Solo!
Just to say it still has a nice ring (sorry Thomas.) The Broemeling brothers have parted paths as of November 1st. Unwilling to box and fly with my bicycle I will continue solo going north-bound, until I am unwilling to go on. What makes me unwilling? Severe rain or longing to see the ocean come immediately to mind. Thomas has flown to Las Angeles for further vacation before returning to Jasper.
I left the South-West of Las Vegas for Pahrump via highway 160. Immediately after leaving the city limits I came upon a big pass, but got to watch a spectacular sunset as I coasted down the back slope after making the summit. Woke up on the roadside the next day; after listening to the highway all evening I was irked that I had been too tired to find a place further from the highway. Regardless of where you freecamp, the desert plants provide nothing for cover. Don't try to hide out there.
After Pahrump, hit a huge downhill and descended into Death Valley. No surprise, it almost killed me to hit sea elevation and the temperatures that come with it. Chose to forgo a stay in Furnace Creek and biked on, through the night, to get closer to the end of Death Valley. Made it to Stovepipe Wells twenty-four miles away, and made camp after biking with nothing but the starlight to guide me. The minimal traffic was a good thing, because I couldn't take my eyes off the beauty of the desert sky. As I glanced back during my ride, I could still see the glow of Las Vegas, it was two days of bike riding away and I was re-affirmed in my happiness to be getting further away from the craziness.
After resting in Stovepipe Wells, I began ascending one of the most grueling summits yet. Towne Pass (almost 5000') was 18 miles of uphill in blistering heat. It cooled slightly as I rose higher, but the exertion was insufferable. Claimed a siesta halfway up in the shade of the only tree in Death Valley. It was very surprising that I didn't find more bleached-white bone carcasses of cyclists who had died en route.
Came over the top and had a white-knuckle downhill ride back to sea level. Heat returned and I gingerly rode into Panamint Springs to stay on my third night.
Woke up today and left Panamint Springs to resume climbing. Instead of sleeping in and not starting until noon, as I had foolishly done in Stovepipe Wells, I leapt out of bed before sunrise and packed up just in time to start biking when the first rays of light began to scorch the hills again. I don't even want to imagine what this place is like in the summer. Definitely the right treatment to make one appreciate winter; go ride a bike through a desert.
