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2026 Noobs Overnight Camping Trip

Sun, 04 Oct 2026 19:31:13 +0000

I tried to plan this a bit earlier this year so it wouldn’t be so cold at night, but instead we got a heat wave. I was wondering if anyone would show up, but we had seven total riders.

Once we got out of Ramona it cooled off a bit. Even Warner Springs was decent. Mad Mike store was open so we got some gourmet sausages and rode to camp.

The campground was the coolest temps we experienced, maybe in the 80’s when we got there. Everyone got set up, cold beverages were consumed and as the sun went down we got the fire started and cooked dinner.

It was the nicest night I’ve ever spent at this campground. Maybe 65 degrees? Everyone got some sleep, woke up and made coffee, packed up and headed out.

Another success, I should try to do this twice a year.

Bob, I have your chair and cushion!

Snapshots from August rides 2026

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 22:41:11 +0000

Not much more riding weather in the mountains. The days have cooled off and the meadows are starting to turn brown. The aspens haven't turned gold yet though, but it can't be too long before they do. After October...or maybe sooner, the first snowfall will carpet the Uintas, and trail riding will come to halt in the high country. But if the winter is mild, there will at least be some local riding just out of town. Until then, I need to put all the miles on that I can up on the range.

Most of the summer has blessed me with rainy cool rides up in the mountains. There were a few hot weekends, but who cares when you have vented riding gear and plenty of shade trees to hang out under?

Last blaze of Autumn color 09/26/26

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 23:35:09 +0000

It was probably the peak of color for the aspens in the mountains up here, so I wanted to get one last "color" ride in before the leaves all start to turn brown and blow away with the wind. I also wanted to finish a "bucket list" loop that I first scoped out a couple years ago. There was a couple of really steep, washed out downhill stretches....one at the very top and one at the very bottom of that route. The one at the top was really rocky, but still held some moisture, so it had pretty good traction. The one at the bottom was very smooth and hard packed, but off camber, dry and slippery. I didn't care for that one at all, and if I had tried to go up that route instead of down, I probably wouldn't have gotten very far. Aside from those two stretches, the trail was pretty easy, and quite beautiful. The whole ride was beautiful, though.

Next up for a "bucket list " trail will be the Heaven and Hell trail on the other side of the mountain. I hope to get it done before the snow flies. If not, then next summer.

Birthday week staycation 2026

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 23:27:25 +0000

Had some more banked PTO and production at work has been cut back, so this looked like the best time to request some vacation time. I planned lots of riding and fishing, but he truth is, that I needed time to work on my bikes, and to rest. So in reality, I only rode the back country twice during the week. Monday was a ride with the Beta, and I found one of the few natural lakes up in the mountains (that can be reached by motorized vehicles). Most of them are reservoirs used for irrigation in the valleys below, so this was pretty cool.....since by fall time, most of the reservoirs are drained pretty far, and some are empty.

I also found a fun trail near the top of the mountain. It was multi-use except for UTVs and 4X4s. These trails are open to ATVs, motorcycles, hiking and horseback riding, although I'd hate to make a horse go through some of the rocky sections. The trail did not show too much use by anybody....other than maybe cows. It sort of followed a watershed, so it was wet, swampy, crossed by creeks...or maybe the same one over and over. It also had lots of roots and rocky sections, but the part I explored didn't have any steep inclines or scary exposure. Still, it was so far of the main road and so engulfed by the forest, that it just seemed like the end of the world. I named the trail Heaven and Hell, due to its striking beauty and its rooty, rocky, muddy obstacles. The trail should tie into Old Carter Military trail, but I haven't gotten that far yet.

I never push very far at one time on these wilderness trails, because if I get tired or the weather comes up, there is no one there to get me out, and if I make it all the way to "the other end" and I'm too tired to go back, I am dozens of miles away on the north side of the mountain, with no comparably short route back. So I am very cautious about making my way slowly and safely. I mean....I'm 71 years old at this point, and I can't ride like I used to.

On my birthday, I took the 501 out and it had been raining all through the night and into the morning. The dirt was perfect and the aspens were really starting to pop with fall colors. The big Husky is the perfect wet terrain bike, so I had a great day riding the north side of the mountain. I ended the day with a stop at Flaming Gorge resort for a nice supper and a stop at the local Smith's market to buy myself a piece of cake for my birthday. I was so tired when I finally hit the hay, that evening.

