Jacumba ride

[Joliet 0]

Carguy thanks for leading yet another great ride. You are probably uploading pics as I am typing. This was one of the few times I have been riding that I didn't want the trail to be any tougher. I don't want to attempt anything more difficult until I get more familiar with my bike. There were 2 sections of this ride that I would rate 4 or most difficult. The bike did a great job regardless of how lame of a line I picked(some were pretty lame). There was one spot I didn't make it up when the back end went left and the front end went toward the edge. I decided on stalling it rather than risking a lifeflight. Thanks to Ste63 for helping push to a spot where I could get enough traction to continue.

Just like last week the weather was not too hot and not long after we started a nice breeze came up to help keep us cool and clear the trail of dust. There was just the 4 of us. Carguy, dirtdame, ste63 and myself.

We started just after 7 and finished just after 10:30. It was a pleasure to ride with you. 29 miles of great riding, leaky water pump seal and all. Ken

[dirt dame 561]

4:30 am came little too soon for me, this morning. I shut off the alarm and rolled over, thinking that if I could just have another five minutes, everything'd be okay. I opened one eye and spied the clock....Holy cow! It was now 5:15 and I had to leave the house in fifteen minutes to meet carguys gang at Valeros. No time for a proper breakfast...mixed up the instant breakfast and hopped into the car. Arrived at 7:00 sharp. Carguy, Joliet and Ste63 were all just about geared up and ready to go. I hurried off to the little adventure riders room for a pit stop and was soon geared up myself, then off we went, headed for who knows where, literally.

Carguy led us on an exploration tour. The morning was sunny and relatively cool for this time of year. We wended our way over hill and dale, poking around every little trail until each dead-ended, then we'd pick up another. A word of warning: DO NOT PET THE TREES. THEY BITE! I got a little too close to some of the scraggly little trees out there and found out that they weren't as scraggly as I thought. Rather, they were sort of solid, so I have new scrapes to add to my faded collection on both arms With just four of us on the trail and lots of rocky terrain, the dust wasn't too bad. Hooray for that!

Around mid-ride, we stopped for a moment and Carguy discussed the fine features of the rest of the trail that we were on. He said that once we got over the hill, that the trail was "straight down" to the end. At this point, I decided that it was time for my nap, so I bid the others farewell and stretched out in a cool, smooth depression in a huge boulder that was close to a good photo op of the guys when they returned.

By and by, I heard the rumble of bike engines in the distance, so I scrambled up onto a big rock and took some pics when the three riders came up. ( I still can't see a dang thing in the sunlight on the moniter of that little Kodak so you guys'll just have to wait for me to get better with guesswork when I am shooting pictures Still not ready to lug along the Nikon, but it would be easier to get good pix with.) I guessed from the conversation amongst them, that it was a pretty butt-kicking trail down the backside of that hill. Lazy Dirtdames need not apply

We then headed back, but Carguy had one more surprise for us(and for himself) a gnarley uphill, that bogged everybody down. It split into two tracks. I saw Carguy and Joliet just roosting rocks and sand, but not really moving over on the left and I saw Steve struggling near the top of the righthand track. I was already pointing to the right side so I gunned it and got a little over halfway up before I had to call for a tow truck. Steve and Joliet took the bike to the top of the hill for me. Thanks guys.

After we rested and all agreed that the hill was a bleep, we continued homeward. We got back to Valeros before eleven, everybody in good spirits and in one piece.

I would rate the ride as an intermediate or challenging ride, but nicely doable on small to medium sized machines, except for the two steep loose hills, which I would rate as difficult for all. There were rocks, ruts, steps and steep inclines mixing rocks with steps and switchbacks, cambered traverses, sand washes, sand washes with rocks and of course, trees (okay, they were bushes, but they were mean) that bite you if you get too close. It was about 28 miles of fun four-stroking.

Thanks, Carguy for leading us and thanks to Joliet and Steve coming along. Thanks too, to all for great company

 

 

[carguy 1]

It is interesting what a little thunder storm will do to a trail. I'm glad all had a great time. I even came home with prizes. The first is a 6" bruse with matching rasberry on top on my left arm, I guess that bush/tree won this time. The second was this cool Batman graffel hook gun I found out in the middle of, well you know.

Here are some more pics.

Here is Mimi showing off her battle wounds.

Thanks to all for another great ride and great friends.

Thanks Steve for helping get the Honda back on the trail.

[Ste63 0]

It was good riding with all of ya.. DirtDame, Joliet, Carguy

CarGuy thanks for leading the way, never know which trail may lead to the pot of gold unless you try them all.

I think the bushes reached out and touch all of us today. Fun place to ride mix terrain....

See ya next time...