DigDug

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Ranger's a great little trail. It's nice to see something out there that hasn't been worked over by quads, Trails Unlimited guys, etc. Like I said in the other thread, that trail will make me want to go back to Corral more often - something new! let me know when the maintenance days are, I'd be glad to help! I arrived about 15 minutes late, forgetting to anticipate the nastiness that is the I-15 southbound in the morning. The guys were already gone. I got suited up and headed up over Bronco Peak to see if I could see/hear them or perhaps hear them on the radios. Nothing. I didn't know if they were on Ranger, but figured they'd for sure be beyond the halfway point, so I tried to catch them there. Thanks to SteelRain and Bikeslut for a great weekday few-hours of riding!

OK.. you twisted my arm. I'll ride. (That wasn't hard, was it?) :) I was just thinking about a ride tomorrow. I threw some new water pump seals in the 450 (it was weeping a bit) and ran it for a couple heat cycles - looks good. I still want to get a test run in before heading up to the north to the Bass Lake event on Thrusday. Corral sounds perfect! I'm off all week long and itching for a ride! I think I'll just head up to Bobcat Campground though, rather than parking at the Kernan crossing - easier to head back to the truck for water/snacks/trailside repairs/etc. I liked the one spot with the picnic table - A little shade to get set up in and relax between rides. Black Chevy Diesel pickup with Louisiana plates. KTM-450. I ran Ranger on Monday afternoon with Beezzz, so I can find the entrance (tricky little bugger to find, thanks Beezzz!!). Great trail by the way - makes me want to hit Corral more often! By the way - a high of 76 for Pine Valley according to the Weather Channel! Everyone get out there and ride if you can!

I'm actually headed out there right now. I wanted to check out the new trail since I haven't ridden it yet. I'll swing by, say hello, and maybe tag along on a loop with you guys.

Sorry.. I left town for a trip on early Monday morning. Still haven't downloaded the photos - I'll have to do that when I get back. Long story short - got the plaque - 10 hours on the trail (including 20 minutes before the first gas stop helping a rider change a tire - guy didn't have irons, spare tube, pump, or even a wrench). Lots of plaque earners, I think it was the easiest route they've put together that I've run. This was the year for you guys to go for it!!! The guys put on a first class event as usual!

Safe passing is going to be your word against his. I suppose you could ask him what specifically he saw you do that he felt was unsafe? If they were earplugs and not headphones, I think that's a bogus ticket... CA DMV SITE LINK Plugs would seem to fall under exception (d) (in bold). I know the AMA has done A LOT of work on earplug laws - knowing that plugs are very crucial at protecting riders' hearing. Might want to check with their legal department if you're a member. That's what you pay them for every year.

What's the latest plan for this ride? I'm doing the Stewards of the Sierra benefit ride 9 - 12 July and was toying with the idea of hitting your ride the days prior. I'd probably go up on Monday, the 5th, ride with the gang through early Thursday, the 8th - then head into town to do some laundry and work my way closer to Bass Lake to meet up with Crawdaddy and gang Friday. I'd probably just tent it rather than drag the toyhauler all the way up to Bass Lake and then over to Sacramento for a meeting I need to attend the week after. Who's in so far? I'm not a definite - depends on how my bike fares this weekend in Big Bear mostly - I'm out of town next week so won't have much time for repairs prior to Bass Lake - so that week may be maintenance week for me!

Great pictures Randy!!! You're going to tempt me into a ride here, aren't you?

Slow day at work. I just scanned a few manuals for these trailers, and EVERY ONE say that the child must wear a helmet. Yeah, I know... CYA and laywers and stuff, but it would seem to imply that the manufacturers don't think that the rollcage/restraint does enough to prevent head injuries. You might want to re-check your manual and see if it has a simliar warning. LINK TO ONE MANUAL (See warning on page 13) Just do it man.. even if weren't the law - it makes sense. I'm sure you love your kid and want to see them grow up to be a happy, healthy adult.

Google Search Link It's also a good idea as well as instilling good habits in your kid at an early age...