I planned for at least one more ride, but never made it back before I found myself once again at work on Monday morning. I only got one day of fishing in also, on Saturday, but the storms came in hot and heavy....or cold and heavy. The morning started out sunny and around 60 degrees, but soon clouds moved in from both the north and the south, and by early afternoon, the weather rushed in, making the sky look almost as dark as if the sun had set. I hopped in the truck at this point and hightailed it down the mountain, watching the trucks thermometer drop steadily to 38 degrees in less than ten minutes. A touch of winter, come early.

Bear Valley/Pine Creek Rd

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 03:12:16 +0000

Mr JaJa, Kkug, and Wierdrider met in Lakeside, and the Koog riding his CF Moto followed Mr JaJa, and Wierdrider trucking their bikes to the cul-de-sac in Pine Valley to ride some dirt. I taught the Koogster how to place gloves during moto photos😁Mr JaJa and his custom TT, that smells an awful lot like a Harley marking it’s territory 🤣Wierdrider On the long loopBack at the overlook checking out the road we must go back up👍🏻We took a break at the cul-de-sac, and then decided to extend the ride going up Pine Creek road to the short four mile out, and four mile back diet road. We stopped and walked down to the stream to check out the area at one point. We then finished going up Pine Creek road where Kkug headed North, and Mr JaJa and I headed South back to Pine Valley. After loading up we stopped at the Frosty Burger where I got a combo meal with a Malt, and Udo got a Chocolate/Banana shake. I was thinking of you Dirt Dame😁Udo and I only rode 50 miles, but it was bitchen being able to get out and ride with friends.

Summer ride to beat the heat 07/25/26

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:59:44 +0000

It's been pretty hot up here this summer. Hotter than the past three summers. I had to buy another air conditioning unit for the bedroom because the one in the living room just couldn't cover the whole tiny apartment anymore. On the weekends, it's best to get going as early as possible when the temps will peak in the upper 90s/low 100s. The Uinta mountains are often ten or fifteen degrees cooler than southwestern Wyoming, but the mountains were just as warm as the high desert plains this month. The only saving grace is that the Uintas get some nice thunderstorms in the afternoon, and then it cools down sometimes more than 25 degrees.

I gave the little KLX a break and took the Beta up there last weekend, and had a blast. Went up the Cow Creek trail and took some pix up there. It was a great day for trail riding. Had to wash the Beta up good afterwards.

Mini mountain adventures July 2026

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:47:18 +0000

I never seem to have enough time to go and work on my bikes since I moved up here. Once in a while I would go to a riding buddy's house and work in their garage, but they are gone now. So I only have a storage unit for working on stuff. That means no heat or air conditioning, electricity or water. Just all the conveniences that I used to take for granted when I lived in a house. But summer time is riding time and since I am riding alone these days, I need to make sure that the bike I am riding is in the most reliable shape it can be. I can't waste riding time sweltering in a shed, turning wrenches while the mountains are calling my name. I thought about it for a while and reflected that I hadn't bought a new dirt bike since 2021, so it was about time. I already have all the full sized, full powered bikes that I need. They just need TLC. So I went over to the local Kawasaki dealership and bought myself a brand spanking new KLX 140R F. Yep....a mini bike, but with full sized wheels. My old KLX 300R was a horrible bike, but I rode it for many years and had a lot of fun adventures with it and it never let me down by stranding me out on the trail somewhere.

The new KLX was definitely poorly powered, but as soon as I got it back to the shed, I started upgrading it. Bought a slightly larger carb for it and a nice slip on that breathes better. Then I got a Trailtech odometer and some lights. Next stop will be the county clerk where I will pick up a license plate. Then I will have my very own mini adventure bike.

Meanwhile, it was time to drag the little booger up to the Uinta mountains for some serious "splorin". No, the 7 inches of travel isn't very good, but the little machine is a hoot to snoop around every logging two track and game trail. I love the little thing. It is a nostalgic throwback to Peanut The Bike (CRF 150F) which was a throwback to the early days of riding my first bike, a Yamaha CT90....only with better everything. So here are some pix from three weeks of putting around.

Local Riding, past couple of weeks 05/26

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 20:52:02 +0000

I have known that there was plenty of dirt just a hop, skip and a jump away from my humble little digs for the last 4 years since I moved up north. I just never bothered o act on going out there. I pass by the trailhead just about every day, and it is only a half mile from the apartments. I just have to drive 5 miles to where my bikes are stored, pick one up and haul it back to the apartment parking lot.....(if I just had a little house with a garage, I'd be all set!) There, I can stage at my leisure before heading out. There is a huge amount of two track and a fair amount of singletrack out there to the south and west. None of it has any signage, so it's just explore and mark on Google Earth. It takes a while. I have been cautiously poking around on the Xtrainer for the last few weeks, learning a little more of the area with each ride. Here are some pix from those rides.

