ranchodeweerdo

Someone posted this link on another KLR site (at least, I don't think it was here). I can't find the post to give the author credit, but I do have the link to the maps: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/forestvisitormaps/. The maps download as .pdfs.

Just past the one year anniversary of the Witch Creek fire. The fire went through our property, and I don't know why we didn't lose the house: an AP video photographer caught the flames as the fire went up creeks on either side of the house. The northern wall looked like it was in the flames. As it was, two homes were lost just to the north and a home was lost on the mountainside above us to the east. Other than heavy smoke damage, our house came through relatively unscathed due to the fortunate presence of a group of volunteer firefighters and a neighbor who pointed them to our property. The fire did a pretty good job of wiping out the vegetation down to the dirt. Our property contained a number of old-growth oaks. The insurance covered the loss of the trees and shrubs only up to a certain percentage (5%) of the value of the house. Since the fire, a lawsuit has been filed against SDGE. We're a party to the lawsuit, and just had an appraisal done to determine total loss using the replacement value of each plant. The amount of loss over seven acres is significant, much more than I would have thought. I know a number of members live in the outlier areas of the county and were affected by either the Witch or the Guejito fires. If you're interested, information on the law firm handling our case can be found at San Diego Fire Victims Lawyers. They are handling the cases on a contingent basis. There are other law firms also actively filing against SDGE.

FWIW, I'm having the same problem accessing the site from home using my Verizon wireless through a USB modem. I sent an email to Uncle Cameron with a copy of a trace. Hopefully, the problem is something relatively simple.

You can't count either.... Hope the opportunity works out. If it doesn't, I was going to suggest checking with the temporary agencies for work. I've contracted in the past, and each assignment resulted in the company offering permanent employment. One I accepted; most I turned down. There is a freedom with temping in that if you don't like what you're doing, you move on. The drawback is the constant worry in lining up the next gig. Again, good luck, and eight (8) 8>) posts to go.

I live just outside of SDCE, on Vista Ramona Road. We try to make it down to the falls once a year. The trail head is a right off Ramona Oaks Road just before it ends, to the end of Thornbush Road. The map shows both Eagle Peak Road and the Gower Truck Trail starting from that point. I'm not sure if either is accessible. These are from April of 2005:

I rode to the end of Old Julian from Ramona and back on the '78 last Saturday. The roads were open.

Depends on the mission. Depends on the shooter. Are you looking for snapshots, or do you want to take manual control of the camera? Check here for reviews. I had an Oly 3.2 that I was happy with... it fit in the tank bag and was reliable. I'm currently shooting with a Nikon D40X that is giving me both the flexibility of an SLR and great results... but, it is too large to carry on the bike. I'm now looking for a camera under $200.00 that fits in my pocket and gets better than a resolution of 7.2 megapixels. The 7.2 is mandated because I asked Rider Magazine what their minimum requirements were for publication, and they told me 7.2 or greater. The $200.00 or less is in case I bounce the thing off a rock. If I could find it, I'd want the camera to have the largest zoom available, preferably a 10X or larger. At the price range I'm looking in, the best I've been able to find is a 4X. As for best price, once you've figured out what you want, I guess the best source would be to check the Sunday newspaper advertisements. Costco also had some online specials that may work for you. Buy the best you can afford. The initial image quality is as good as you will ever get out of the camera, and in the case of my original Olympus, even though 3.2 was good quality at the time, I'll never be able to use the pictures for much more than web publishing. The point being is that you can always degrade an image (which is what saving as a JPEG does) but you can never increase the quality or depth of the image beyond what was originally captured. Good luck...

Wish I could have gone with you. Good to meet all of you, however briefly, on my way to my Sunday soccer game. At least I have a start to putting names to faces. Maybe someday soon, I'll be able to join up with you. I'm looking forward to the pictures. Jim

Well............ Um...... OK, then. I know a few Sheriffs. Good looking fellows. It sounds like you all come through Ramona on a regular basis. There is a KTM dealership, All American KTM at 872 Main Street. The owners are Dave and RJ. I take my KLR in for regular maintenance and tire changes, and have never been disappointed by either the quality of the work or the cost. The last time I was in, they were talking about turning around an engine head before the next race. I got the impression that they sponsor a few race teams, which means their mechanics know their way around a bike. When the business first opened, I worried about them making it. The last time I was in, they had bikes and ATVs lined up almost out the door, waiting for repairs. They also plan on adding additional lines of bikes to their inventory, but I'm not sure who they are talking with. I think they mentioned that it costs about a half-million dollars to bring in a manufacturer. They specialize in dirt and dual sport. There are usually a few KTM 950s on the floor to drool over. When the KLR finally dies in 20 to 30 years, I'll give serious consideration to turning orange. Finally, a quick addition to the "no" list: House of Motorcycles on El Cajon Boulevard. When I picked up my new bike, there were several major pieces missing, including the nut holding the swingarm onto the frame. Lucky for me, the bolt stayed in place for the few hundred miles it took me to realize that the naked bolt end was not a Kawasaki mounting point for aftermarket hardware.

You can order the parts here: Arrowhead Motorsports. Fred is legendary for his fast service. Or if you show up for the tech day, Mike makes the parts and will have the tools. As you've seen in the procedures, there is a special tool required to pull the rotor. Mike's support is also legendary. I've seen him take calls while at Tech Day to assist people throughout the country with problems/questions on the procedure. If you are at the Tech Day, any number of people will be able to guide you through the installation, and they've not lost a bike yet.

There was mention made of hitting the dirt outside of SDCE. I was up on Barona Mesa off Rainbird this afternoon in the Four Corners area. I've tried a couple of times to find the El Cap truck trail without any luck. I'd appreciate a little direction if that is the route you ran this afternoon. I kept on running into driveways and posted-private roads. The area is beginning to get built up. Thanks, Jim

The ramp: If you take it at speed, don't forget to duck to get under the doorway. We almost lost a tall Marine that way. If you walk the bike up under power, keep it straight. Don't stop. We had a couple of bikes slide off and wedge into the handrail. It is a good time and a good event, and all are welcome.

Hi, Mike told me about this thread at the last Julian Tech Day. Thanks for the kind words. Without false modesty, let me state that the rides I've seen on this site far exceed anything I ran into up north as far as technical difficulty. I'd like to join you for some of them. First, though, I'm going to add a skid plate. The Dempster is actually (with a few documented exceptions) rather well-mannered, and if the surface is dry, almost as hard as pavement. On the return to Dawson and with the knowledge that I had enough gasoline to make it, I hit speeds between 60 and 65 mph. As Bruce noted, I live near Packard's in Ramona. Hi, Bruce, you're right about our wives and PTA. I've seen you go by the house a few times. Are you in Ryland? Jim