Thanks for a great ride Ken... That was a good day on the mountain. 75 degress, light breeze, blue skies... Perfect! If it weren't for all the Jeeps, we'd be set! Out of Pinnacles, we hit a few of the OHV trails we don't normally run, good trails with a nice flow. Down to Devil's Hole to check it out. Not too bad, a just over knee deep. Here I am navigating the easier line: Ken decided to go straight for it. Deeper water, but no turns: Which resulted in a little pushing and wheel spinning: Ken on the singletrack after Devil's Hole: From there we headed over and up white mountain. Our first encounter with trying to bounce off Jeeps on the trail: Up to the top, and we took a short (ok, longer) break to wait for a group of probably 20-25 Jeeps to crawl their way up the trail we wanted to ride. View from the top: Me posing for a shot over the valley: Ken on a loose, rocky section: Me taking a shot at a loose, rocky, steep climb.. There's a bypass, but it was too tempting not to try it out: From there we worked our way down and over to John Bull. That's where we got to log some "butt sitting" time. There must have been some Jeep trail run and these guys WOULD NOT stop to let us by... So we had to wait for the group of 25 or so to pass, then skirt by only to run into another group. Ahh well.. we got some good rest time I suppose! Down John Bull and into town for gas and water. From there, we pretty much decided to ride the fire-roads back to Pinnacles. Great ride Ken! Thanks for keeping me company and driving...

www.usstandardissue.com You have to fax (or scan) a copy of your military or government ID, then they'll create an account for you so you can log on and see the prices. Good service and pretty good prices. I just wish they had riding goggles on that site!!!

So.. that's why you never fall over huh??? :lazy: :lazy:

Before I went to tubliss, I ran opposing rimlocks so I didn't have to have a gob of lead on the rim every tire change. Worked great! I built a balancer using a couple pieces of aluminum stock and a pair of skateboard bearings for each support - c-clamp the supports to a pair of jackstands, and voila! I just use the bike's axle to support the wheel. I bought a couple of packages of those stick on lead weights by mail a few years back - clean the rim with alcohol and they'll stick great. LIKE THESE I was in Harbor Freight the other day and they had similar weights there so I didn't have to order them! They're CA legal (no lead) so they're bigger than the out-of-state ones - but seem to work ok (even if they are ugly). I agree.. it's so much nicer to ride a bike with balanced tires at speed!!! Especially on the pavement...

Should be a beautiful weekend up on the mountain (sunny and a high of 75 at Arrowhead). Joliet and I are planning on heading up tomorrow and doing a little mountain riding. Plan is to stage from Pinnacles and ride some of the Pinnacles 50 stuff in reverse (to check out Devil's Hole) as well as explore a few more trails up there. I'll have to sit down this afternoon after work and put a loop together. This is an intermediate-to-advanced ride. Again not to scare anyone, just know what you're getting into. Right now, we're planning on meeting at the Deer Springs Park-n-ride on the west side of I-15, just north of Escondido and ready to roll by 7am - Google Maps Link Here It's about a two hour drive so that'll put us up there and riding by 9:30 or so. You'll also need an Adventure Pass to park up there. If anyone wants to meet up at the Pinnacles staging area, here are the directions: •Drive north on I-15 to I-215 (don't miss the exit in Riverside to stay on I-215). •Drive north on I-215 to Highway 210. •Go east on Highway 210 to SR 18 (Waterman Avenue) in San Bernardino. Exit the freeway and turn left (north). •Drive north on SR 18 up the mountain to Daley Canyon Road about 5.5 miles east of the Crestline SR 138 turnoff. Turn left (north) on Daley Canyon Road. Note your odometer and go as follows: •At 0.5 mile, junction with SR 189. Turn left. •At 0.8 mile, fork. Go right and then immediately left onto Grass Valley Road. •At 2.8 miles, fork with Grass Valley Road on the left. Turn left. •At 5.3 miles, intersection with SR 173. Turn left. •At 5.5 miles, intersection with Pilot Rock Road (2N33). Keep going straight. •Continue on SR 173 about 0.7 mile to the entrance of a rifle range. Just past the rifle range, take a right on Willow Creek Jeep Trail (dirt road). Pinnacles staging area is on your right a couple hundred yards down. GPS coordinates for the entrance to Pinnacles Staging Area: N 34° 17.89' W 117° 11.98' Who's in?

I remember watching you kick, and kick, and kick that thing at Sandy Valley, after lunch on the LAB2V ride two years ago!!!