Old man workout day

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:38:56 +0000

Jim and I took on the north Ramona trails last week. Some 50 miles dirt is enough for me.

A Summer-ish day in March 03/21/26

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:25:53 +0000

I guess y'all had some pretty hot weather last week. Well, we got some of that too, but a milder version. Perfect for another out of season trail ride on the high desert of Wyoming. Kim and I moseyed down towards Utah, to explore some trails near Flaming Gorge, staging not far from Minnie's Gap and the Glades. I have fished near there, but have never poked around with my trail bike on the UTV trails through the hills. It turned out to be pretty fun day, and the temperature was just under 80 degrees. The trails were dry and dusty, and sometimes really rocky and steep in places. We didn't make it to our target destination to the north, which was Little Mountain, which we have ridden up from the opposite side. Kim has this app on her phone that shows all the secondary dirt routes....whether they actually exist or not, and we spent a little too much time chasing "ghost" trails that we had to turn around on. I much prefer to check Google Earth, because I can actually see where routes poop out, and avoid them. So far, I haven't been wrong about this, but will entertain Kim's misplaced trust for the sake of a little extra adventure from time to time.

more good winter weather 02/28/26

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 01:04:36 +0000

Taking advantage of all this nice weather up here. It snowed early in the week, but most of it blew away and the rest melted. Drove up to Kim's place, about 13 miles out of town, and we went for an afternoon ride up to the top of Aspen mountain and then down its spine. Weather was around 50 degrees and partly cloudy. We encountered a bit of snow, ice, mud and water while riding up a northern slope trail through some aspen trees, but that was the only spot with that much wintery terrain. We slithered through it pretty well and continued to the peak, then headed east, down the spine of the mountain.

When we reached the valley floor again, we prepared to circle back to the ranch via two track and some cross country, but my TE 501 had other ideas and stopped running rather abruptly. It did sound like anything mechanical, and the dash didn't throw any codes, so I was initially stumped. Kim offered to shortcut back to the ranch and get her truck, and it seemed like the best plan...so off she went. Having nothing to do while I was waiting, I opened up my waist pack to see what tools I might tinker with on the bike, thus killing some time and maybe fixing the problem. I spied a little plastic container with 3 tiny fuel filters nestled inside and the lightbulb lit up in my head. My cell phone rang right then. It was Kim and she was ready to head out with the truck. I told her that I was going to try swapping out the old fuel filter for a fresh one and see what that might do. She said okay, if I got the bike running, just ride it back up the trail to Sweeny Canyon road and she would meet me there. I said okie dokie, and proceeded to change out the filter, Sure enough, the machine roared to life the instant I hit the starter button. I wasted no time donning my gear and heading back to the road.

I had totally forgotten about the fuel filter problem and that I had been carrying the filters for just such an occasion. I always change the filter out every time I do a valve adjust, but I may have forgotten to on the last service. It isn't the same living up here in an apartment with my bikes locked up in a shed a few miles away. I always did maintenance pretty much right on time back in the good old days of having a garage attached to a house....sigh.....

Yeah, the ride was cut short, but all's well that ends well. Hoping for more good weather coming up this month, and very excited for the summer months when I can once again head up into the green Uinta mountains.

ANZA ride Februar 27 2026

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 02:03:25 +0000

I only took pictures from the Lunch stop in ANZA.

A good turnout and good ride. Some water crossing, some mud patches and I dropped the bike once.

AZ single track w/ friends

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 01:40:19 +0000

I had the good fortune to be able to ride with friends last week, riding skinny bikes out of Cave Creek for 3 days.

It was a real treat to just set up the camper and have no responsibility but to just ride. No tracks, no plans, just follow our guide Beau and trust he won't kill us. Beau owns ReadyToRide Rentals and Moto Vacations. He's a great guide and a blast to ride with!

One of our crew (Kevin) filmed quite a bit of GoPro footage from his helmet and quickly threw out this mashup of fumbles and moments in the ride.

Good times with good people makes for great experiences.

We had a couple 450's, a 300, a 501 and 500. Beau rode his Kove 450ralley.

And a good time was had by all!

