KTMrad

As mentioned in a previous post, here's a link to the comprehensive camping gear list.

Another handy link, thanks to the people at Wetleather.......Medical Info Form

From the Wetleather Site..........a Comprehensive List of camping gear. Suggestion....go through the list and highlight only those items needed for your trip or for motorcycle camping. If you review this list and check off all the items needed for a trip, you shouldn't forget anything....this is an excellent list !!

Read about it HERE

I think it's a bit pricey......I'm undecided so far.

Kevin, Carguy has offered to host the BBQ.....go to this thread

You can't park across the street from the Banner store, someone built a house there. You should just ask the people in the store if you can park in the parking lot for the day. If not, once we parked down the road (east) on a large shoulder area on the left, just past the store. You all have fun !! Bring plenty of water, and more water.

I have ridden with a Michelin Desert on the 950. It's a good tire, I only got about 1400 miles out of it, if I remember correctly. But, for the bigger bike I prefer the Continental TKC-80. It works well in the dirt, but not very good for pavement.

Sounds great John...I'll be there if I don't go riding in the Sierra that weekend.

Lately, We've been seeing some people posting their posts in the wrong forum category. Please take a few seconds to think about which forum category is appropriate for your post, it doesn't take much effort to figure that out. If you post in the wrong place, you are making work for the moderating team because then they must take the time to move your posts to the proper category. If we continue to see this, especially from the same individuals, we will start sending out PM's, and nobody likes PM's because people tend to take the advice personally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another note....if you get a PM regarding something about your posts, please take it as constructive advice and don't take it personally....don't stop posting just because someone asked you to review and modify your posting habits. Why am I saying this ? Because I've seen it happen. Thanks,

Amen to that, and all of the above !!

Let me know if you all need any help in organizing whatever you decide to do.

I'd like to do this ride someday, on an Adventure Bike with camping gear....I usually camp some, motel it some....I like a bed instead of the ground once in awhile If anyone needs advice on camping gear, lightweight stuff, what to bring, on multi-day adventure rides, I'd be happy to help. I pretty much have it down to the essentials, but this is for my bike with saddlebags and carrying capacity for gear. I guess I'm spoiled I also have a very comprehensive list I got off a website called "Wetleather", a bunch of folks who live and ride in the Pacific Northwest, and their list is great....I just went through it and highlighted the essentials....I don't think anyone can forget anything after referring to that list. I'll try to find a link to it, then we can start a thread for Adventure Gear/Camping Gear. On a smaller bike, you must carry much less and most likely carry a backpack. OK all, go get an adventure bike !!

Nice Steve, congrats on the new bike !! Here's a photo of your bike..... Steve, you might want to read the "How to Post Photos" topic in the Website Info category (woops....it's slightly larger than 1000 pixels wide )

There is a way to convert Garmin to GPS using a computer, I have a friend who has the software to do it. Anyone let me know if you need access to , or the name of this software. I have a Magellan GPS I want to sell, Meridian Platinum, only used a couple of times...with map software...I'll eventually post it in the For Sale Forum.

Well, technically, if a ride is in the past, then there shouldn't be any more posts about it in the Informal Rides section / Upcoming Rides....because almost anything relevant to that ride after it happened should be posted in the Ride Reports forum, since it would be about a ride that already happened. I know some people like to respond in the wrong forum to a ride that already happened because it's easier than starting a new post in the ride reports forum. I don't really care since this is just a "technicality" and Admin / Moderators won't whine about minor technicalities.....BUT, now you see why posting in the proper forums makes it easier to keep track of what's going on !! Enough said

I've been working in Las Vegas a lot lately, and I got off early enough to go for another exploration ride. This is a follow up to my I Love Rocks Ride from a couple of weeks ago. I left Alfred's house about 2:00pm and headed 20 miles on pavement to the Potosi Mountain turnoff. I was now treated to many miles of continuous dirt riding. View of Potosi Mountain View southwest towards Sandy Valley Headed through some neat, twisty canyons and then over Wilson Pass to an area where the desert had burned....yep, I guess the desert CAN burn !! One thing good for me about the burned out area, is I could see trails all over the hillsides. I checked out this single track.... I went up until I saw how loose it was.....not good with a Pirelli Scorpion on the rear, so I turned around. The first Mineshaft of the day So many trails, so little time....... This mineshaft either caved in, or they never finished it View from mouth of the shaft Rode up to another old mining area....this looks like the foundation of an old mill for the mine Remnants of mining equipment Walked up this hill.... to another mineshaft What are they trying to say here ?!! I was tempted to go in deep......but NOT !! So many mines, so little time....... Yet another hole in a hillside I guess this is a popular spot.....wish I had a steak to throw on the Barbie Mine tailings on a hillside at ANOTHER mine site... I was having just a little fun !! I found a new place to live......the price is right, and it even includes the old Scooby Doo Hippie Van !! Got to the town of Goodsprings, and had to stop at this Historic Place, built about 1912 This place has just about anything you could ever want....old relics and historical facts inside Good Advice for Adventure Riders..... even a club to join......I quickly became a member and of course, friendly Biker Trash and finally, they even have pitchers of Alka Seltzer for your headache !! Afterwards, I headed towards Cottonwood Pass. Alfred had warned me to watch out for washouts on this road, one in particular......as I was cruising along at a good clip, I think I found that one washout.......only about a couple of feet wide by a foot deep, but enough to wake you up !! I was going about 40mph when I saw it, and locked up the rear. The bike got sideways and when I hit the washout the bike swapped, lock to lock and I think I stalled it while hitting the washout. The bike carried me through with no problem, I stopped to check for skidmarks ...in the dirt, not what you're thinkin' Continued on and explored a two track, rocky trail to the west. It went along a steep mountainside......here, I like the vertical cracks in the rock Stopped in this scenic canyon and decided I probably shouldn't go any further Had to go back out to the main road, and on the way saw these Indian Petroglyphs on a huge boulder I saw many mountains of a different type....I knew there were Wild Horses or Burrows in the area... I had to explore another trail to the west This was overgrown, which made it difficult to see the rocks, so it was real interesting to ride along. Stopped for a couple more photos Uhhhh, how far does this trail go ?? It was getting late, and I didn't want to get too far and have to turn around, didn't want to ride back in the dark. So, I headed back to the main Cottonwood Pass dirt road as the sun was starting to set.... Sunset on the mountains just outside Las Vegas, another great end to another awesome day of riding It was just a nice, little 100 mile, 5 1/2 hour ride after work.

