Moto envy?

Dang it. Just when I thought I was cool my little brother one ups me! He went out and bought a 2004 KTM 400 Exc... and from everything I've read, this is the bike I should have. It's got the power without the head snap twitchiness- it's built like a tank and... damn, it just looks bad ass! I'm hiding the check book because I see my future... and it's looking kinda orange.

Canyon riding in the land of plated bikes: I'm so glad I got a dual sport!

It got rainy and cold in San Diego over MLK weekend so we packed it up and headed two hours east to the land of sunshine, smiles and dirt! Check out what we saw: 

Canyon cruising in Anza Borrego

If you want to ride this spot, your vehicle has to be street legal. Luckily, I made the decision that I'd spend a little more to have a bike with a license plate- so I was invited in to ride the trails and roads of Anza Borrego. There's a giant filter that you pass through if you've got the bike to get you into Anza. Basically, all the quad kooks and dirt bike rippers get left behind with their green and red stickered buddies- there are way fewer bikes and people out in Anza. We do still need to get our permits and M1 moto license to  be completely legal but basically, if you've got a plate the "man" won't hassle you. More to come about riding in Anza- it's the new frontier for me!

Respect the Desert!

I'm so excited to be able to get back out to Ocotillo Wells again this weekend and go for a couple of long rides through the desert. Last weekend, I had a blast getting out and cruising around. On a couple of occasions I even took off on solo rides. As I think back on that, I've come to the conclusion that solo rides probably aren't a good idea, even if you think you're just going to do a short loop. I remember being out in the desert a couple times last week and having to stop to pick up a bike, or check the map and thinking to myself that it's damn hot and bone dry out here. 

Now that I really think about it, there were times when I didn't respect the desert. I may have left camp without water or without telling anybody where I was going- bad idea! I stumbled across this story (click here) that really hammered home how thin the line is between being alive and laughing on your motorbike and being dried up and dead in the desert. The place isn't a joke and when I go back this weekend I'm going to remember to respect the desert!

Surfed out... on a moto!

I was just commenting to a friend how finishing a day of riding makes you feel all buzzed and tired like a good day of surfing. The two really fit together. Our two days of riding, cold beers around the campfire and sunrise moto rides out at Ocotillo Wells really put a smile on my face. It felt like a Baja surf trip. Here's some more shots of that trip:

Here's what it looks like when you come rolling into Ocotillo Wells. Your first stop should be at the Ranger Station. We came in around 8am and were greeted by the nicest, volunteer docents at the station. The woman I spoke to made sure I got a map for every bike in our group. The map is a must-have it shows you all the major roads in the park. I'd never been there before and was able to use the map to get out to some of the major spots. I was kind of blown away by the desert- it really is a beautiful place, especially if you're up early in the morning.

The Ramble Machine... locked, loaded and sporting my birthday gift to myself: a Thule Professional Grade awning (hugely discounted because the shop was just trying to get rid of the thing). The awning is perfect for the desert- the sun can be brutal. Check out the trailer, loaded with the two TW200s and the XT225. I also brought five extra gallons of gas that we didn't even need- these bikes sip gas!

Here we are on our "big" ride the second day: Off to the Pumpkin Patch. We had to ride up a sandy wash to get to the Pumpkin Patch trail- riding in sand is tough! I was stoked at the girls and how they handled the conditions. This was their first time on the bikes since we all took the Dirt Bike class together. The TW200s were fairly easy to ride in the sand, the XT225 was a bit more squirrely. Liza's bike is the XT and she was an awesome rider- she told me she didn't like the sand but she realized that it was part of the whole deal and was a skill she'd have to learn. What a rad chick. Dakotah powered her bike through the sand, the mud canyons and the rocks- dumping it twice but never complaining (even when her leg got caught under her back wheel which then ate a hole through her riding pants!) and overcoming whatever the road threw at her.

Liza's bike got tired halfway there and decided to lie down in the road (for your information, that's a common internet moto-guy joke, that whole "lie down thing" funny, eh?). We found out that when the bike lies down, the carb get's flooded. At first it kind of freaked us out when the bike wouldn't start- I mean we were really in the middle of nowhere- but I figured out how to start them once they stood back up and we were on our way.

We did make it to the Pumpkin Patch... check that place out- it's a trip!

Can you find the human in here?

Whipped out the map on the way back and decided to check out Shell Reef.

The road to Shell Reef was pretty solid and easy to ride.

Shell Reef was pretty impressive- there were moto trails that looked like they went vertical. We were there during the week so there weren't too many hot shots getting crazy- I'd like to see what the good guys can do here.

We cruised home with enough light for me to climb a couple little hills around the campground- they were enough to get me nervous but it was fun to push my boundaries a little and work on my skills. The bikes are pretty amazing- the TW just motors like a tractor up the hill, all I did was put it in first gear and stay on the throttle.

Coming home to camp after a great day of riding- can't wait to head back out again this weekend!

My First Big Ride/Campout: Ocotillo Wells!

Oh man, I'm totally hooked. First of all, I can't believe I haven't been out to the desert to check out the place- it's beautiful! And it's close to me, only two hours away which makes it perfect for a rainy day escape during a cold, gray winter. Secondly, the place is famous for dirt bike riding and finally, there is free, no-reservations-needed, camping out there. Total freedom! Check out these pics, I'll post and write a bunch more about the place when I've got a minute:

Here's our campsite at Holmes Camp in Ocotillo Wells. I've been told that on the weekend, every one of these sites would be occupied- there was nobody around when we went there.

Here's a shot of a typical road in Ocotillo Wells- we road out to the Pumpkin Patch which was a nice little cruise out to a weird little rock formation.

You can see, it's wide open out there... check out the tiny, little grom patrol on their tiny quads... pretty cool until they turn into teenagers on quads who like to spin donuts in front of your site.

More to come about riding and camping in Ocotillo Wells.