Three Bald Dudes

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:13:41 +0000

Three bald guys and Boulder Creek
Mr Ja Ja, tntmo, and Wierdrider (if you know, you know)met at Mary’s Doughnuts, and meandered to Viegas grade, Boulder Creek, Cedar Creek TT, Can you find Mr Ja Ja/Waldo?How about tntmo/Waldo?Love the view of Cedar Creek TT and Cuyamaca Mountain from Eagle Peak rd.

and then into Julian for lunch. Then we slabbed it back to Ramona via Wynola, and Old Julian Hwy.
Back at My Ja Ja’s, we all fed Scruffy a few peanuts!
Good times 🍻

Ride on my two wheeled friends!

MId-winter;s day ride 02/01/26

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:10:06 +0000

For the last 3 winters up here in prairieland, it's been too cold and snowy to even think about hitting the trails on a motorcycle. The snow hides ravines and gullies that could swallow a rider up if they weren't careful. Usually, I just go fishing in the winter.

This year has been exceptionally dry, and somewhat warmer than usual, making for a few opportunities to get out on the northern desert, so my buddy Kim and I chose last weekend to stretch our bike's legs and gather up some sunshine and fresh air. We picked the area that I rode at on Christmas, and made a nice 50 mile loop out there, revisiting an old homestead that we rode to back in the summer of 22.

There were a few patches of snow and ice here and there, and the creeks were especially daunting, as they were frozen over and had some snow on top of them, making for slippery and uncertain crossings. But for the most part, it was pretty dry and dusty. We had a blast, for sure. Looks like more warm, dry weather for this weekend, so I'll probably head out while the "gettin' is good".

Last ride of 2025 Christmas day

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 01:31:16 +0000

I hadn't been out for a few weeks (other than to go fishing) and wanted to get one last ride in for the year. For somebody who used to ride 2 or 3 time a week, but can't do that anymore because of the rugged climate and also having to work full time, this ride meant a lot to me. I managed to get 16 rides in this last year, and that was a few more than the year before. I'd like to get a few more rides than 16 in for 2026, so hopefully there will be some mild weather in the next few months, although we really need some decent snowpack this winter.
Anyway, the weather looked as though it might be dicey on Christmas day, so I was still lounging around in my tiny apartment at 11 a.m.. But the sun was still out and the temperature was above 40 degrees, so on a whim I threw on some riding duds, (including some brand new boots that I got myself for Christmas) and headed over to the storage shed to pick up Mr. 501, who was sporting a new set of sprockets and drive chain. Then I drove about 20 miles out of town and unloaded the bike. I didn't have more than about two hours to ride, as I was supposed to join friends for a nice prime rib supper, later in the afternoon.
I had the whole countryside to myself and rode about 40 miles of two track, getting back to the staging area just before the weather broke. It was the best Christmas that I have had in Wyoming, so far.

Last ride of the season up north, probably

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 22:52:31 +0000

I was hoping to get a ride or two after this ride, but fate said "no". I got busy and tired and this and that, and then on Thanksgiving weekend, the weather began to get wintery. So....11/09 was probably the last time for me to get a ride in for the rest of the year.
It started out pretty chilly that morning....17 degrees when I went to the storage unit to pick up the 501. It warmed up to the low 40s by the time I reached my staging spot in the mountains, so that wasn't too bad. I had a short warm up loop in the forest area and then headed down to what I like to call the Utah moors....just a rocky plateau of shallow rolling hills. I had been there before, but wanted to explore further. I found a nice little pocket of sparsely spaced forest that had a good loop running through it, and a couple of other interesting trails. I was also going to hit a little pavement and head over to Dowd mountain and run the scenic loop there, but tarmac speeds were a little too chilly-willy for me, so I turned back and headed in early. Good thing too, because I hadn't been paying attention to just how worn out my drive components were getting. I bought sprockets and chain last year actually, but then forgot about doing the maintenance. Things are different when your bikes live somewhere else besides at your home. Out of sight-out of mind. Anyway, I did the work and changed out the parts the following weekend. So all is good, except for the weather.

4th Noobs Overnight Camping Trip

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 03:45:17 +0000

Well we did it again, a simple dual sport overnight event. Great turnout, 13 people at the coffee shop, 12 went on the ride and ten ended up camping out.

I didn’t take a ton of pictures but will be getting a video up in a couple days. I borrowed a couple pictures from Jim. Post up your pictures and your thoughts. Lots of people asked when the next one is. Let’s go!

