Finding What I Was Searching For In The Desert...

Where it asks you to upload, there is is an option bar you can click on, then just click on 800X600 which is the next size down, then hit the save option. The pictures are okay but they make the text part of the post too big.

I started viewing this thread at work and didn't get through it all.

Until now...

Wow. What a find. I would have just loved to be there with you.
There are a couple of crash sites around here and I've always wanted to go investigate them. I guess you put the spark under my butt.

Thx Woodsie... Again a great post.

Hmmm...ok, I guess I never noticed that. Do you have to scroll back and forth to see the whole photo or to read the whole line of text? Dang...

Well, they're already uploaded and it took f o r e v e r to load them so I ain't too keen on doing them again, so...sorry, everyone!

The pics are chopped off, but I don't have to read them. The text is another story, and a sort of truncated one.

Thanks, Daniel! Eric's shoulder made it through the trip without a hitch, thanks Now we need to do some real dirt riding and see if it's as healed as we think it is

Thanks, HD Get out there and find those crash sites! It's all really neat-o! We found a crash site somewhere in northern Utah...or it could have been southeast Idaho, maybe...somewhere near the Highline Trail?...anyway, it was pretty cool. It's especially fun to find them when you don't really know exactly where they are




WoodsChick

Ehh...you can skip the text; it ain't like I'm saying anything important




WoodsChick

Your pics are great. Over on my local website, I think that people like pictures a lot anyway, more so than the text, so they don't get all tired out from moving their lips while reading.

Now that was funny!
I'm gonna tell `em you said that




WoodsChick

Eric has a twin brother. They used to roadrace
together, and they did a little dirt riding before
Max got married and had kids. Fast foward 18 years
and one divorce later, and Max decided to meet us out
in the desert. We figured we'd get a quick ride in before
his expected arrival time of 1pm.

Ahh, nothing like being naked in the cool desert morning, eh?




Lots of little critters were running about, taking advantage
of what the desert had to offer...




We decided to hit the mountains from the north
and see if we could find a way through from that end
since we'd been thwarted on our push from the south.
We got an early start since we had to adhere to an actual timetable other than "maybe sundown or so."

This little guy was soaking up the sun...






We head north, go east over the pass, drop down
and head south into the canyon that we were
ultimately hoping to find an exit out of...






Lunchtime!






Carrying on a Basque tradition. I'd have put the date if it was 2011...




I held the camera perfectly straight in this shot...




We would ultimately end up riding through that saddle above Eric's mirror...






Looking back the way we came...






More to come...




WoodsChick

Thanks, Walt! Sometimes I wonder if the time I spend doing it is worth it. I just spent over an hour on the next installment and I lost it when I tried to edit the "Preview" instead of the actual post. I was so disgusted I decided to walk away and watch the Giants/Dodgers game.
I saw the posts from you and Troy, though, and I'm not so angry now Thanks

Thanks for the info, Troy! He was laying there all squiggly-like, looking like a flattened spring, but when I got close he decided to make a bee-line towards the brush by the road. Sure wish I'd gotten the photo when he looked like a typical squiggly snake. He was kinda grumpy so we left him alone.



WoodsChick

Well I am thoroughly enjoying you reports.


And Eric seems much happier in the pics than he once did.

Well, I guess not having a broken shoulder will do that to a man

Thanks, Picklito! It was nice to finish what we started, that's for sure.

I agree! It's always fun to see what's around the next bend, for sure. Seeing new stuff is part of the big allure of dualsporting in the desert...or anywhere, for that matter!

It was hot out. The water was cool. :devil:

I'll try to wrap this up when I get home today. It takes soooo long!




WoodsChick

Ok, so here we go again...I lost this post last night after trying to edit the "preview" version instead of the actual post below it. Grr....

So, what is this? Art? A sign of some sort?




Eric getting ready to drop down through the saddle...




Kinda rocky up top...




