cattledog

Hello Schwinn, I don't think we have met but I wanted to wish you luck. One of my family members fought off a form of blood cancer, eventually underwent a stem cell transplant and is in great health now almost 7 years later. Her road to recovery was long and tough but not without some good (some great) times along the way. It will be like putting sand back in a bottle one grain at a time as you work to build back your strength after each round of treatment. How did all the sand end up on the beach anyway? One grain at a time... Keep up the fight! Everyone here is pulling for you. Chris

Hi there, We left San Diego early on a Friday, and arrived in Ajo by mid afternoon. We got our permit from the Ranger station there, camped outside of town and then headed out on the Camino Diablo early Saturday morning. We camped at the Cabana (mid way point) on Saturday night then rode the rest of the way out to Yuma and then on to San Diego on Sunday. You must arrive in Ajo well before the ranger station closes to get the required permits. It is possible to buy the permits ahead of time; and that would be the best plan. You also need to have a 6 ft pole with a red flag on top before they will issue you a permit. My pole broke a few miles into the ride and I never looked back. I would ride my 990 again but this trail would be more fun on a smaller bike at least for me. Maybe something creative could be done with two trucks. I don't think riding the Diablo twice in one trip would be very fun - too tiring! Please research this ride carefully before you consider going. We never had any problems but there are plenty of articles about this being a dangerous area etc. There were border patrol vehicles all over the area last time I rode it. In fact, an armored border patrol vehicle idled all night long about 500 ft from our campsite maybe keeping an eye on us overnight. I thought the agents out there were friendly and they told us there had been no recent problems. Chris p.s. Sounds good KKUG. We have spoken on the phone once before!

Hello, Anyone interested in riding the Camino Del Diablo sometime in March? I did it last year in Feb as a three day trip. I rode my KTM 990 and my friend was on a GS800. There is probably over 75 miles of sand and the path we followed is about 120 miles of dirt end to end. Its a great ride if you like to get completely off the beaten path. You have to have a permit to do this ride which you can obtain on the Ajo, AZ or Yuma side. I am flexible on the date and I would also consider riding my 450 (haul the 450 out there lol) on this instead of the larger bike. There are a few ride reports over on Advrider.com for this area; just google "Camino Del Diablo motorcycles" and you will see at least one decent report with plenty of pictures. This trail was closed to motorcycles until about 2 years ago. My thought is that they might close it again if anyone gets seriously hurt out there, so if you are interested in riding this area you might want to check it out sooner rather than later. I also think this ride would be best in terms of safety with three people. The terrain on this ride is pretty flat but you need to be very comfortable riding confused and deep sand, and even possibly deep mud (if there has been bad weather). I attached a few pictures from last year. The "cabana" is at the half way point (about 50 miles in) and water is available there. One of the neat things about this ride is the isolation - there are many areas where there is no sign of human activity out to the horizon in all directions. Chris aka Cattledog

Sonora Pass is beautiful to ride across. Tioga pass is fantastic too of course. Some mountain passes are not open by June 1 each year - check out this page- http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/clsdlst.htm

Don't want you guys to feel ignored- this ride was last weekend- note the dates in the original posts. Take care, Chris

Awesome- I was probably going to go alone even if no one bit here! Cool - guess I will probably ride my 450 then. I will pm my tele to anyone that wants to join us. Chris

Anyone interested in making a quick run through Grapevine Canyon and maybe Culp as well on Sunday? I would probably ride my KTM 450 but would be happy to make it a big bike ride if that fits better for anyone. I am an intermediate level rider and am flexible on route and pace. My bikes have decent knobs on them and I am comfortable riding in sand. Just want to ride! We could meet in Santa Ysabel (Dudley's) at 9am. Pm me or respond in this thread if there is any interest.

Nice pictures!

Maybe consider riding some areas around Phoenix. Plenty to see around there and maybe also head out to Tuscon or even Bisbee etc. Definitely gets cold out there this time of year but you can gear up for it. Are you camping? Get a Kifaru setup if you are. Give the Phoenix and or Tuscon area riders a shout in the region specific routes at Advrider.com.

For now I plan to ride my big adventure bike there and back. If anyone wants to truck out there I would be fine with that as well and then I would ride my plated 450. I would still like to cover alot of miles even if I end up on the smaller bike. I just don't like riding my 450 on the freeway for long distances. Chris

Anyone interested in a five day ride that begins with a single day haul from San Diego to the Flagstaff AZ area? I would like to leave early on the morning of Weds the 11th and return by sundown on Sunday. Northern Arizona weather is usually fantastic this time of year. North of Flagstaff you will see plenty of Indian ruin sites and the expansive “Navajo Nation.” We could stop by the Grand Canyon for a quick look as well. The Navajo Nation, what is that? Its a 26,000 square mile region of the US with portions of its land split across three different states. Its region of the US that doesn't seem to be affected much by what happens on the outside. Here are some links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo_Nation <-[Great riding shots up toward monument valley in this one- this is not my video btw]http://www.navajocentral.org/faq2indx.htm I would prefer to ride out there but would could truck my plated 450 out there if that fits better with others. About my only “requirement” is that I really prefer to camp. I can help out with any gear you might need and I probably wouldn’t argue about a hotel maybe on the last night!!! There are plenty of places to rough camp in Northern AZ. Campgrounds are fine with me but I would also like to get some remote camping in as well. Interestingly there is no alcohol allowed in the Navajo Nation so be aware of that. I probably ran about 70/30 dirt / asphalt on my last trip to the area. We wouldn’t do anything “hard core” in terms of dirt as I would be travelling fully self contained with all my camping gear. I don’t have a defined itinerary for the ride other than the departure and return dates. Cattledog Chris

I rode to Tombstone AZ with Tom recently. He is a very experienced rider and I learned alot from him. I have ridden a fair amount myself but never had a flat tire before out on the trail. Tom helped me change the front tube on my bike and I'm not completely sure I could have done it without his help. Part of the problem was that I have a very stiff and tough front tire on my bike, a Conti-TKC80. Tom had about a dozen tricks up his sleeve to get the job done just right. Importantly, he was happy to share his knowledge and experience with me so I will have an easier time with this task "next time." Chris

Hello, I will PM my contact details to you shortly. Sunday or Monday return is fine with me for the return. I'm on a KTM 990 Adv. How about you? It would be great if anyone else would like to join us. I would split fuel expense if someone wants to truck bikes out there etc. I would also be happy to bring a smaller bike (if we truck out there) if that fits better for others. Chris

I might be able to go next Friday the 28th. When were you planning to come back? Riding back on Sunday afternoon ot Monday morning would work for me. Chris Ktm adv Ktm exc

Sounds like a great ride. Chris