We (the wife and i) did the ride from Lone Pine, CA to Las Vegas, NV in July, '94 or '95.
We were riding "two-up" on a '92 Heritage Classic pulling a small cargo trailer.

The wife (wisely) paid for our motel room for the night but we left Lone Pine at about 8:00PM and arrived in Las Vegas before 2:00AM.

We stopped twice for fuel for the bike and water (in and out) for us in order tp prevent dehydration.

On one of our stops at about 11:00PM the thermometer on the front of the service station read 107.

I couldn't imagine trying that trip during "daylight" hours NOT ever doing it again!

Although it WAS hot when that trip comes up in discussion the things that my wife remembers most is the bats that were diving toward my headlight and passing lamps and the way I (in her words) "snapped" at a valet when he ran up to us and said "this area is ONLY for registered guests"!

 

Here's a little trivia for you guys coming from "The great white north". Three years ago a heat dome settled over much of B.C. I live near Vernon on an open south facing slope and on the hottest day that June in 2021, I took video of the parched hillside where my house sits as well as my thermometer which is in the shade on the cool (north) side. No concrete or asphalt on that side of the house either and my thermometer was reading 120*f (48.888 C for you kids). Sure, it may have been a bit cooler than usual in Death valley on those three days but-- Hotter than Death valley here in the Okanagan for three days running?? It still blows me away thinking about it

 

And it 96 in Portland, 99 in Salem and 98 in Eugene or right now and forecast for 100+ this week. That is also hot for those locations and many older homes do not have A/C. Add to that the people who live there aren't used to that kind of heat.

Paul

 

105* here today in the Spooky/Cd'A area, even hotter tomorrow.

I hate it. I spend every July and August regretting ever leaving Alaska. My 8th summer back, it is time to get the **** over it, and just settle in for the burn...

 

Same here. It isn’t uncommon to see summertime temperatures hit 115 here. Needless to say, my bike doesn’t move when it’s that hot. Many years ago,

 

It hasn't been a ton of fun down here either. It hit 122 at my house Sunday. It's like I've been on house arrest for a couple weeks with no end in sight.

 

Be thankful you aren't in Texas where the 100+ days can start in late March and go through September. Fortunately it doesn't do that every year, but we are almost guaranteed to have days when we wake up to 80+ and highs above 100 that can last for months.

During the worst of the summers, I may ride in the mornings, but not in the mid afternoons because it's just too hot for man or beast, and an air cooled engine.

Paul

 

I remember not so long ago when we would ride to Death Valley and it felt like you were on another planet, and there was almost no other tourists. Now the social media thrill seekers are there in droves, sniffing spring flowers and basking in the heat and driving up the price of everything and you can’t get a room for less than $350 a night. Another nice park f’d up like the others where you have to make a reservation just to drive through. Rant yes. I guess we have loved the parks to death.

 

My uncle who lived near Tucson use to say you can guarantee at least 5 months of triple digit temps. He told me once that come every summer they said will be the last that they are going to move, but then come winter is so nice that you forget the brutal summers.

 

It didn't get it's name for no reason. Who goes out on a motorcycle, In
Summer when it is 120 degrees out ? I like to ride in cooler weather when it's enjoyable..Heat from above,heat from the motor, heat from the road. Not fun,IMO