ADV Bum 205 Posted January 25, 2008 We met up at Santa Ysabel gas station. This is what it was like when we got to Julian. Desert floor and trail head. Weather was beautiful! Thurs_24_021.mov First rock obstacle after the Squeeze. More later. Tired. Need to unload and all the good stuff. Just wanted to get it started. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 561 Posted January 25, 2008 What time did you guys get back to the cars? I got back around 4:00 pm and waited around quite a while, but I was freezing half to death or running the jeep engine to run the heater. Boy I sure rode cruddy today. I don't know if it was from the crazy events of the week, the fact that my hip is still a little tender and bruised or that I spent yesterday at Elsinore MX park trying to get up enough nerve to do doubles (yeah, right....like that's ever gonna happen). Maybe it was a combination of all three things. Or maybe I just have gotten too old Anyway, my head wasn't in the game for technical riding today. Luckily after the first ten miles or so of Pinion Mountain trail there wasn't any more of that. I once rode the Squeeze, the Drop and all the little cliffs many years ago, but today quite frankly I either pushed or slid the machine over those obstacles, all while Bum and Pilot flung good natured monkey poo at me in an effort to egg me on and get me to ride the stuff. Almost worked, but today Dirtdame was a dirtdud. The weather was almost perfect. It was snowing at Julian when we drove through this morning and quite a beautiful sight. Snow on the ground and all, but by evening almost all of it would be gone. By the time we reached the trailhead, the sun was shining, the wind was blowing and it was pretty crisp out. As we decended to the desert floor the air warmed up. Nice canyons. Some of them looked familiar from the ride Joliet, Papaalex and I went on back in the fall time. The two Honda riders were having the time of their lives up ahead somewhere, tearing along leaving a faint and distant dust cloud for me to home in on and follow as I picked my way south across the desert as we headed for Superstition. Once there, I asked the important question; "where's lunch?" and then we hit the washes headed for Ocotillo and some food. I had just transitioned onto the pavement when my TE started to falter. We had traveled about 72 miles and the bike was ready to be switched to reserve. After some simple but satisfying grilled grub, Pilot and Bum wanted to do some more trails. I figured it would be nice for them to have some trail time where they wouldn't have to keep stopping and waiting for me plus I had some blisters on my left palm and a cramp in my throttle wrist, so I bid them farewell, headed for the Texaco and went straight back up S2 to the vehicles. Let me tell ya....that was a long COOOOLD ride back up the highway and I think about 50 miles of pavement, part of the time a bit of sleet stinging my face. I was a durned popsicle by the time the jeep came into view. The sun was getting low, clouds boiling around in the sky and a chill wind blowing. I loaded up, cranked up the heater and waited for the guys for maybe about 45 minutes. I wasn't terribly worried about them, so finally I left. It was nice to meet Honda Pilot and XR650Lbum. They were good company, but I wasn't riding sharp enough to stay anywhere close to them today. :lol2: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ADV Bum 205 Posted January 25, 2008 The drop Thurs_24_022.mov HondaPilot showing DirtDame the line Superstition and a free airshow! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ADV Bum 205 Posted January 25, 2008 After superstition we headed for lunch. Good grub, good company. We then split ways as Hondapilot wanted to explore some trails. DirtDame went for gas, we took a chance. Hondapilot finds us one heck of a wash. For every bolder garden we negotiate, we get rewarded with 50 yards of DEEP wheel spining sand. Over and over again. That wore me out. Finally hit the S2 to Canyon Si Nombre. Road the trails back until it dumped us back on the S2. By this time I had already gone on reserve. Ran out of gas and did the tip. Made it back around 5. We did 129 miles on the day. 25 street, the rest wrestling in the sand. It was a very fast paced ride. I think Hondapilot might of been trying to leave us out there. I kept up just for self preservation. It was nice meeting you Dirtdame. We will do it again. Thanks Hondapilot for navigating. I had a fantastic time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 561 Posted January 25, 2008 We did 129 miles on the day. 25 street, the rest wrestling in the sand. It was a very fast paced ride. I think Hondapilot might of been trying to leave us out there. I kept up just for self preservation. It was nice meeting you Dirtdame. We will do it again. Thanks Hondapilot for navigating. I had a fantastic time. I didn't keep up just for self preservation :lol2: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tntmo 912 Posted January 25, 2008 Wish I knew you were out in the Superstition area yesterday, I got off work early and hit the dirt. El Centro is pretty convenient for riding. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 561 Posted January 25, 2008 Boy, I was beat when we reached Ocotillo. It looked like I blew my shock seal, but that may not be the case. It needs further investigation. Good thing I didn't do any more stretches of dirt trails with it after lunch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastaPilot 17 Posted January 26, 2008 I just got in to my hotel in Charleston, SC. What a great day of riding! My day got off to a really bad start. Strega, I loaded my bike onto your hauler as instruced, put a few extra on for good measure too. I made it 4 blocks up the road when I heard a strange sound and then noticed I was dragging my bike down the street with me>!!!!! No real damage done to my bike, but the bar that the bike straps to got bent at about a 45 degree angle. I think an XR650 was just too much for it. Sorry about the hauler, I'll call ya when I get back into town. Well, I peeled my bike off the wet asphalt and managed to get it back on the hauler and strapped in. With the help of two more straps, I made it to the meeting area in Sta. Ysabel. Got unloaded and hit the trails. All was going pretty well now. The temps were perfect, the sand was firm, and dust was at an absolute minimum. Had a great run through the squeeze, and the little rock garden leading up to the drop. By this time I knew I was getting close to the "hill" but wasn't sure until the front tire was cresting the top and I was careening over the edge. It was just like riding in the back of the roller coaster and watching the peak of the hill coming up. Before you can react, the front of the car is pulling the back over the top and down you gooooo. I just hung on and kept it pointed down the hill. Easy. Next time I think I'll jump over the top and land halfway down the hill. Look for a superman seatgrab at the Dash. The remainder of the ride went as planned. It was awesome. I really like having time off during the week. So far everywhere I've ridden on the weekday rides has been a blast. I miss my weekend buddies, but when you weigh in the trackless trails, no crowds, virgin sand, private Blue Angels show, being able to shut down the bike for a rest and hear the silence is truely a treat. Next mid-week ride some of you guys should play sick. Big thanks to dirt dame and XR650Lbum for riding yesterday and following me as I explored some new terrain. I'm getting started on another route through the desert to see what we can find next time. I'm thinking of spending a day at Superstition just to watch the airshow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chief Gunner 2 Posted January 26, 2008 You guys are Killing me! Dammit....Wish I could've gone and been there with you all! Oh well it's good to see some friends were able to get out and enjoy some riding together. I hope the Husky is gonna be fine Mimi at least you had great company. Mike and Jon are great guys to ride with. Aaron Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 561 Posted January 26, 2008 I hope the Husky is gonna be fine Mimi at least you had great company. Aaron The Husky will be just peachy. The airbox turned out to have leaked in a very strange way on to the shock. Must be a weird air draft at higher speeds. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
