Travis Gill 0 Posted March 6, 2016 I’ve wanted to check out the Border Run, a dirt road that runs from Campo to Jacumba, for some time. I saddled up the G650GS Sertao for an overnighter with plans to camp somewhere near Corral Canyon. I left San Diego about 2PM on Friday, March 4th and headed to Campo via Olympic Parkway, Otay Lakes Rd, and State Route 94. Map: Ice Cream Sandwich at Otay Lakes Pio Pico Grocery: I was so excited to hit the road that I forgot to gas up before leaving home so my “one gallon left” light came on just before reaching Campo. I gassed up at the Chevron (with a Sinclair Dinosaur in front?) in town and then headed for Corral Canyon OHV. I had plans to complete Corte Madera Road but with the sun setting I decided to just camp in a nice pull-off spot on Los Pinos Road. Springtime in Corral Canyon: Little Half Dome: Corral Canyon and G650GS: Corral Canyon Panoramic: Final Approach to San Diego: Sunset over Corral Canyon: I had my tent, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag all set up before dark. After taking some photos of the sunset I ate a quick dinner and then fell asleep around 6PM. I ended up getting a great night of sleep; thanks to the comfortable Big Agnes sleep system and inflatable pillow I had. Corral Canyon Helmet: Motorcycle Camping: The next morning I packed up and was on the trail by about 6:30AM. I climbed back up Los Pinos and then back down to Four Corners where I decided to tackle the dirt roads of Morrena Stokes Valley and Sky Valley. After finishing these trails I had worked up an appetite and heading into Morena Lake for breakfast at the Oakshore Malt Shop. Thanks to Charley for the recommendation! Sunrise Over Corral Canyon: After breakfast, it was time to top off the tank and head south to the border. The road to the border fence was easy to find thank the map provided by gpsKevin! Border Fence Team Engineer: Motorcycle Mexican Wall: I only came across one Border Patrol Agent who was riding a quad. We exchanged hand waves as we passed each other on the trail. I am glad I spoke with Charley before heading out on the trail. He mentioned a section that required riding on the abandoned train track; something I would have never considered. The hardest part was finding a good place to cross over the metal railing. The actual riding in the center wasn’t nearly as hard as I would have imagined. Please note: This is an abandoned train track. There were other sections that were almost completely grown over but this section, due to the elevated track, seemed to be harder for vegetation to take root and grow. Train track with drops on both sides: Video: After leaving the trail near Tierra Del Sol Road, I took my favorite cruising pace of about 55 MPH via the Old Highway 80. I rode the 80 to Pine Valley but was detoured through the town and ended up discovering Pine Creek Road, which I took all the way to Sunrise Highway. It was a pleasant diversion with some interesting scenery and almost no traffic. I hoped on the fast-paced I-8 for about 8 miles before exiting on Japatul Valley and then continuing south to Lyons Valley. I was really enjoying moving along the twisties at my own pace. East County has some great motorcycle riding that I’ll have to explore more in the future. Valley Overlook from Sunrise Highway: I returned home a bit saddle sore around 2PM. In the last 24 hours I had covered about 240 miles; 60 miles of that was dirt or gravel roads. I didn’t even stop at a Starbucks so I’d say that my weekend counts as an adventure! Until next time… Motorcycle Selfie: Cheers, Travis Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bp619 104 Posted March 6, 2016 Looks like a fun route ill have to check it out next time, border fence looks like a speed highway. This would probably make a fun day trip if la posta, thing valley and pine creek were looped in Fyi malt shop is in lake morena not pine valley had me confused for a second Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
350thumper 336 Posted March 6, 2016 Ya malt shop .I don't even know where that is . but I dont know anything other than if I'm upright or not. Nice pics . I've never ridden on the tracks . Good inspiration. No Starbucks!? Brutal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan Diego 40 Posted March 6, 2016 Nice write-up of a cool ride, Travis. Well done! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travis Gill 0 Posted March 6, 2016 Looks like a fun route ill have to check it out next time, border fence looks like a speed highway. This would probably make a fun day trip if la posta, thing valley and pine creek were looped in Fyi malt shop is in lake morena not pine valley had me confused for a second It was fun! There is a small wire fence between the trail and the border fence for most to the trail's length. The west side seem more open with a wide road immediately next to the border fence. Access to the border fence as you head east seems more difficult due to private land that is adjacent to the border. I edited my original post to fix the error in the Malt Shop location. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travis Gill 0 Posted March 6, 2016 Nice write-up of a cool ride, Travis. Well done! Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a great adventure, excellent photographs, keep up the good work. Nice story. What a great little adventure you did and it was local. Nice report and pix. Thanks to all! I enjoy sharing the photos and experiences; especially if folks enjoy them as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wierdrider 187 Posted March 6, 2016 Sounds like a great adventure, excellent photographs, keep up the good work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danrider 5 Posted March 6, 2016 Nice story. What a great little adventure you did and it was local. Does the Huba tent pack small and easy to pack on the bike? I have been looking at the Huba to buy and waiting to find it on sale. I am looking for a new tent to pack on my bike cuz the my Marmot mesh is starting to fray. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 559 Posted March 6, 2016 Nice report and pix. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travis Gill 0 Posted March 6, 2016 Does the Huba tent pack small and easy to pack on the bike? I have been looking at the Huba to buy and waiting to find it on sale. I have the Elixer 3: http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/backpacking-tents/elixir-3/product It fits easily into the storage sack and is 20" x 8" packed. It fits perfectly along the length of our Wolfman Overland Duffel: http://wolfmanluggage.com/products/overland-duffel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dress4Less 162 Posted March 7, 2016 Those are great pics! Thanks for sharing... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honda90 0 Posted March 7, 2016 Man, that was cool; thanks for posting. Was the train track scary? Looks like it would though to turn around. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdspearo 0 Posted March 7, 2016 Looked like you had a fun time. Those tracks are unforgiving! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travis Gill 0 Posted March 8, 2016 Those are great pics! Thanks for sharing... Thanks. You're welcome. I enjoy reading others adventures so I try to share as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travis Gill 0 Posted March 8, 2016 Man, that was cool; thanks for posting. Was the train track scary? Looks like it would though to turn around. I thought it was pretty cool as well! I was all grins after successfully riding a long section without any problems. It was surprisingly easy to ride on the railroad ties. The 30 sec video (above) was the scariest part but I was just so focused on staying straight that I had tunnel vision and really didn't think about the steep drop-offs on the side. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travis Gill 0 Posted March 8, 2016 Looked like you had a fun time. Those tracks are unforgiving! It was a fun time. I had a bit of anxiety about being alone on the ride and on the tracks but overcoming anxiety and conquering fear is such a great feeling! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toddman 0 Posted March 16, 2016 Awesome ride! Thank you for sharing. I've been wanting to do a ride like that. Thanks again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oracle 195 Posted March 16, 2016 Looks like a fun route. It's been several months since I camped off my bike and I'm totally jonesing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travis Gill 0 Posted March 16, 2016 Awesome ride! Thank you for sharing. I've been wanting to do a ride like that. Thanks again. You're welcome. It was a nice adventure not too far away. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travis Gill 0 Posted March 16, 2016 Looks like a fun route. It's been several months since I camped off my bike and I'm totally jonesing. Bike camping can be therapeutic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StealthDingo 5 Posted April 5, 2016 Awesome write up. That border fence road looks like a dirt bike freeway. I want some!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
