Corral Canyon

[dirt dame 561]

So....I have been waiting for this day to come. Last time I got to ride out in this area was on our super duper Club August night ride, and that was just on the east side of Kernan and then Bear Valley road.

The morning was cool and bright. A small crowd had gathered at the Pine Valley exit, including myself, Papaalex, Paul, Trashman and his friend on the Honda. We waited a few minutes to see if anybody else was going to show, but nobody did, so off we went. Bear Valley road was nice and tacky, with a bit of snow patches here and there further up and some ice puddles as well. It seemed like we were off to a jolly start, but somewhere up the road Trashmans clutch took a poop, much as mine did on the Husky back in August where all the fluid leaked out of the master cylinder. As luck would have it, I had grabbed the little toolbag for this ride, so the nearest Magura Blood was back at the jeep in the staging area. Sonny didn't want to hold up the ride, and so declined the offer to go back and get fluid. He and his honda friend headed back to the vehicles. That left Alex and Paul to for me to torture with rock infested hillsides.

We headed out to Long Valley Loop road and took a detour on a scenic side road, then headed down Kernan trail. It was in pretty good shape; the rains hadn't washed out any parts of it. I had been leading, but when we got to the rockiest section near the bottom, I pulled over to let the boys go past, while I made a more timid assault with my TE. It had been a long time....

I hurried to catch up, only to find that Papaalex had performed another one of his fantastic, drastic mystery crashes. I am always so surprised by these feats that I keep forgetting to take pictures when I see them. I am not sure what happened (as usual) but it appeared that Alex had somehow let go of his machine over a runoff hump a.k.a. a jump. He was somewhere just below the jump, wiping the mud of his buns and the poor EXC had kept going and burrowed itself into some thick cover and came to rest at about a 35 degree angle. Paul and I set about to drag the branch forniscued machine out from its hidey hole. After we made sure that Alex and his bike were both fit to go on, we proceeded down to the road, crossed it and went up the clubs adapted stretch of Kernan.

After reaching four corners, we took some interior trails to Corral Canyon campground, took a break and then headed up Spur Meadow trail on our way to the Los Pinos fire lookout tower. The ranger invited us up into the tower and chatted with Paul and me for a while. It was cozy digs, but the ranger seemed kinda lonesome for company. It was a great view of the countryside from up there. I hadn't been up to the place since the 80s and enjoyed my revisit. Alex was feeling some soreness from his flying w escapade, so he passed on the climb up three flights of stairs and found himself a rock near the bikes to view the scenery from. After we departed from there, it was down the paved road, back to four corners and back down Kernan. By now, there were other riders on the trail, and as usual, they were moving pretty fast. I almost had a head-on with one near the road crossing. It was getting a trifle chilly, late as well and we were all pretty well used up by then, so we made our way back up the north-west side of Kernan, this time with no misadventures, and hurried back to the cars. It was my first time actually going up Kernan on the Husqvarna and I did okay. I actually liked it better than coming down the trail. I've ridden that trail dozens and dozens of times over the years, but the Husky is the tallest and HEAVIEST machine that I have taken on it, so that is why I was fretting so much over it.

I didn't get to do any technical trails this time(maybe it was just as well), but we all agreed that we had just the right amount of challenge and fun for the day as it was. Too bad Trashman had technical difficulties, as he and his friend missed a good ride. To Paul and Papaalex, thanks for making the ride fun.

Now a few pix

[sandiegoland 0]

Nice report!! Good ride!!

[Paul 0]

The morning was cool and bright. A small crowd had gathered at the Pine Valley exit, including myself, Papaalex, Paul, Trashman and his friend on the Honda............ That left Alex and Paul to for me to torture with rock infested hillsides.

The ranger invited us up into the tower and chatted with Paul and me for a while. It was cozy digs, but the ranger seemed kinda lonesome for company.

Damn I was out riding today when I should have been sleeping to prepare for night-shift. Hopefully this Paul has a cool Screen Name. - I might have to go back to being KIP again.

Thats what happens when you work too much and ride too little. On the way to work this afternoon I came down the hill from Julian toward Ramona and I got stuck in construction traffic driving my cage. Then to add insult to injury I was passed by 3 ADV riders slipping through the traffic jam. So just to clarify things I am not the Paul that was out having fun being tortured with rock infested hillsides. I am the Paul that was being tortured with traffic packed roadways.

See my New Year's Resolution Post for 2008 - but don't read KIP's Post from 2007

[dirt dame 561]

I'm not sure that the Paul that went with us had a screen name. He may have been a dreaded lurker! But he was there and ready to ride our ride with a green sticker bike, so there you have it. I am sorry that the REAL Paul didn't get to be on our ride too. Maybe I should refer to the one that joined us as Lurker Paul, until he gets the KTM he wants and joins the board proper.

[husky4me 0]

Thanks for the report. I should be going that way soon.... Norm at the outlook tower is a nice and talkative person; the outlook should be closing soon. Do you know if the main roads to go camping up there are open as well?

[dirt dame 561]

Thanks for the report. I should be going that way soon.... Norm at the outlook tower is a nice and talkative person; the outlook should be closing soon. Do you know if the main roads to go camping up there are open as well?

If you mean Morena Stokes road, yes. That road is open all the way in and there were people parked at Four Corners and in Corral Canyon campground.