My friend Jeff came back out from Ohio to visit and to help his mom out a bit. He also came for some more pleasant riding conditions and areas than what he has back east at this time of year. And even though he brought his KTM530 out with him, he decided to buy a new 500, leave the 530 out here and take the 500 back to Ohio with him. We switched bikes right here. I let him try the 300, while I gave the 500 a rather short lived whirl. View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyizRShPgfw On a later ride, everybody has the proper amount of fuel to make for a good day. View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9GR6vHjtro Having some fun, following the sun (and my 300) on Manzanita Cottonwood road. View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vqFJeNSkkM
I've just started watching the videos and I can see traction in the that sand! And a bright blue sunny sky...
How do you guys navigate out there? Are those big gigantic loops out there that come back to the starting point or out and back type trails? It looks like the wide open spaces the size of a state and a person could get lost out there ...
The trails go every which way. I have been riding the area since the late 80s. Back then, there were not so many trails as there are now. I have explored almost every trail out there, and just when I think that I have found them all, I manage to find another one or two. So, I can make up a nice loop route that can be as long as 40 or 50 miles. Most people who ride out in that area don't seem to stray very far from the staging area where there is a large open place to run back and forth on.
Those trails looked fun.Most of my riding areas are either under snow or water right now from all the rain and snow
The high desert is traction and puddle heaven when it rains a lot in the winter and spring. Even a heavy downpour from a summer thunderstorm is enough to make the place tacky and fun for the afternoon. And it snows a couple of times each winter. Admittedly, I like that somewhat less.
Since the 80s? Thats quite a while ... Lots of that stuff out there looked like you could just cut out across it in about any direction and make a new trail ... I did see some stuff that looked like a road or at least wide enough for a truck to drive down ... Over here, when I'm in a new area and am wanting to map out this area for riding, I ride the roads or whatever seems to be the main passage ways to get an outline\boundary of the area, and then I start with the true trails that crisis-cross between or off these main roads ... This way, I should always have an ~easy or shortcut exit back to civilization in the case of an emergency or whatever might cause me to get out of the area quickly without too much effort ... Riding in these mountains and valleys is very hard for me to navigate direction even if the sun is out to help with directions ... The trail tech voyager GPS is essential for me to track all the stuff here ... Without it, almost impossible to remember all the stuff end-to-end as there are many forks on these paths\trails ...
Yes, there are many wide trails in the designated OHV area, and there are roads that lead to ranches and reservations also. The wide roads in the OHV area are for the quads. By staying off of these wide roads as much as possible, we can be assured of steering clear of quads and beginner riders.
Man, that dirt is looking pretty sweet in the last 2 videos! I really am going to come down there sometime and ride with you, Mimi!
If you do, I'm only a couple of hours away from Escondido, hope it won't "ladies only"...... just sayin'
Welll...maybe if you're really nice to us and promise to do all the heavy lifting and dust off our bikes and stuff...maybe. Oh, and you also have to be in charge of keeping track of Mimi's camera and gloves.
From now on, if I set my gear on the hood of the Jeep, it will have to be in a spot that is visible from the driver's seat so I won't drive away with it up there. I'm sure that somebody is overjoyed with their new dirt filled, beat up, noisy motor Canon and dainty sized Polarpaw gloves that they found on Buckman Springs road yesterday. I have other gloves and cameras, but will never be able to replace the moments in time that I shot with that camera of the places and people on that ride. That's what bothers me the most.
You'll just have to go back out there with the same friends and do a "Do-over" ride. I know what you mean, though. When we're camping in the van or staying in a hotel I always download my photos at the end of the day just in case I lose my camera. I would gladly pay double what the camera was worth in order to have my photos back should I ever lose it.
