Death Valley STOC II – a.k.a “Lobotomy Bock STOC II”
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UPDATE 02/13/13:
Looks like this will be mainly a camping event! Rooms at the motel are all booked up now. The tent cabins are also booked, but there are campsites available. The group campsite is near capacity, so folks may have to get individual campsites. If you're looking for a room, *** See OTHER PLACES TO STAY below *** for alternate locations to stay.
WHEN?
Thursday, March 14 through Saturday, March 16
WHERE?
Panamint Springs Resort, which is right off Highway 190 on the way down in to Death Valley, about 45 miles from highway 395. PSR is a western style “resort” inside the west entrance of Death Valley National Park. It has a small 1950’s style motel with 14 rooms with 1 to 3 beds each (some cots available), some tent cabins with 2 cots each, a campground with bathrooms & showers for RVs and tents, and a restaurant and bar. Its main feature is a large veranda where you can eat / drink while enjoying amazing views of the desert and the sand dunes of the Panamint Valley. There’s also a gas station (expensive) and a min-mart. It's hardly a 5-Star resort in the traditional sense, but this place oozes with character!
WHY?
Death Valley STOC I in the Fall of 2011 was a great success, so we're trying to see if the members want to make this an ongoing event. (Some pics of DV STOC I HERE). The Lobotomy Bock Ride tradition dates back to 2007 when Don Maldonado, Joe Wirthman and me were on a ride to Death Valley, and stopped over for the night at Panamint Springs. We went inside and asked a guy working there what type of beer he recommended to which he responded “Lobotomy Bock”. We had never had a Lobotomy up until that point so we went along with his suggestion. The tradition had been started! Since then we've made our annual pilgrimage there, and now the ST-Owners community has also discovered it. Don has made some videos of the 2009 Lobotomy Bock Ride , the 2010 Lobotomy Bock Ride, and the 2011 Lobotomy Bock Ride.
WHAT DO I DO TO SIGN UP?
ROOMS - The preferred method is to book online HERE. Alternatively, you can call all PSR at (775) 482-7680 to make your reservation. Here’s how many rooms there are at Panamint:
- 3 rooms with one queen bed
- 1 room with one king bed
- 7 rooms with two double beds
- 2 rooms with three double beds
- 1 cottage suite with a queen bed in one room, and a full and a twin in bunk-bed style in the other
GROUP CAMPSITE - I have already reserved the group campsite which is located near the back of the campground in a large "corral". It can easily accommodate 15 tents, or even more if you park your bikes just outside the corral. It has a large fire ring, as well as a cement stage area with electricity. No need to make a reservation to stay in the group campsite, but I would appreciate a post or PM so that I can keep track of how many are planning on using it. Pictures and campground layout can be seen HERE.
INDIVIDUAL CAMPSITES - There are plenty of individual campsites if you don't want to camp in the group site. Many have their own shade tree, and also have a fire ring, but no electricity.
TENT CABINS - Want to try camping but have no tent? There are now 2 tents cabins available, and maybe more by Spring. They include 2 cots, but an additional cot can be rented. Just bring your sleeping bag and pillow, or bedding is available for rent!
ROUTES / AREA RIDES / PLACES TO SEE?
Clearly, Death Valley is a great destination that everyone should visit. If you've never been to Death Valley, you’ll love it! If you've already discovered Death Valley, add a Lobotomy Bock Ride to your calendar each year.
Check out Scotty’s Castle , Ubehebe Crater , the Borax mines, Zabriskie Point, Dante’s Peak, the Badwater Basin, the sand dunes, Rhyolite ghost town, and much more. Places to ride around the area are numerous, so I’ll leave that to the discussions that will follow. I’m sure group rides will be organized by folks as the date gets closer.
*** OTHER PLACES TO STAY? ***
- Stovepipe Wells is the closest place at about 32 miles away from Panamint Springs in the valley. It has a motel, restaurant, gas, camping, a store and more.
- Furnace Creek is another 25 miles away from Stovepipe Wells. It features Furnace Creek Ranch, Furnace Creek Inn, shopping, restaurants, and more.
- Beatty, NV just outside the east side of Death Valley, where you'll find several motels. However, my recommendation is the Stagecoach Hotel and Casino.
WHAT’S THE WEATHER LIKE?
According to Weather.com, the average high for Death Valley in March is 82 degrees and the low 55. Average rainfall is 0.30”. Panamint Springs averages about 10 degrees cooler than the valley.
ANYTHING ELSE?
LOBOTOMIES. They usually have a good supply of Lobotomies on hand, but we can request more if attendance looks to be high. It's worth mentioning that they also carry 170 different types of beers from all over the world!
FIREWOOD. We will have plenty of firewod for the event!
I hope to see ya there!
Rick
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Paul
Hope work doesn't get in the way....