This is the same route we took last May, only in the other direction.
In May is was up, up up. It appears that doing it in the other direction brings a lot of down, down, down. Who knew? I use a tad more rear brake on the SM than I do on my regular dirtbikes since the SM front brake is ginormous and tends to want to spit me over the bars sometimes.Needless to say, I cooked the rear before reaching the bottom...right before the really steep section, wouldn't ya know. No photos as I was busy trying not to eat dirt.

We blasted back to camp and met Max there. We got him suited up and we took a quick and easy ride down the road to a springs. He thought the wild burros were cool...




We were playing around in the water when we heard a big thumper roaring down the road at, oh, Mach I or so. He was set up for adventure and Max says "He probably knows you. Is it one of your people?" I rolled my eyes and laughed at the absurdity of his question. I mean, we were out in the middle of nowhere...ya know? What were the chances? About 20 seconds later we hear the bike roaring back towards us. This big dusty dude pulls up and says "I recognize that Husky!" Max started cracking up! I responded with "Uh-oh...is that good or bad?" The dusty dude says "I think it's good. You must be WoodsChick!" Pretty hilarious, but he was spot-on, of course. Turns out it was a fellow ADV'er, the one and only Larryboy!




Larryboy was wrapping up a solo Western TAT ride and I was pretty stoked to be found by him in the middle of the desert!
He hung out a bit, saying something about wanting to set up camp before dark. Before long, he was playing in the water with us. Next thing you know we're inviting him back to camp with us. He was concerned about fuel, but we offered to top off his tank. The offer of endless bottles of wine and a tasty dinner did the trick We were friends by the time we suited up to head back to camp...



We had a great time making dinner, drinking wine and talking non-stop. Larryboy is one cool dude, for sure. We finished dinner and headed on over to the big springs for a soak just after sundown but before dark. We were armed with bottles of wine and candles. We spent many hours soaking and carrying on, only leaving the water to retrieve another bottle of wine every now and again. The stars were incredibly bright and numerous on this moonless night, the Milky Way visible from horizon to horizon. I'm glad there were witnesses to some of the shooting stars we saw, as otherwise nobody would believe us when we say they were mind-blowingly stupendous. I don't exactly remember the circumstances that led to it, of course, but it was about this time that I sustained my only real injury (the purple elbow from the silt bed get-off doesn't count) of the trip. I burned my inner forearm pretty good on one of the candles. It dogged me the rest of the week.

In the morning we picked up where we left off. Carnitas and tortillas for breakfast then it was time for Larryboy to suit up. Cool headlight, eh?
It's always daytime in the desert for Larryboy...



We said our goodbyes, and I hope I was successful in conveying to Larryboy that he was welcome in our camp anytime...



I was thinking earlier that finding the crash site had been the highlight of the trip, but now I know better.


Max, Eric and I suited up and headed out towards Fields. Max was really digging my KTM 450...




The brothers having a good time together...




I wonder what this building used to be?




Max was kind of nervous about the rocky lip at the top of this incline...




He did fine with not much drama...






I kinda lost my head on this section...




Max preferred the gentle slopes...




Twins are special...




We sat in the crisp sun in Fields and had burgers and shakes. No photos there. Eric and Max before a soak at yet another springs...




Classic Max...




Funny thing, I was riding sweep all day, even though Max did great and never needed any assistance. Consequently I ate a ton of dust. It was my turn to ride point on the way back and Max and Eric were not thrilled with the results. I guess my mondo Husky tread throws way more stuff up than their puny dirt tires and they were getting hammered pretty good with rocks, gravel and dust. I wondered why they were way back there We hit the Junction right at sunset and stocked up for the night...




The burgers at Fields did us right earlier in the day so we had Acme bread, bleu cheese and a soak for dinner. It was a really good day. I had a good time riding with Max. Maybe he'll come with us again in the future.


Our last day is on the way...




WoodsChick