A other day in the senior home

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 15:49:25 +0000

November 1st, Jim took me out to the local mountain home for a "BINGO" run. Pamo valley, Lusardi (closed do to police activities) Party mountain, old Santa Isabel Truck trail, black canyon, and Ramona Motorcycle rally (99 % HD). We watch some Hooligans racing on the Ramona short course track. The biggest challenge for the day was, leaving the Fairground.

All in all, a nice and successful day with good therapy for me.

Thanks Jim.

Pre-run for Noobs Camping

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 02:12:08 +0000

Did the pre-run today, wasn’t sure how everything would be after the rain but decided it would be a “worst case” scenario. No rain was on the schedule at my house today but started to get some sprinkles on the way to Ramona.
Two bikes were at the coffee shop when I arrived so it was good to see people weren’t too worried about getting a little wet. Assi and Corey joined me for the ride, Assi on the DR650 and Corey on the Triumph 400 Scrambler.
The dirt on Black Canyon was in good shape, a few small washouts on the edges and a few rocks that fell off the hillsides. Otherwise it was perfect, good traction and no dust.

Mesa Grande had some gravel and lots of leaves. The gas station had two sausage sandwiches left, sorry Corey! Lost Valley Road was as it always is, dirty rough pavement that’s fun except for the blind corners. We only saw one person camping mid week, hopefully we can snag a good site.
We stopped there to eat lunch, then all slabbed back home. The sky cleared up while we ate and it was a nice ride home.

Hopefully some of you can make it November 1st. Should be a fun time. You don’t need to bring much, just something to sleep on for the night. I’m planning to drive my van up there and ride back to the start, will have water, food, etc. Lots of food at the gas station too, frozen burritos and burgers. If anyone wants me to bring camping gear up I can do that too.

Uinta Fall colors riding 09/28/25

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 14:32:01 +0000

I figured that that last weekend may be the height of the full fall colors up in the Uinta mountains, so I packed up Bugz Beta and headed south for a day of frenzied shutter clicking. The mountains did not disappoint, and the weather was perfect, with a mixture of sun and storm clouds and balmy temperatures.

Daytrip on Otay Mountain Truck Trail/Lyons Valley

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 23:17:47 +0000

I have to work next weekend, so I got an extra weekday off and took the Honda SL350 out somewhat local. About 7 miles from my house is the trailhead for Otay Mountain Truck Trail, which has gotten pretty rutted out and rocky since the last time I did it, so it was more fun than the recently groomed dirt jeep trail I did a few months ago. The decay made it more fun, I like the medium trails that feel like off-road riding, but don't have any dangerous or unexpected obstacles.

From here I was able to ride out Honey Springs road through a twisty section I usually ride on my street bike. I set up my phone to get a couple action photos, because as usual I was riding by myself, which I know isn't the wisest thing to do, but I rarely plan ahead very far, I didn't even decide until late morning.

Daytrip up Black Mountain by Ramona

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 03:09:57 +0000

This is kind of an introduction as well.

I usually go down south to Otay Mountain Truck trail, but wanted to do something different. The bike is a 1972 Honda SL350, and I re-geared it so that I can ride it on the highway, but still need to sustain 6500rpm or so. Once I got out to Ramona though, it was a blast to take up Black Mountain OHV Trail. I have a lot more miles on a mountain bike/bicycle and did a significant amount of BMX and Track racing, but I started out on a bike like this in 1985 or so (1971 Suzuki TS185). I'm definitely more in to vintage motocross than strictly ADV, partially due to my budget, and one more bike would be too many!

I saw a couple ADV riders on my way home stopping for gas, maybe it was a member of this group...

Black mountain was just rocky enough to keep the speed reasonable and fun factor high, I only saw one other rider, but there are a few blind corners and blasting around one of those seems like a great way to get hurt.

South Uinta moutains 08/30/25

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 14:20:23 +0000

Had a chance to do a little poking around on the south side of the mountains. A lot more creeks over there. The only route that connects the north side and the south side is an ATV trail called Old Carter Military trail. It is rated as a black diamond route for ATVs, and there is some black diamond terrain on it. I haven't had an opportunity to hit it with a riding partner yet, so I have only delved into a mile or two of either end of the trail. The north end is the most annoying in terms of rocky stuff, while the south end starts out pretty decent. I took the 501 down the south end a little way, yesterday. The ground was nice and soft from the day before's rain storm. Temps were cool enough that I had to wear a jacket, although the sun was out for the most part. Very nice weather for the end of August for sure.

Pix again from the Dowd Mtn UTV loop 08/17/25

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 10:47:21 +0000

Kind of a short ride, last Sunday, but more great weather and scenery made for another great day on the trail.