Solo ride to Death Valley & Area 51 - Planning

My two month old Suzuki DL650 Vstrom has now had its 600-mile service, and is starting to get broke in. I've added some needed accessories to the motorbike so it will be more capable as a sport tourer. Things like engine crash bars, skid plate, handguards, and hard luggage.

While it's been a terrific bike for commuting to work and weekend rides, that's not all I bought it for. Oh no. It will also be my ticket to seeing places never before seen (by me), endless twisty roads and dizzy mountaintops await. After taking a few day trips with friends, I wanted to try a long distance ride all on my own...solo.

In thinking about where I wanted to ride, given this time of year (April), the desert of lower California's Death Valley seemed like a good choice. I've never been, and the ride down 395 should be great on a motorbike. But if possible I don't like to come back the same way I go out, so looping around Las Vegas and up to "Area 51" seemed reasonable, fun, and fit my time allocated for my first big solo ride.

After looking at maps, using Mapquest and Google, I managed to plot my course and estimate gas stops and overnight rests. I'll be camping to save on costs, even though it's a bit early in the year. Hopefully my "zero" degree down bag will keep my toes warm out in the cold desert.

1,180 miles total, 3 days. I leave in a week.