Yes,SOME, NOT ALL image hosting sites automatically downsize your photos if they are too large. Smug Mug automatically resizes them. Photobucket, looks like you have to choose the size you want.

Kaw'ee, how'd you know I brought the goat home with me.....and now everyone knows

Well, that's a good idea for some to meet, but a few of us will be up at the Big Bear ride that weekend. I"m thinking more of a sit-down, social type event at a restaurant, or BBQ somewhere.

I've been wanting to have an informal club meeting somewhere, sometime. My work was a little slow when I thought about this, and now it's picked up again. My schedule changes daily and I travel a lot, so I can't commit to a week night. If someone wants to propose a date on a weekend, go ahead. It can't conflict with any organized dualsport events, trail days, etc. June is pretty full for me, I'm thinking later in July after the holiday weekend.

Thanks to all of you who went to help out and for representing SDAR !!

Husky4me, I'm glad that a trip write-up can help inspire you and others. Many people don't realize how much there is to see and explore out there, and that it can be done on a big adventure bike. Don't know if you've seen these write-ups, they're further back in the forum, but here's a link to 2 more from exploring in the Sierra.... WMRS II - ADVrider Rally Memorial Weekend 2006 High Sierra Adventure

Sometimes my job has some great perks and allows me to get paid for riding....... I had to work in Las Vegas for a week and I knew my schedule would give me extra time during the day to go riding after work, so I drove to Vegas with the 950 in the back of the truck. On Tuesday, I got off at 11:30am, so went for a nice 6 1/2 hour ride in the afternoon. I rode 5 miles from Alfred's house to Red Rock Canyon and up over the mountain pass in the dirt. Here's why it's called Red Rock Canyon..... Heading up the pass, view back through Canyon towards Las Vegas This pass was always pretty rocky with some tricky, rocky sections.....here's one of them Alfred said the pass had some severe washouts from heavy winter rains 2 years ago, I'm deciding which way to go here....... Luckily I found the bypass route that the 4 wheelers had blazed around the severe washout The 4 wheelers filled in some of the huge holes with smaller rocks, making it easier to get through the boulder field Another section I had to pick my way through......talk about fun !! The washouts never seemed to end Took a break after Red Rock Pass, heading towards Lovell Canyon and Trout Canyon Had to ride out to the pavement for a few miles, since it was too tricky to find the dirt route Alfred had taken us on previously to Wheeler Pass. After a few miles of pavement, I took the graded dirt road up towards Wheeler Pass, ended up making a wrong turn somewhere and came to a locked gate.....knew this wasn't the right way There was a lot of snow on the sides of the dirt road, I hoped I could make it over Wheeler Pass. I went back the way I came, and took the first turn I figured would head towards Wheeler Pass.......it all didn't look familiar to me, then I took another turn and the trail started to get narrower, rougher and less used. It was a fun trail though, deep, pebble sized rocks and gravel in a wash, so I had a blast gassing it around the corners, getting the bike sideways Here's where I had to stop, walk a little ways up to see what was ahead.....not good, it was not something to attempt by myself and figured it probably dead-ended anyway, so I had to turn around. Passed through a tight, narrow part where the canyon walls went straight up Got back out to the main dirt road, headed north and finally found Wheeler Pass road. Stopped at what remains of the old Charcoal Kilns, leftover from the mining days.... Too bad signs must be posted like this.....some people ruin it for everyone...... The road to Wheeler Pass is always fun, here's a bunch of photos at the pass I wanted to take a break, but it's always really windy at the pass.....I had to park the bike so the wind wouldn't blow it over. I continued on to a better spot for a break. Here, there was snow leftover on the east side of the pass The snowmelt created a stream running down the trail The east side of the pass is always rocky, this year was a bit rougher...I stopped to survey a washout below........from a distance, it looked pretty rough, but as I got up to it, there was another bypass around it Time for a break near Cold Creek, with awesome views of the mountains Ahhhh, cool & refreshing, reminded me of my Alaska Trip Heading towards the mountain community at Cold Creek, I saw 3 different herds of wild horses...... When I stopped for a photo of this herd, they got spooked and started galloping away from me Approaching the pavement, the sun was going down and I was treated to some awesome views of the sky, with the sun lighting up the desert around me, so I took a bunch of artsy-fartsy shots OK, enough with the bike posing ....here's just the mountains I wanted to do one more dirt loop, but it was getting dark, and for a change common sense kicked in...I remembered what can happen when I go for that last dirt loop at night by myself. So, from here I had to ride pavement all the way back, about 50 miles........but the dirt had made it all worth it !! It was a nice, little 140 mile ride. I'll be taking the bike up with me next week again to Vegas......perhaps I'll try the same loop backwards....it will be more challenging in the other direction !! There's a lot of great dirt riding around Vegas....and did I mention, I love my job ?!!

