Travel Journal & Motography... (meandering home)

Fantastic Motography! Haven't yet wrapped my head around that 360-degree video technology but Death Valley is the perfect showcase for it. My family camped there when I was in 5th grade and I'm way overdue for a return visit.

The good thing about Badwater Rd, there are a few sights to see down the line... Since it was Spring Break, there were a lot of people visiting the park... nothing that creative framing can't do to get them out of the picture...









however, pretty hard to get everyone out of this shot...

come on out and relive some great memories...

That 360 degree video is pretty amazing technology but doesn't compare to the pics you take. Between you and @Chillis , you're going to start a Monkey buying frenzy.

Like @staticPort , I also want to get back out to Death Valley to really explore. My only other time there was on a street bike and really missed a lot.

After a long day of riding and sightseeing, I made it back to camp for some ice cold Sake and a steak...

the campground filled with more visitor's while I was out riding...






afterwards I kept warm by the campfire with the help of some more Sake...


However, the evening didn't go as envisioned. This was the first time I had visited Death Valley with so many people everywhere due to Spring Break... but most notably inside the campground. Voices carry further at night for some reason and I could hear every conversation being held by my fellow campers, that and kids running amuck, dogs barking, generators running unlike the first night... different group of campers filled the campground I guess. I tried to ignore the distractions but it just took away from the ambiance of "away from the things of man..." I'm slowly transitioning into that "hey you kids, get off my lawn" mindset...

I wanted to stay one more day to make a run for the Racetrack Playa but I decided to put it off for the next time since Death Valley is practically my backyard and I have nothing but time on my hands... I'll be homeward bound tomorrow morning... getting ready for my trip to the Texas Hill Country with the XT-250...

I like the 360 perspective the GoPro gives me and that I don't have to point it anywhere. Plus the rendering on youtube doesn't come close to the 5.6K video that I export on my computer. Some quality is lost while uploading to youtube.

Let me know when/if you or @staticPort come out to DV. I'll be more than glad to help explore DV off-road...

More great pics and videos Rudy. Thanks.

Thanks Dave... hope that you're getting some respite from the winter weather up there...

In the 60's this weekend Rudy. You can see what I've been up to in my thread.

~ 18 Mar 2018

~ POD: Visit Dante's View at sunrise on the way out of DV...

I loved visiting Death Valley for its grand vistas and sheer magnitude as a desert playground. Every time I come to Death Valley, I always see something new.

I spent an hour capturing the changes in color of the morning sky. I hiked to various viewpoints to get different vantage points of the mountains and valleys...














The drive home was uneventful except for the usual traffic through Riverside at the major interchanges. This allowed me to think about my second basecamping trip and how I packed too much gear. For the next trip with the Ranger, I need to have the same mindset as packing for a bike trip. The only difference being the addition of a cooler, firewood, and upgraded cooking gear...

Disagree with taking minimal stuff on a trip with the Ranger. You have the room and can take whatever suits you. If it does not get used, so what.

True... I need to get better handle at stowing gear in back of the Ranger where it's readily accessible instead of digging everything out...

I don't have my packing "mojo" with the Ranger as I do with the bikes....

OK, please let us know when you get that mojo and please take pics of it. Great pics, BTW.

thanks for the updates. enjoy looking at your pics and reading the comments.

Rudy with your attention to detail and planning, I would think you could produce an extremely effective and organized system / kit for the pickup. I would love to see a build thread from you on that. ✅

Will do John...

Thanks Joel...

I already crossed that rubicon Kelly. My first option was to build it as an overland 4X4 with a bed rack system that can carry a roof tent and rotopax on the sides. The other option was to install a removable hard cover so the Ranger can pull double duty if I have to haul large items in the bed. I chose the latter of course. I already have several hobbies and I didn't need to add (edit) overlanding to the mix.

I've never considered overloading to be a hobby unto itself but more a vice of which I am too often guilty . . .

One from the archives... I was an avid desert rat before I discovered motorcycles in the mid-2000s

Cool Jeep!

But you wrote "overloading" I was just making fun . . .

What John said. Great pics Rudy.