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I spent the last week in Healdsburg, Sonoma County. This Time of year is the most scenic for that area...if it's not raining. I lived in the area for several years and got to know the countryside a bit.

This holiday I decided to take the trusty old XR250 and dual sport around, my sights set on The Geysers.

There isn't a whole lot of trail riding around the Hwy 101 corridor in the Santa Rosa Valley especially heading up north. One has to get creative...and use the abandoned train tracks.

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Sometimes there is a foot path, often none. Many technical challenges riding close to the side of the ties: wet, grassy, gravelly, off camber slopes, ravines, marshy mud bogs, shear sides...lots of fun! Often slow going but some places you can open it up to ~60 mph.

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Way better than slabbing it to the real destination.

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Alexander Valley, REAL Wine Country

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Next, Pine Flat Road

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Pine Flat Rd is a super curvy single lane paved road that winds into the Mayacamas Mountains, it's ~ 10 miles long. Beautiful country.

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Next, the dirt

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Cool! Another trail to try...

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Gotta take it easy in an unfamiliar area, never know what's waiting for you!

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There was a bit of snow and ice around

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I've ridden icy places before and was having fun crunching around in it here...until I got cocky and took a good zinger, landing on my a$$. The stuff that took me out looked like surfboard resin dribbled across the road. Man, the next day I sure felt it. But for the rest of my ride I was just fine.

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Onward...

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Hey what's that white thing up on that rock? Gotta have a look.

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What the .....?

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The Calpine guys must get really bored at work. Best seat at the power plant tho!

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Next: The GEYSERS

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Hmmmm....Toilet Peak....I've heard some crappy things about it..... :lol:

Great adventure and pictures so far. :thumbsup_anim:

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You've covered some ground recently! Nice pics.....jealous.

Great bike for the exploring.....

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Thanks for the photos. Don't know much about that area so enjoyed the photos. Pretty sh*tty place to end up though. :coolio:

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Ahhh yes the GEYSERS...

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Hey, what's that puff of steam over there, a Geyser?

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Yes, sad to say all the geysers are gone.

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The Feds leased out the land for geothermal use years ago, they're all covered up now. Still, better than an open pit coal mine!

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http://www.geysers.com/geothermal.htm

Well, that's it.

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Next time: Ukiah - Cow Mountain OHV

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ukiah/cowmtn.html#scow

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Ahhh yes the GEYSERS...

Well, that's it.

Dang it! I was expecting to see something like a mini Old Faithful, not a building that looks like the back side of a dry cleaning plant. :heh:

Still....very nice pictures. :coolio::good:

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Nice report. What takes you up that way? Thanks for sharing.

Thanks.

We were visiting relatives for the holiday.

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Just about exactly 11 years ago...  Fun to see these pictures again, glad I could find them.

No more riding the train tracks.  Those are used for a Coaster style commuter rail, all fenced and developed in the right-of-way.  Plus train cops will bust you for riding that rail right-of-way now.   Fires probably changed the back country quite a bit.  Still, I'd love to ride there again.

 

 

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I worked with an individual about 25 years ago that kept a toilet in the trunk of his car. he would find unique locations to pull it out and take a picture of himself on it, pants around his ankles,reading a newspaper. Some sort of art thing he developed in prison! He even had a photo album in the trunk. remember photo albums??? I wonder if he moved north? 

Riding across those train bridges at speed is fun, you cant even feel the ties if you go fast enough!

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Great stuff!  

And I have a small bike crush on your little red moto.  😁

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Great pics and pretty country...thanks for sharing!

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3 hours ago, ECDave said:

I worked with an individual about 25 years ago that kept a toilet in the trunk of his car. he would find unique locations to pull it out and take a picture of himself on it, pants around his ankles,reading a newspaper. Some sort of art thing he developed in prison! He even had a photo album in the trunk. remember photo albums??? I wonder if he moved north? 

Riding across those train bridges at speed is fun, you cant even feel the ties if you go fast enough!

Nice photos.

I have a friend that stole a concrete garden gnome (about 30 lbs) from his neighbor like 25 years ago. He carried that thing all over the world for at least a decade and would anonymously send photos to his neighbor of that gnome in various places. I personally was involved with photos of it in London and the Dominican Republic. His family was very unique in their humor.

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