Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2007: Death Valley National Park bikepacking / Day 11: Furnace Creek to Tecopa Hot Springs via Funeral Mountains 44
To avoid the forecasted 110 degrees in Death Valley today, I climb out of Death Valley slowly over the Funeral Mountains, starting at 280 feet below sea level and peaking at about 3300 feet.
I am surprised at how well I'm acclimating to the heat. I drink lots of water, as often as is practical.
It's not quite as hot up on the summit of the Funeral Mountains at 3300 feet elevation, after which I descend back into the heat at Death Valley Junction, Shoshone, and, finally, Tecopa Hot Springs, today's destination. 66 bicycle miles, and it does reach 100 degrees.
- Just before leaving Furnace Creek
... one last stop at the public washroom near the laundromat. I had another one of those big corned-beef-hash-and-eggs breakfasts that I like so much, at the Furnace Creek café before leaving Death Valley. Some of the café staff gets laid off for the summer at this time of year, now that the heat is setting in and there is much-reduced business. - OK, I've really left Furnace Creek now
Just starting the climb out of Death Valley on Highway 190, I look back down toward the valley. - On the way out of Furnace Creek
... the old motel along Highway 190. - Lots of greenery a little further up Highway 190
A stream trickles along the highway, from the natural springs in the area. - I stop for a toilet break at Zabriskie Point, just above Death Valley
Tourists taking in the views at Zabriskie Point. A trail leads from here down into Golden Canyon, where I hiked last week. - Looking down toward Highway 190 from Zabriskie Point; my world is slanted
The tour bus that released the tourists at Zabriskie Point is visible down in the parking lot. - Leaving Zabriskie Point
The tourists return to their bus at the Zabriskie Point parking lot; this tourist returns to his bicycle, which is also parked there. - I reach the 1000-foot point of elevation gain on the way out of Death Valley
Ah, now I'm getting somewhere. Only a bit more than 2000 feet to rise before I start to go downhill again! - Higher above Zabriskie Point on Highway 190
Looking back down toward Death Valley past the area of 20 Mule Team Canyon. On this stretch, I meet two touring bicyclists heading into Death Valley for a couple of days and we stop and chat for a bit. Their ultimate destination is Baja California. - Rising up into the Funeral Mountains on Highway 190
I'm now up around 2000 feet. - Higher up in the Funeral Mountains and looking back down
I'm well past the turn-off from Highway 190 to Greenwater Valley Road, which is the route I used to enter Death Valley on the way in from Gold Valley. - 3000 feet, I'm almost at the top of my climb out of Death Valley
I still have a couple of miles and a few hundred feet of climbing left, but it's so gentle that it almost feels level to me at this point. As always, take it slow, but take it! - At the summit of Highway 190 in the Funeral Mounatins is the remains of an extensive RV camping park (or something like that)
I simply can't pass by here without checking it out, lover of abandoned stuff that I am. I stop to explore. - Standing in the middle of what was probably the campground's office
Only the old tiled floor of the building remains. - More of the old tiled floor at the former campground's entrance
Not all interesting patterns out here in the desert are natural earth features. - Standing in the middle of the abandoned campground's swimming pool
The old swimming pool has been filled in so as not to pose a hazard to visitors like me. The old tile work of the pool protrudes above ground a little at the centre-right of the photo. Death Valley, where I started this morning, is straight ahead beyond the mountains behind the abandoned campground, about 3500 feet down. - The old road through the trailer park hasn't returned to nature
... not yet, at least. - More at the abandoned campground
Concrete slabs for trailers, or whatever. This was a pretty big development. I didn't count the concrete slabs, but I'm guessing there are two dozen, maybe more. I wonder how long (if at all) this place was viable as a business, and when it was operational. - Back on Highway 190, I begin the slow descent to Death Valley Junction some 15 miles further and 1000 feet lower
I had a light tailwind during the entire climb out of Death Valley, but up at the summit, the wind has changed direction and now I have a light headwind. I have to pedal to get any speed at all on this slow downhill. - The tiny village of Death Valley Junction sits off in the distance another 7 miles or so
Cold drinks ahead! - The Amargosa Opera House is the main building in Death Valley Junction
There's not really a town here, except for the big old opera-house complex. What appears to be the "next building" further down the road is actually connected to the building in the foreground. It's a huge old complex, oversized for its location. - The former service station across the road from the Amargosa Opera House
An old sign announces good food (food no longer available) and lodging (still available) at the opera-house complex across the road. There is, however, a restaurant space for rent directly across the road at the front of the motel complex. I consider renting a room here and staying the night, especially because octogenerian Marta Becket, the reason the opera house still exists here, is doing one of her performances tonight. However, I'm very much looking forward to the hot tubs at Tecopa Hot Springs later on, and an easy day ride to China Ranch tomorrow. - The Amargosa Opera House complex is really quite large and parts of it are not in use
