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Goofy Footer

SDAR Goes to Death Valley - March 2014

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I'll post more pictures and a write up later but I just wanted to give a big shout out and say thanks to everybody who came this past weekend - it was great meeting and riding with you all. It was a birthday weekend for me and the first overnight multiday ride that I've done in a while. It was good to blitz some high desert two track, dodge mudholes amongst the pine trees and cruise sub sea level desert roads.

Special thanks to CableJockey, Hodnetjj and 1NaAdv for their help with my dualsport kit wiring gremlins - story and tow pictures coming soon!

Hodnetjj and I visited Baker Ranch - Charlie Manson's hideout on Saturday

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Post your pictures and ride reports in this thread - I want to see them!

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Tim I had no idea it was your birthday, so happy belated! Thanks for the invite and hosting. Next time I need to try some of your cooking. I didn't take a lot of pics but I'll post some up later.

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All packed (overpacked) up for my first road trip on the Tiger. Check out my wood! :heh:
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Arrival at camp with Vacman on his GS1150
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Dinner with the SDAR crew
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Overlooking the valley on our way up Hunter Mt
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PMB photobomb at the racetrack
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Here's what happens when you hit a sharp rock at 90 in the desert. 606 got me back to camp even with the flat!

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Super jealous. I have some leave coming up in a month, maybe I'll do a solo trip up there if the BritBike holds together.

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Two days of riding is just scratching the surface. I'm ready to go again.

The view from my bed in the trailer. Not a bad way to wake up.

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Glad you guys had a great trip. Hopefully Eric was paying attention the last time I showed him how to repair a flat tire...

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He knocked it out in no time. I barely had time to finish my beer while I provided moral support.

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Glad you guys had a great trip. Hopefully Eric was paying attention the last time I showed him how to repair a flat tire...

Yes, and luckily I didn't break the bead the "easy" way you did last time! :coolio:

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Great time! Thanks goofy. Nice to meet everybody and put faces to screen names.

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He knocked it out in no time. I barely had time to finish my beer while I provided moral support.

Your supervisory skills are very similar to PMB's. I'm glad you guys were there for my boy.

Glad you guys had a great trip. Hopefully Eric was paying attention the last time I showed him how to repair a flat tire...

Yes, and luckily I didn't break the bead the "easy" way you did last time! :coolio:

Well, not everyone can dismount a tire while they are actually riding their bike like I can. But if you practice really hard, maybe some day you will be able to too...

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Hodnetjj and I carpooled to DV and arrived Thursday night just after CableJockey had arrived. We hit up Stater Bros in Adelenta for some supplies - that place is a circus I wish on no one. We ran into a 70s RV with furry pink shag interior and a big 40th birthday party crew on their way to a "ski in - ski out" cabin on Mammoth for some snowboarding. The RV was their Burning Man rig, it was pretty sweet except 4mpg lol. I was thinking of taking the DR but decided on the DRZ as the big bike had too many mods to undertake before it was ready. I rode the DRZ around town testing the lights and carb before I slapped the big tank on it and loaded it up.

Friday rolls around, the bikes are gassed and everybody is geared to go. I flip the key, press the magic button and.......

Melted wires. Exposed wires. This is good.. The Baja Designs DS kit is a huge mess of wires and gunk.

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Here is Hodnetjj happy to help. Hodnetjj and CableJockey immediately dove into the Baja Designs wiring harness - they were awesome and started fixing some visible issues (I'm wiring clueless). CableJockey did his screen name proud - he had tools in his rig that most don't have at their shop (even some I'd never seen - way cool)! After a few hours of tinkering and baking in the sun they got the DRZ fired back up! I had been ready to load the bike and drive back to San Diego but Cable Jockey and Hodnetjj totally saved my bike and my weekend! This issue could have come up while on the trail or during one of my solo rides and I would have been seriously effed. I couldn't have had a better time for an electrical issue considering these guys were there to help -- Thank You guys!!

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One thing I like about PSR is that it has better access to dirt trails compared to some of the other campsites in DV. We climbed up the twisties and onto Saline Valley Road.

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Stopped at the turnoff for Lippencott Rd which we took to climb to the Racetrack Playa

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Climbing Lippencott (this image might be sideways, I'll blame it on the steep climb..)