Day Seven - Last Day, Thursday June 2nd. After packing up the bike, I saw the motel owners outside. They had free continental breakfast out by the pool, donuts, pastries, fresh fruit and coffee. Mmmmm, just what I needed to start the day. I walked over and sat by the pool to eat. I saw this goat out back. He played a little game, digging at the ground with his feet and charging at me. Killer Attack Goat....... He was actually very friendly. Putting on my gear for the day's ride, a couple in the room next door came over to talk to me. They were from Sydney, Australia and told me about their 6 week trip through the United States. They said everyday got more spectacular with all the sites and places they were seeing. Man, you gotta love the US !! After riding a few hours of twisty pavement the day before, I was now in full-on street mode, since it would be pavement all the way home today. I left Squaw Valley and immediately hit some severely twisty, county roads. Sand Creek to Dry Creek to the 245, AWESOME roads !! From Exeter, I took J37 towards Springville, riding along the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada. When I ride pavement, I like to see signs like this. And this sign is even better !! On the Mighty 190 from Springville east to Camp Nelson. For anyone who's never ridden this road, we call it the MIGHTY 190 because it is over 20 miles of awesome riding; tight twisties along a river through a canyon, climbing into the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. It was damn hot on the 190. Stopped for this photo, thought this was an interesting contrast: a blooming cactus along the road, with the snow covered mountains in the background. Now, up high in the Sierra again, I stopped at the usual spot for refreshment, The Ponderosa. I think this sign sums up what to experience in the mountains.....except it left out the most important part...RIDING !! This bumper sticker pretty much sums up the attitude of many people who make a living from people recreating on public lands, especially motorized recreation.... Me again, Posing. The Ponderosa is For Sale, wish I could afford it. I rode more bitchin' twisties and dropped down to the road along the Kern River, which feeds Lake Isabella. I've never seen the river at this level before, due to all the snowmelt. In Kernville, I had to stop at "The Hut", a favorite watering hole while riding many dualsport rides in the area. The Harley guys seemed very interested in my bike. The road out of Kernville is a fun twisty along the shores of Lake Isabella. The lake was close to full capacity from all the snowmelt due to extra heavy precipitation in California last winter. On route 178 east, I opened the bike up to over 100mph to see how it handled with all the camping gear and panniers on it. So far on this trip, I hadn't gone that fast yet. The KTM handled fine. Later, when I stopped for gas in Inyokern, I looked at the rear TKC-80 tire and saw that I burnt up much of what was left on the rear knobs in that short, high speed run !! At the gas station, a guy on an FJR1300 pulls up and says, "Are you with the Iron Butt guys?" I said no. We talked for a few minutes. His name was Dave Hick, a long distance endurance rider. I had to get some photos of him and his bike. Dave on FJR. The extra gas tank on the tail section of his FJR. The cockpit with electronic devices all over it. I rode with Dave and his group down 395 until they branched off at Kramer Junction. Now I had to endure the long, straight, boring haul down 395 to I-15 back to San Diego. I had a goal of pulling into San Diego in time to attend our usual Thursday Bike Night. I made a call to a friend and found out it was at Ed's house (ShaftEd from ADVrider). I didn't even stop home first. I pulled into Ed's driveway at 7:15pm after 458 miles on the road, just in time for pizza !! I left Thursday Bike Night a week ago from Roger's house, and now was pulling in from my road trip to the next Bike night. My friends all thought that was way cool. After 7 days and 1811 miles, at Ed's house. What an awesome Adventure ride I had. Spectacular scenery, great riding, meeting lots of people, and no major problems. Even the few incidents I had added to the adventure. That's what it's all about !! There is so much to see in California, and I am addicted to the Sierra Nevada mountains. I only got to see a small part of what is there. Next time, I will go later in the year when there isn't as much snow. And all this is only a day's ride from San Diego, gotta love it !! Until next time..........THE END ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My other Sierra Trip Write-Ups: click on underlined link........ WMRSII Sierra Trip & ADVrider Gathering Memorial Weekend 2006 High Sierra Adventure