I stop in at the motel's "gift shop" to buy two bags of potato chips and two cans of Coca-Cola, which I normally don't like. But it tastes so good because it's cold and the caffeine content is needed right now. Anything ice-cold tastes great after riding 30 miles over a mountain in 100-degree weather and drinking hot water out of a Camelbak for a few of hours! - Old gas pumps sit in an alcove along the opera house's covered walkways
Perhaps these came from the old garage across the road. Facing the road is an old restaurant space, for rent. One of the units nearby houses the old, abandoned Death Valley Junction post office and still contains some old fixtures inside. The modern postal boxes seen here substitute for the old post office these days. - Covered walkway in front of the opera house
The old-style rental motel rooms (no phone or television) are along this walkway. - Leaving the blit of civilization that is Death Valley Junction
Heading south on Highway 127 toward Shoshone and Tecopa Hot Springs, I begin the trek across 25 miles of desolation. There's very little traffic out here on this late Saturday afernoon. - Petro Road
A mile or two outside Death Valley Junction, a lonely sign for Petro Road seems to beg for a reason to exist, with nobody around. - A bit of drama on southbound Highway 127
I like this part of southbound Highway 127 where it quirkily turns and heads straight toward Eagle Mountain for a bit. Then, when the road starts getting close to Eagle Mountain, it turns sharply to the right at almost 90 degrees and veers away from it. - Flood markers along Highway 127
Flood markers indicate the height of the Amargosa River, which runs along the other side of the highway. This part of the Amargosa River is mostly dry right now. A SUV slows down while passing me and asks for directions to Baker, so he can get back home to Southern California. - Interesting earth piles in front of the Resting Springs Range along Highway 127
These look man-made. I keep watching along here for an old road that leads up into the hills of the Resting Springs Wilderness area, to an old mine site (Baxter Mine). It's an area I might like to explore one day, but I miss the road. - A series of short hills surprise me along southbound Highway 127
Hmmmm... I thought it would be all flat between Death Valley Junction and Tecopa Hot Springs. I take a short break here. My sore right knee is acting up again. It didn't give me any problems coming over the Funeral Mountains earlier today, but I guess it's tired now. - I stop for a break and look back at Eagle Mountain, which I passed a while ago
Eagle Mountain is that lump in the centre-left of the photo. - This sign for Badwater, 55 miles, tells me that my loop through Death Valley is now complete
On day two of my ride, I rode Highway 127 up to this point, and then headed up Highway 178 toward Greenwater Valley (I didn't go all the way to Badwater). - Black rocks that look like giant charcoal briquets
... on the right side of Highway 127 approaching Shoshone from the north. - A row of cabins along Highway 127 in "downtown" Shoshone
I wonder if this was once a motel complex years ago. - The 10-ton bike and its sore knee take a break at the Shoshone general store and gas station
I fill up my water reserves (there's no water at Tecopa Hot Springs Campground) and buy a couple of cold Sobé grapefruit drinks to consume immediately. And beer for a later in the evening at Tecopa Hot Springs, though it probably won't be very cold by the time I get to drink it. The sun is starting to go down, and the thermometer here shows that the temperature has finally dipped below 100 degrees F. I can really feel the "cool" breeze in the air. - A quick stop at the Shoshone Museum, across the road from the store
I consider having supper at The Crowbar restaurant next door, but decide that I'd better enjoy spending the time at Tecopa Hot Springs. I'm actually looking forward to another instant backpacker's meal! - Riding from Shoshone to Tecopa Hot Springs near sunset
Tecopa Hot Springs is just another eight miles down Highway 127 from Shoshone. Sunset, with its golden and rosy glows, is always a great time to be riding out here. - The badlands along Highway 127 near Shoshone and Tecopa always get my interest
They're even more interesting to contemplate at sunset. - Riding down Highway 127 through the badlands between Shoshone and Tecopa Hot Springs
Again, but at sunset this time. - I turn off Highway 127 onto Tecopa Hot Springs Road
Heading down Tecopa Hot Springs Road at sunset; I'm almost there. - The light dims here on Tecopa Hot Springs Road
Sunset is a time of day that I wish would last longer. Of course, I like sunrise just as much, but am almost never up early enough to see it. - Any body of water out here in the dry desert, however small, beckons for attention
Grimshaw Lake here is no exception. There is still water here (too mineralized for humans to drink), but the part of Grimshaw Lake behind Tecopa Hot Springs campground is already dry for the summer. - Grimshaw Lake has an eerie appearance at sunset when captured by high-speed, grainy, disposable-camera film
Almost a full moon tonight! It is almost dark when I arrive at Tecopa Hot Springs campground a mile or so down the road from here. There aren't many people left at the campground, and I get a decently private site down at the back of the parking area in front of the dry lake. After a shower and soak in the hot pool, I make another instant backpacking meal. I end the evening a bit before midnight by going out for a short walk out on the dry lake to enjoy the moonlight.