dirt dame 559 Posted August 18, 2009 I guess we know who will be the trail boss next year. Sounds like you guys had a blast out by the Kern river. Kinda makes me wish I could have stayed on through the weekend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mctrails 38 Posted August 18, 2009 Day 5- OK, It’s almost over. Thanks for following along if anyone is still interested. My last day in the area and I plan to cover as much ground as I can riding solo again. Taking the plated 525 again so I have options to cruise the highway if needed (and I will.) My plan is to hit some of the sections of trails we missed in the western black diamond area, visit a couple of the peaks and explore some of the 4WD trails. I head out on the highway (Sherman Pass Road) down to Bald Mountain Lookout and check out the great view from there. I talk to the guy in the tower and take some pictures. Back down to the highway and over to Rattlesnake Creek trail to Beach trail. Some rock steps on the Beach trail. On to Schaeffer trail and to Bonita Meadows for a lunch break. After the break back on Schaeffer trail. Continuing on Schaeffer trail to Trout Creek trail to Sherman Pass 4WD trail and up a very rock strewn North Meadow 4WD trail and up to the top of Sherman Peak for another great view in all directions. After enjoying the view and talking to a couple of other dirt bikers I head back down the North meadow 4WD Trail to the highway. I take the highway to Cannel trail and follow it about 10 miles down to Big Meadow. I’m now far south off my map so I check out a map on the sign board and see a trail back a little ways that goes east and up over Sirretta Peak and back towards camp. I head back and start up the Sirretta Peak trail only to find it is the most difficult trail I’ve been on all week. It is very loose fine dirt with a bunch of fairly good sized rock steps. I stuggle over a few with a few layovers of the bike then the clutch goes away. No way to disengage it so I realize I’m not going any further up this rocky hill. I remembered seeing on the map that the dirt road heads south from Big Meadow a short distance and then turns northwest and back to the highway. So, I turn the bike around, put it in first and hit the starter button and head down the trail. I can still shift but just no way to disengage the clutch so I’m not stopping for anything unless I have to. No problems, I continue down the trail, shifting as needed and head out the dirt road to the highway and back to camp. It was about a 35 mile ride without stops and I was done when I got back to camp. I had put on another 92 miles this last day. All totaled I rode close to 300 miles this week and covered most of the single track in the area. Can’t wait to go back and do it again! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
karlaeda 0 Posted August 18, 2009 Looks awesome guys!! Mayhaps I will join you next time! -George Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spaugh 1 Posted August 18, 2009 Alan, your pictures and writeup came out great. You were an awesome riding partner. The only one of us that didn't run off a cliff or dump their bike the whole time we were there. Mimi thanks for having me along. It was awesome. Jon Jeff and Z, good to see you guys as usual. Badfish it was nice meeting you. By the way I saw some nasty skid marks on the way out of there, were those yours right past grumpy's? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted August 18, 2009 Looks awesome guys!! Mayhaps I will join you next time! +1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pyro 1 Posted August 18, 2009 Rock and Roll ! ! ! ***** Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Badfish2 0 Posted August 18, 2009 Badfish it was nice meeting you. By the way I saw some nasty skid marks on the way out of there, were those yours right past grumpy's? I don't want to admit it but they most likely were , a new running board and some elbow grease on the hood scratches and the 'burban will be good as new again . Man, you guys rode the crap out of that place; I wish I had been feeling better and had a little more confidence in the range of the stock YZ or I would have been in some of those pictures. It was nice to get away for a few days and meet other SDAR riders. (and Jeff I hope I didn't offend you with my 'farenheit 9-11' comments, a few too many beers for me were involved in that discussion (outburst, more appropriately)). Anyway, thanks to all for a nice weekend, I hope to ride with you this desert season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHunter 15 Posted August 18, 2009 Looks awesome guys!! Mayhaps I will join you next time! +1 Agreed. Incredible. Great report! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 559 Posted August 18, 2009 Alan. thanks for your excellent report and pictures, and thanks to everybody who went. May this trip be a summer tradition for years to come. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roostingu 0 Posted August 18, 2009 Nice write up Alan good pics..... here are a couple of videos....... I have one that is too big and must edit before I can upload.... because of the dust this year the distance was increased, so much of this video is just me and the trail so it is pretty boring. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastaPilot 17 Posted August 18, 2009 Alright I finally got a chance to upload my pictures from the trip. I don't have much to say that hasn't been said already, so I'll just get on with the pictures and captions. I woke up Tuesday morning like a kid at Christmas and got on the road at 6AM. It was a desolate, scenic relaxing drive. Lonely mining towns of Johannesburg and ??? Back to the desolation Good-bye sand, hello pines!! I got there and set-up camp It was a tight squeeze to get in there... But the view from my back porch was worth it. Lets go Ride!! More in a bit after Photobucket finishes uploading the video. