After switching from the prior week with a group of KLR riders that I have ridden with over the years, I found my riding friend heading out a week later with riders from advrider .com Their annual DVDAZE 2014 held around the last week of each January. I packed (ok maybe overloaded) the poor WR250X with all my latest purchases and mods and headed out from the Central Coast of Calif on a Thursday.
Pure rain for the next four hours. I stopped at a local winery near our home and added some additional rain gear. My new "waterproof" Joe Rocket was letting in some water somewhere. Everything was not to bad until I arrived near the Mojave desert and signs warned of high winds. Expected 20-30 mph winds with gusts up to 50. While riding on Hwy 395 North of Mojave, I got hit by three gusts that threw the WR into some nasty headshake and pushed me from the left side of the right lane into the shoulder. Still, the WR did great getting me out of that windy mess. Here is picture where there was a break in the rain in Maricopa.
I wasn't worried as the other 4 bikes I had ridden this route on handled the winds pretty decent. What I forgot was that I had about 25hp with the WR. The head winds which I seem to have whether I was coming or going
took care of the WR even thinking about maintaining the speed limit. I can't remember but I think there were hours where I had the throttle pinned for hours. Here somewhere about 80 miles West of Death Valley before Panamint Springs.
Spent the night in Lone Pine Ca. as I did not have a reservation in D.Valley that first night.
The next day headed over 190 surrounded by snow and some really cold weather. Arrived on Friday at the Furnace Creek campground where three or four hours later my friend arrived on his KTM 990 and his friend on a newly purchased BMW 1150GS with 105K miles on it. This picture is just as I entered Death Valley National Park. Cooked our Mountain House food in the campsite as 18.00 hamburger dinners at the local cafe didn't seem right. Went on some nice rides on Saturday around Death Valley including Titus Canyon which is about a 50 mile pavement ride and then a 22 mile dirt ride.
Here I met a guy from the UK that asked how I brought my Yamaha 660 Tenere into the states. He was surprised it was a 250.
Furnace Creek Campground with just the WR
The Big Bore Boyz arrive at the campsite
Top of Titus Canyon
Start of Titus Canyon from the Nevada side
Titus Canyon
Ubehebe Crater Death Valley
Headed out on Sunday towards Panamint Valley and hit some really cold weather. Probably in the low to mid 30's with more wind. Hit Tehachapi and the weather report showed the temp at 30 degree's with a "feels like" 21 degree's. The little WR pulled me home on Monday by completing 950 total miles. Not sure but looks like I might have a minor oil leak but won't know for sure until I clean her up.
Trying to escape the rain under an old crop barn off the 5 Freeway near Metler Ca.