BBLandcrab 0 Posted March 5, 2013 Time for my first SDAR post! This one just happens to be a Rider Write up about DD2013: This past weekend myself and a buddy took off to the amazing Anza Borrego State Park for some dual sport motorcycle fun. The annual event is called "the Desert Dash" (not to be confused with the trail run from Barstow to Vegas), staging at Butterfield RV Resort off S2 hwy in the low desert. The rain and snow (there was snow as low as 2000 ft) made for some of the best riding conditions I've encountered, the traction was so good you could pull wheelies without trying! My riding buddy, Big John, was also on an XR400 and knew the trails/GPS tracks we would be riding, but unfortunately he crashed around mile 61 after smacking a boulder w/ rear tire and went ass over teakettle. Fortunately, he was just a bit sore and shaken but otherwise okay. The bike, however, was another story....he couldn't move the kick starter through all the way since the foot peg had become wegged, so like with any good "trail fix", you find a big rock and start bashing it until it's straight...or breaks off, which was the case. So his ride was done, but we were able to get the bike bump-started on a little hill. I rode back with him to the street, luckily only a mile back, where he continued to Borrego Springs and back to camp. My journey continued! For another 170 miles! Not as hard as it sounds, but my butt tells a different story! The Saturday loop consisted of many fun features & factors...here is a summary of what was experienced: ~dropping the bike on the first rocky uphill, no biggie, but helped me realize I hadn't rode in months, in addition to having 18 lbs of air in rear tire....opps ~perfect traction from recent rain/snow=very little dust! Helps more than u would think! ~seeing snow in the desert at 2000 ft elevation ~the green hills, kinda rare for February. Even a few wildflowers were popping up.... ~the endless miles of high speed wash riding, also smooth from recent rains ~getting to finally ride Ocotillo Wells, amazing mud hills and tight twisty wash gullies, different from what I've ever seen ~missing every other big turn due to going too? fast and not looking down at my GPS enough, but loving getting to PASS the riders that caught up. It's not a race but dammit it sure feels like it sometime ~The Blue Angels flying in formation right above, they were practicing for the upcoming season. The rest of the riders fueling up at the Seely Market were treated to our own little private air show! Then they streaked by once more as I rode up the road, sweet! ~the smell of agriculture, the desert after a rain, but not the Salton Sea....phew ~riding amongst gigantic windmills near hwy 8/Ocotillo, the shadows...wow...an unexpected wonder ~lunch at Salton City, thanks to the fire dept for the burgers ~open road riding down Montezuma Grade and along S2. Sometimes the dirt isn't always the best place to be. This ride had a little more road and hwy than I like, but that is the only way to connect all these trails in such an immense area. They are called "dual sport bikes" after all.... ~Returning with several hours of daylight remaining! For Saturday, we left at 7:30am, I returned at 3:00pm (with John's 45 min trail fix). In comparison, the Big Bear Ride is around the same distance (200 miles) BUT took us over 12 hours of seat time to complete (6am-6:30pm)!! Anyone thinking of trying the Big Bear hardway challenge, it could easily be summed up to be 10 times harder than Desert Dash). SUNDAY: John was still sore, bike out of comiss, so I took around 8am to ride the 150 mile loop. This day had some interesting spots to tackle, with names like "The Squeeze" and "The Drop off". Oooo! Sounds fun alright. The beginning took the riders up to Pinyon Mtn Rd, a beautiful trail lined with Cholla cactus, more commonly known as the jumping cactus or teddy bear cactus. It's interesting to be zooming along knowing that if you slightly deviated from the track you would end up in a world of cactus-hurt...didn't happen luckily! Coming up to "The Squeeze and Dropoff"....oh that was easy! Amazing terrain but not as hard as one imagined. There was a fun little dry waterfall that some riders were stopped at, probably thinking "now how the hell are we supposed to get up that?" A few more seasoned riders made it look easy, which it was, these bikes are frickin' amazing, love these reminders! Didn't drop the bike once all day, got back to camp a little after 1pm. Got to visit my good buddy Mark, who runs the market at Aqua Caliente Hot Springs, 7 miles down the road. He had come by last night to attend the nice banquet, pork tenderloin, spinach salad, mashed potatoes, and the token product raffle. He won a SDAR shirt, now he can greet desert travelers seeking the best beer selection in the land with style! This ride is a ton of fun for the terrain, high speed wash riding, deep sand, amazing desert scenery and of course the people. Thanks to the San Diego Adventure Riders and their prez Randy L for putting together another success. I'll be back....and will try to stop and take pictures next time. BBLandcrab 03 Honda XR 400 beater Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 559 Posted March 5, 2013 Welcome to the forum, and glad to hear that you had such a great first adventure with the club! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BBLandcrab 0 Posted March 5, 2013 Thanks Mimi! These desert rides are going to be standard annual trip for sure. Maybe even spring for the double wide trailer next time so I have a bed to sleep on! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ADV Bum 205 Posted March 5, 2013 Nice talking with you. Glad you enjoyed yourself and finally made it over to the site. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCHWINN 0 Posted March 5, 2013 No pics = NFG :rolleyes:/> :coolio:/> :heh:/> We also need a update on our good friend Johnny Bags...He was looking really sore hanging around my camp Sunday Morning as I was getting ready to leave. Great write up btw. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BBLandcrab 0 Posted March 5, 2013 Thanks, need to recount the ups and down to keep the memory sharp! John had some nice bruises on his side, nothing a little rest couldn't help. He's back to work and everything. camera shutter on my phone is dun stuck=no frickin' pics' damn it Here's one from another time another desert Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MotoMike 0 Posted March 6, 2013 Great summary of the DD2013, this was my first time through and much like you have vivid memories of those same spots and events. My ride started as a solo ride because my riding partner fractured his leg two weeks prior. Fortunately I was able to meet up with Ken and Kendall who were willing to allow me to tag along in their group, thanks to them I had a really great ride and experience. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BBLandcrab 0 Posted March 9, 2013 Great summary of the DD2013, this was my first time through and much like you have vivid memories of those same spots and events. My ride started as a solo ride because my riding partner fractured his leg two weeks prior. Fortunately I was able to meet up with Ken and Kendall who were willing to allow me to tag along in their group, thanks to them I had a really great ride and experience. I try to go and do a write up email to my moto friends a day or two after the ride to keep it fresh! Glad you had fun out there Mike. Hope to meet/ride with y'all in person. If you're not already, think about riding the Big Bear Run in late June. Big Bear is more than just Chris Dorner's former hideout, it's a wealth of amazing diverse mtn and high dez terrain. At the moment it's all covered in a foot+ of fresh snow from yesterday...Tom E and I may get a chance to try out his new "EXPLORER" snow track kit that he's bolted onto his WR450 dual sport. Pics to come... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