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Hodnetjj in action

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Bubbagums

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It is a pretty fun climb and was in great condition to blast up

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Mysterious moving rocks along the Playa

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Teakettle Junction. Apparently the huge collection of Teakettles is now in a museum/display so bring one next time you go!

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My America! DRZ

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We looped through Hunter Mtn on the return to PSR. I had never taken Hunter and it was awesome! Here is flexfab running through the snow and dodging mud holes

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More pics and electrical drama to come!

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I got there late Fri night. This was my view while eating cereal in the morning.

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DAY 1

Sat morning there was a big group that started out. Two guys bailed early when we got into the sand and rocks. I believe the gs1200 and the husky 630 bailed. Later the rest of the big bikes went looking for more speed and less rocks.

Bubbagums, Flexfab, Cablejockey and I went looking for some mines.

The start

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As we went deeper into the canyon.

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It was a nice cabin. It was very well maintained. Stocked with all kinds of supplies.

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Nice views. Long way to nothing.

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As we went deeper into the canyon the fun began .....

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We turned the corner of the canyon and found a mine. We did not explore this one (dont know why).

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We ended up exploring the mine above it. The opening is where Cablejockey parked.

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I think we ended going back into the mine about 400+ ft

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We found some critters hanging out!

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Then they were asking us to leave.

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We found this ladder that goes to god knows where. It went way the heck back there.

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It was a fantastic day of exploring.

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We took some more trails out and rode back to camp to end the day.

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DAY 2

Sunday Goofyfooter, Hodnetjj, Bubbagums, 1naadv and I headed out. We headed out towards Darwin and then places unkown.

This was a mine that was high up on the hill. Like usual the picture does not show how high it was.

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The trails were some sand and some slot canyons. I cant believe they called it a road. I should of taken pictures of some crashes, but I was scouting to make sure the trail went some where.

What ride with Goofyfooter is complete without a electrical gremlin. Bike died.

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It was decided to tow it out.

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I wanted to get some action shots as we headed back

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I dont know if Goofy was giving the SDAR salute or expressing his feelings about the paparazzi

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I guess they crashed pretty good while towing. I missed it as I hurried back to the camp to grab my truck. After the crash they found the broken wire and fixed the bike and rode it back to camp.

We hung out and had lunch at the camp.

The only two riders left were 1naadv and myself.

We did an evening ride out Saline valley to Hunter mtn.

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That ride was nice as we entered a different habitat up in the upper elevations.

DAY 3

Sun morning we got up to leave. All packed and ready to drive out 1naadv noticed his rear tire was flat. We changed the tube and discovered that what had flattened his tire was a normal tiny staple. I dont know what tire he was using but it must of been soft like butter to let that staple go through the Knobbie and get the tube. His first tube change.

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We left DV and headed back home

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I dont know if Goofy was giving the SDAR salute or expressing his feelings about the paparazzi

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Official Nominee - SDAR 2014 Pic of the Year

I'd like to note that the DRZ made it home under its own power. Hodnetjj and 1NaAdv performed one of the best SDAR trailside repairs that I've seen - major props to them for getting my bike running again. When it fired back up I hopped on and blitzed the remaining wash - I thought I was going to blow a berm and launch into the Joshua Trees I was so excited the bike was running again.

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AdvBum and 1NaAdv - I'm glad to see you made it up Saline and to Hunter Mtn, that is definitely a nice high elevation run. How was the mud? Had it dried up?

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AdvBum and 1NaAdv - I'm glad to see you made it up Saline and to Hunter Mtn, that is definitely a nice high elevation run. How was the mud? Had it dried up?

Mud was still there. Lots of snow on the ground. We stopped at a campsite on Hunter mtn and scouted around. Lots of different tracks. The temps dropped quick. I was glad I carried the jacket with me.

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Hmmmm, That link sends you to my photobucket site rather than playing the video. I'm not doing something right. Any ideas?

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Glad you guys had fun....always an adventure at death valley, and you just can't see it all in one weekend, or a whole week even...'it has a strange charm....I love my annual trip there every january.

props for going "up" lippencot.....going down exciting enough.

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Try right clicking on the pic, then click open

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