Quote from the article: So according the the police, drifting over the line for whatever reason and taking someone else's life is not negligence? The definition of negligence according to this link: Legal Definition of Negligence Was she negligent? Who knows what Benson County's definition of negligence is however. I suspect the real damages will come from the civil suit of the survivor... Unfortunately, whatever happens, nobody wins here. I can only pray that I'm never on either side of this type of situation.

Nooooo!!!! 4 is no longer a single-track???? These guys totally reworked Kernan (not our portion of it) a year or so ago - made it soooo much easier!!! I know they're just trying to help, but 4 was in GREAT shape.. I wonder what work they thought they needed to do???? Somebody needs to keep these Trails Unlimited guys in check a little I think - and away from trails 9 and 7... Leave us something challenging to ride out there. I guess we have the new trail....

You guys trying to jinx me? I've got over 8000 miles on my first plastic skid plate. Never zip-tied or safety wired it (I'll probably lose it on the next ride - I guess I better grab a zip tie and not tempt fate!). I prefer the plastic over the aluminum - I've seen aluminum plates bend when coming down on a rock, interfering with the operation of the shifter, break, etc.. Then having to be bent back, etc. If anyone has abused a skid plate by kissing it off a few rocks, I'd say I'm a prime candidate!

Well, we wound up with three riders at Deer Springs - PastaPilot, smdave, and me. We headed up there to Pinnacles and quickly got ready. Great group of riders and a fun pace. Not many pictures though - we were too busy riding! The weather was a little warm. When we stopped for lunch, the thermometer at the sandwich place in Big Bear City was showing almost 90! Not too bad as long as we kept moving. Off on the normal OHV trails from Pinnacles. That's where we ran into our first trail 'closure' (not official, just Mother nature): We decided not to blaze off the trail and just to drag the bikes under the log: Well, that was fun. I suppose we should have just taken an alternate route, but call us stubborn! All three under the log - off we went. Making good time all the way up Dishpan Springs and to the start of Redonda Ridge. No need for a stop at Crab Flats, we headed off on Redonda. Great time! We were keeping up a good pace until our first bit of snake bite happened. PastaPilot was working his way up one of the rocky gullies and decided to test the strength of his front caliper bracket - the rock won... So we stopped, he pulled the caliper off and wrapped a power-bar wrapper around the end of the line to keep the dust out and zip tied it off to keep it in place. Like a trooper, he continued the ride without a front brake! Luckily, I had a zip tie for him to use - unfortunately, it only comes in KTM orange! Done with Redonda, we headed over and climbed White Mountain. We made pretty good time there too. I must say - I was very impressed with the Tubliss setup! Running 8 psi in the rear and 10 psi in the front, the tires stuck - but more importantly, they tracked so stable. No deflecting off the rocks or back end jumping around. I'm sure it's a combination of the tubliss, low pressures, and the trials tires, but I'm sold! I was having such a good time that I took one of the more challenging side trails, got stopped in a dusty, loose section, then just simply clutched my way up the loose stuff - tire grabbing surprisingly well. Pasta saw and decided to follow - he made it up also, but dropped the bike at the top. Bending the radiator guard into the fan, causing it not to be able to spin. Here's Pasta trying to bend the guard back: No luck.. the fan wasn't going to work. He decided to continue, keeping an eye on the temps. Views from White Mountain: After White Mountain, we rode a bunch of fire roads over to John Bull. The log on John Bull is there, but enough Jeeps have driven over it to mash it down. No pictures, we were sneaking by some off-roaders and didn't want to stop. Down John Bull and over and to the pavement via Jacoby Canyon. Just moving along. Into Big Bear for gas and lunch. At lunch, Pasta decided he didn't want to continue to subject his bike to the slow, technical riding ahead and bailed to the pavement. smdave and I headed over and up Gold Mountain. Nothing significant to report. smdave crossing "Carl's Diner" on Gold Mountain: A few fire-roads working our way back towards Delamar. We did that fun little twisty section through the boulders near the Holcomb campground. I took a wrong right turn and stumbled across this cool mine! Down the fast fire road and the right turn towards Delamar. Winding our way through the trees, getting psyched up for the loose dusty climb, we made the final hard left to head up and were greeted with this: Delamar is now closed!!!!! It'll be interesting to see what loop they put together for two weeks from now with all the closures up there. So we looped back and headed up the road from Fawnskin - Thanks dsfox for letting us know it's open. We were hoping to take one last hard section before working our way back to Pinnacles, but it was closed too! Holcomb Creek: At least this one is just a gate. It looks like there are some tracks heading down that way, so maybe they're in the process of cleaning it up. It's a pretty well used (well it used to be until they closed it for the fires like three years ago) Jeep trail, and it seems that their pull is greater than the dual-sport pull up there, so it'll probably open up again once it's cleaned. Dejected, we decided to continue up to Big Pine Flats and ride Redonda in the reverse direction. Just two of us, so we kept a good pace. 30 minutes from start to finish! (yeah, I know that's the easy direction.. ) At that point, it was getting late, and we decided to bail to the pavement and head back to the trucks. Back at the trucks with 120 miles under our belts, I'd say it was a great day!!! Thanks to Pasta and smdave for tagging along. I hope your bike is back on it's 'feet' soon Pasta!!!

