Furnace Creek Inn

Furnace Creek Inn

DESTINATIONS

Death Valley, California

FURNACE CREEK DOESN'T have to be hot enough to roast you, and Death Valley doesn't necessarily have to cause your demise. We visited the area in January and found prevailing day-time temperatures a comfortable 60 degrees, less then half of what they are during summer. The Furnace Creek Inn, which boasts a couple of pretty good restaurants, is a classy— and rather expensive—place to stay, so the less zooty Furnace Creek Ranch, which also has a selection of restaurants, may be worth your consideration if you're on a budget. Make reservations, and remember that fuel availability, especially premium unleaded, is limited. The hot tip is to top-up in Furnace Creek.

A trip into Death Valley is interesting not only because of the stark beauty of the place, but because of the ride into the valley. From the west. California Highway l 90 west from Olancha is a fabulous

moonscape ride over the Panamint Mountains that offers a mix of short, long, smooth and bumpy straights, lots of steep grades and every sort of curve listed in the Kornerbuilder's Katalog—even those in the Nasty Surprise chapter. Careful, the cost of a mistake here will be very high. From the east, coming from Beatty, Nevada, take Nevada State Route 95 over Daylight Pass. This brings you past the Rhyolite and Bullfrog ghost-town sites, and is faster and somewhat less technically demanding than Route 190. From the south —forget it. Boring.

Next fall, when it's maybe too cold for your usual favorite rides, give Death Valley a try.

Jon F. Thompson

Information

Furnace Creek Inn Death Valley, CA 92328 619/786-2361