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tntmo

Otay Adventure on a Scooter?!

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A few months ago I saw a scooter advertised locally for cheap.  I like almost everything on two wheels, and I love a project so I snagged it up and got it going.  This Kymco 250 has been a great little runaround town vehicle.  It goes about 80mph and gets about 65mpg.  Adding it to my insurance policy cost $5.  I love this thing!

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I wanted to do a street ride today, but had a lot going on this morning and wasn't able to get out of here until about 1300.  I decided to take the scooter out old Highway 94 since I hadn't ridden it out there yet.  As I got past Jamul, I convinced myself to see how this machine would do on Otay Truck Trail.  I hooked a right onto Otay Lakes Road and then headed up the trail at Pio Pico.  One of the reasons that I decided to do this was I have been wanting to find the crash site of Reba McEntire's band.  

On March 16, 1991, seven of Reba McEntire's band members, along with her tour manager, were tragically killed in a plane crash near San Diego, Calif. The aircraft was en route from a private concert that McEntire had played just a few hours earlier.  I had heard about this crash before I had ever set a wheel on Otay Truck Trail many years ago and have always been curious about it.  Armed with a little bit of info on the whereabouts, I set out to find it once and for all.  I parked the scooter on the side of the trail and started hiking.

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It didn't take long before I found evidence of the crash.

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No photo description available.

 

I then continued up the trail.  The scooter was doing really well, lack of suspension travel was the biggest hindrance but I did pass a Subaru....cracked those guys up!

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No trip to Otay Truck Trail is complete without visiting the towers.

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I saw a Border Patrol agent on the way down.  When he saw the scooter he had a huge grin on his face.  Riding downhill was much harder than uphill, the scooter doesn't really have any engine braking and it was way too easy to lock up the rear which made it want to swap with the front!  

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I managed to make it down safely, spoke with a dude on a mountain bike at Pio Pico who seemed amazed that the scooter made it up there.  Anyway, I had a good time and it's sort of ridiculous to take a scooter up there but now it's been done.  I have seen a definition of adventure riding as "Taking inappropriate machines to inappropriate places" and I do believe that I had one hell of an adventure today.  

Enjoy, my friends! 

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Bwahahaha..... Nice job, Tom. That sounds like a fun ride on that bike. I could see where coming down the hill would be more difficult than going up.

 

I didn't realize that plane crash happened there. I have heard the story but never put two and two together. Interesting. Great photos and thanks for the write up.

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4 minutes ago, Wierdrider said:

Nicely done "Tim"

The ToolMan!

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1 hour ago, Wierdrider said:

Nicely done "Tim"

Hahaha... my bad. I fixed it. 

 

Tom, please accept my apologies. 

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Just now, erik_26 said:

Hahaha... my bad. I fixed it. 

 

Tom, please accept my apologies. 

No worries, I'm not good at names.....sometimes not even good at my own!  

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8 minutes ago, Mr.JAJA said:

Nice try to call for a "Scooter" ride on SDAR.

Ugh.... now I got to buy a scooter too? Just when I was starting to convince my wife why I needed three bikes. Don't know if she'll bite on the need for four.

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42 minutes ago, Mr.JAJA said:

Nice try to call for a "Scooter" ride on SDAR.

Never really knew what SDAR stood for: I assumed it was Scooter Dudes Are Rad but it was just a guess.

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25 minutes ago, simicrintz said:

Never really knew what SDAR stood for: I assumed it was Scooter Dudes Are Rad but it was just a guess.

Dang it, I was trying to think of something witty to use SDAR and scooters.......you got it! 

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Way to go Tom.

Been on my bucket list for years to ride across the country on a scooter. preferably a Chinese one just to rub it in. Not really much of a challenge as scooters are very comfortable, reliable inexpensive, fuel efficient and Way Cool. 

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Next time try Harley . I heard they handle about the same. And both have components made in China.

Wonderful write up great pics!

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56 minutes ago, 350thumper said:

Next time try Harley . I heard they handle about the same. And both have components made in China.

Wonderful write up great pics!

I'll have none of that, this scooter was proudly made in Taiwan, thank you very much!  😂

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I went up there again yesterday on the 28th anniversary of the crash.  Really surprised how much water was running in areas.  I found more bits and pieces, I imagine there are all kinds of them spread out all over.

https://youtu.be/R2BzantAnJQ

 

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1 hour ago, tntmo said:

I went up there again yesterday on the 28th anniversary of the crash.  Really surprised how much water was running in areas.  I found more bits and pieces, I imagine there are all kinds of them spread out all over.

https://youtu.be/R2BzantAnJQ

 

I watched your video last night. It was cool to see. I was trying to gauge the condition of the trail because I was thinking of taking my Super Tenere up there. But I am guessing a lot of the north side is still pretty beat up from the rains. Plus, with the weather being absolutely gorgeous this weekend, I figured everyone and their pooch will be up there.

 

On a side note, did you see any snakes? I figure that if you did, you would have shown that in the video. I would be careful this time of year walking off the main trails. Keep an extra eye out. Last thing anyone needs is to get bit by a scared Rattlesnake.

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I was trying to pay attention for snakes.  The road is worse than when I took my scooter, doable on the big bike but some areas would be uncomfortable.  

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1 hour ago, tntmo said:

I was trying to pay attention for snakes.  The road is worse than when I took my scooter, doable on the big bike but some areas would be uncomfortable.  

That is what I was thinking. I might venture up there on my TW200 to scout it out. I think CVRICK was saying that those main trails get serviced after the rains. I took my Super Tenere out today and found a small little trail. I almost ate it.... haha. I saw my life flash before my eyes when my front tire fell into a rut that run along the trail. Thankfully I was able to recover and keep the bike upright. I don't think my pants are ok after that one... haha.

 

Oh, also, that rock formation you talked about in your video is something I find interesting and aesthetically pleasing as well.

 

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Here is another smaller formation that also catches my eye.

 

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