Dishpan Springs... Winter has been kinda cruel on that section of the trail - makes it a challenge!!! Sounds like you guys had quite the ride! You'll have to check the maps and see what the status is of that road. With roads being closed left and right, we need to make sure the open ones stay opened!!!

Looks like a good weekend to head up the mountain into the relatively cool air! A couple of us are planning on hitting the Pinnacles area on Saturday for a little pre-running. I'm thinking about hitting the usual loop, but in reverse. OHV trails, Devil's Hole (if it's crossable), the singletrack up then up White Mountain. From there, continuing on over the northern side of the mountain and hitting John Bull, Gold Mountain, etc... gassing up and working our way back via stuff like Delamar and Redonda downhill. I'll have to sit down and cut-and-paste some tracks and see what I can figure out - I'll post them here when I get something worked out. This is an intermediate-to-advanced ride. Again not to scare anyone, just know what you're getting into. I'd also like to cover quite a few miles - so, while we don't plan on riding extremely fast, we do want to keep moving. Plated bikes required. Right now, we're planning on meeting at the Deer Springs Park-n-ride on the west side of I-15, just north of Escondido and ready to roll by 7am - Google Maps Link Here It's about a two hour drive so that'll put us up there and riding by 9:30 or so. You'll also need an Adventure Pass to park up there. Here's a set of GPS tracks for the ride in gdb format: big_bear_05_jun_10.gdb These are just a starting point, and I'm hoping everything is open - but we'll flex as needs be (that's half the fun!) ----------------------------------------------------- If anyone wants to meet up at the Pinnacles staging area, here are the directions: •Drive north on I-15 to I-215 (don't miss the exit in Riverside to stay on I-215). •Drive north on I-215 to Highway 210. •Go east on Highway 210 to SR 18 (Waterman Avenue) in San Bernardino. Exit the freeway and turn left (north). •Drive north on SR 18 up the mountain to Daley Canyon Road about 5.5 miles east of the Crestline SR 138 turnoff. Turn left (north) on Daley Canyon Road. Note your odometer and go as follows: •At 0.5 mile, junction with SR 189. Turn left. •At 0.8 mile, fork. Go right and then immediately left onto Grass Valley Road. •At 2.8 miles, fork with Grass Valley Road on the left. Turn left. •At 5.3 miles, intersection with SR 173. Turn left. •At 5.5 miles, intersection with Pilot Rock Road (2N33). Keep going straight. •Continue on SR 173 about 0.7 mile to the entrance of a rifle range. Just past the rifle range, take a right on Willow Creek Jeep Trail (dirt road). Pinnacles staging area is on your right a couple hundred yards down. GPS coordinates for the entrance to Pinnacles Staging Area: N 34° 17.89' W 117° 11.98' Who's in?

I'll be there. If anyone is planning on going and is going to be late, my cell # is in the member's only section. Maybe we'll run into Hoss and crew up there!

Ahh.. yeah. Bellyache Springs (that cool singletrack), and lots of fire road (Clark's Grade). Fun stuff... If you do it, you'll have to let us know how the singletrack suvived the winter! I'm hoping our group is at Pinnacles just before 9 and riding by 9:15 or 9:30. Sounds like you might be ahead of us.

I'm trying to remember which ones those were... The rocky climbs near the green cabin? Then the river bottom with the huge boulders? Or are you talking about Oxygen Hill? I was on autopilot at that point...