knew he wasn't ready for but the rally is full of helpful folks such as yourself who are willing to help out

Hope to have a chance to ride with you more in the future.

Alex

Guoseph said:

Hey John,

Thanks for taking Steve along on your Darwin ride. He's pretty new to dual sport riding (and riding in general). I dragged him all the way to DV and promptly told him to go make new friends I had a pretty aggressive agenda planned that I knew he wasn't ready for but the rally is full of helpful folks such as yourself who are willing to help out

Hope to have a chance to ride with you more in the future.

Alex

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It was my pleasure to help Steve with the learning curve. He was very cautious and didn't jump in with WOT. I'm glad he had a smaller bike as that helps the learning/confidence a lot. Now he just needs a little more worthy dirt tires and more time in the dirt learning it.
I'm pretty sure he had a great weekend too. He was always smiling. Even when he returned from a ride to find that the wind took his tent down (assisted by some neighbors who anchored it to prevent fly-away, as I was told).

Although a noob to DV I have been riding dirt for a long time and don't mind at all providing guidance to the beginners... or anyone who asks.

And yeah, we'll have to hook up off road somewhere/when and roost some dirt and find more remote awesomeness.
My next adventure is in May with TWT's Cedarville rally. Still undecided on which scoot for that one.