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted August 18, 2009 Day 3.......Brad said we need to go back and find out what was wrong so we started walking back down the trail only to find Jon standing there with no bike in sight. ........Once we get to him we see his bike down over the side in one of the steepest and loosest sections of the trail. We spent the next 45 minutes or so wrestling his bike back up onto the trail. Ok Pasta.....WTF?.....let's have it man.....what happened??? .......did one of the infamous Bass Lake Pterodactyls fly south and nail you as you were riding along the trail? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastaPilot 17 Posted August 18, 2009 The Riding Alan taking the deep whoop-de-does on Mahogany Creek Trail in stride Brad and Alan showing the newbs how to cross the logs. This one starts the "Ring of Fire" ride. Please FakeName no Johnny Cash impersonations Note the trail sign by Brads Head They left the fire to burn the undergrowth and other tree scraps on the ground A short stop at Osa Meadow for a water and snack break. Here's one for you computer chair riders. a lush not yet completely burnt part of Blackrock Mt. Trail ***Note the smoke up ahead to the right side of the trail*** Here comes Spaugh, puffing smoke of his own. The next day we started the Rincon Trail. This trail I think was the best ride of the trip. It was the perfect mix of hard technical and smooth cruising, if anybody wants to go attack this trail on a weekend and needs a riding buddy, I will clear my schedule to ride it again. mctrails catching a little air roostingu making it look easy Got Trail? Spaugh showing us all how to negotiate a big pine forest version of "The Squeeze" This was me getting ready for the next leg of the Rincon. Soak the gear and keep your cool. The water crossing where we all cooled off. It was getting pretty hot now at the lower elevation of the Rincon (~5000') so we took every opportunity to stay cool. A great bike thats always ready to go. Has anybody seen my bike? The Story: I have heard about alligators in the sewers, snakes on the plane, feral horses, pigs, cats and dogs and a few other problematic domestic pets getting loose (somebody even said there are pterodactyls in the sierras ). I never thought I'd see the day when somebody's pet rock that escaped domestication would come back to haunt us. After a few generations of life in the wild and perhaps a bad case of rabies this rock must've gotten tired of all the noisy dirtbikers coming through his backyard and took it out on me. Seeing me come around the bush and knowing we can't see the trail just a few yards ahead, this sonuvabitch kicked my front tire out from under the bike and right towards the softest edge of the whole trail. Honest story, I even saw the googley little eyes of the bastard as he backed away from the scene as he turned and ran. This incident wasn't on the Rincon Trail, this was a mile or so onto the Sheaffer Meadow Trail. Taking a break now on Sheaffer trial, back up in the shade of the pines. Here's a familiar site...KTM riders teaming up to work on their broken bikes J/K More in a bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strega 0 Posted August 18, 2009 Lonely mining towns of Johannesburg and ??? Red Mountain I believe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted August 18, 2009 Lonely mining towns of Johannesburg and ??? Red Mountain I believe. Randsburg? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strega 0 Posted August 18, 2009 I bet that Pterodactyl dropped that rock in front of you. I know the feeling all too well, glad you had help pulling it back up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tlking6 0 Posted August 18, 2009 I love the Rincon,,, one of my favorite trails on the planet! Is the KTMtalk adopt a trail sign still there? Did you hit Packsaddle cave? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mctrails 38 Posted August 19, 2009 I love the Rincon,,, one of my favorite trails on the planet! Is the KTMtalk adopt a trail sign still there? Did you hit Packsaddle cave? These are the signs at the trailhead at Sherman Pass Road: Didn't see any caves. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mctrails 38 Posted August 19, 2009 Here's a familiar site...KTM riders teaming up to work on their broken bikes J/K OK, I really didn't want to have to post this one but you forced me into it. This is what happens when you ride an exotic Italian bike and hit the water crossing too fast. You have to work on it by yourself... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastaPilot 17 Posted August 22, 2009 The pictures continue.... I forgot a video from the water crossing on the Rincon Trail. After they got the Katomb put back together, we found a nice meadow that was once a forest. Next stop Corral Meadow I like the color effects of this picture. It kinda looks like it is black and white and color in one. This is a rock garden on the Trout Creek trail. Probably the most difficult section of the week. Maybe we were just really tired after the long day of riding. Brad makes it look difficult And Alan gets stuck in a hole. Finally we made it to the end of the trail and slabbed it home. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted August 22, 2009 \Next stop Corral Meadow Awesome!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 559 Posted August 22, 2009 Great shots and video footage, Jon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
