April 4, 2011
Day 11: To Emigrant campground
When I got up this morning I was debating whether or not to do the Beatty-Titus Canyon loop as originally planned. The final decision point is a few miles down the road.
It was 60F (15C) when I got up at 6:30, cooler than yesterday. I was on the road before 8 with a headwind from the north.
With a headwind and a 4500 foot (1360 m) climb to Daylight Pass, the route to Beatty would be very difficult. So I skipped the turn at Beatty Cutoff and continued on highway 190 west to Stovepipe Wells, shortening the tour by two days.
A couple miles east of Stovepipe Wells is the sand dune area to the north of the highway. A big new paved parking lot and toilet have just been built where people used to park alongside the road. I walked out on the edge of the dunes, but didn't walk to the biggest dunes that are a mile away. This area is at about sea level. Surprisingly, it's the only major area of dunes in Death Valley.
After breakfast #2 at the Stovepipe Wells store I turned left onto the gravel Mosaic Canyon road which climbs 900 feet (273 m) in 2.4 miles (3.8 km). That warmed me up. No shade, of course.
I hiked 1.4 miles (2.2 km) up into Mosaic Canyon before turning around. The first half mile is the best part with steep walls and polished rock that is rare in such a dry climate.
I could only go 8 mph (13 km/h) on the steep corrugated descent from Mosaic canyon to Stovepipe Wells. I arrived a few minutes too late for the lunch buffet, so I ate lunch from the store.
I stocked up on groceries at the Stovepipe Wells store, $50. Definitely the most I've ever spent on groceries on a bike tour. I rested in the shade for a while and it was 2:45 PM when I finally got back on the road. The hottest time of day, climbing from sea level in Death Valley.
The temperature wasn't bad, though. 85F (29C) at Stovepipe Wells, 80F (27C) when I arrived at the Emigrant Campground at 5:20 PM. The campground is at 2100 feet (636 m) elevation on the western edge of Death Valley at the mouth of Emigrant canyon. Thanks to an unseen nearby spring the campground has drinking water and flush toilets. The camping area is a bare gravel lot divided into 10 free drive-in tent-only campsites. Most sites were vacant when I arrived but it was full by dark.
I made a nice shower behind the vacant ranger residence. No need to heat the water because it was warm coming out of the faucet. That felt good. As usual, sunset put a nice glow on the mountains to the east.
The evening was very calm. What a relief after the last two nights! I was pleased that campfires and generators are prohibited. The highway has no traffic after dark. It was so quiet that the most annoying noise was footsteps on gravel.
Distance: 42.0 mi. (67 km)
Climbing: 3807 ft. (1154 m)
Average Speed: 7.7 mph (12.3 km/h)
Maximum Speed: 30 mph (48 km/h)
Hiking: 3 mi. (4.8 km)
Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 398 miles (641 km)
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