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I pretty much met my match out on the trail this past weekend. I was out for a nice ride on some easy trails I knew up in the mountains above Salt Lake City when I proceeded to make a cascading series of mistakes that got me in a heap of trouble. My 1st being riding on unknown trails alone. I ended up tired, embarrassed, and feeling like a bit of an idiot. I decided to try a trail I had never been on before. On the GPS it was only a couple miles long and ended up back on the main road. Easy! I headed down the trail and it was great at first. The usual rocky trail that I’m used to, somewhat narrow, minor washouts, thin surface mud and puddles in places, you know all the things that make riding a trail fun! Not to mention the scenery and views were amazing! The first obstacle on the trail was a bunch of rocks firmly planted in the ground with sharp craggy tops - all about a foot or more tall. Nothing like the soft fuzzy rocks I’d been riding through so far. Just below that was some loose scree and then a coffee sized boulder. Beyond that the trail looked like more of what I’d just been riding. I wasn’t crazy about this obstacle, but sometimes you’ll find a nasty spot in an otherwise good trail that if you can just get around or over all will be well. There was a side-hill whoopty that I could use with a bit of momentum to get around the rocks. Fortunately the whoopty dumped into the scree with the perfect line to get around the boulder. I made my 2nd mistake and proceeded around the obstacle that I knew would be very difficult to surmount in the opposite direction. If I needed to return I’d have to ride uphill through scree, turn in the scree while keeping up momentum, and hit the whoopty perfectly to get around the rocks again. I wasn’t worried at all at this point though as I figured the rest of the trail would be just fine, and in a couple miles I’d be back on the main road. Around the next corner? Crap. The trail started to quickly degrade. Steeper downhill slopes, worse washouts, more scree. At this point I knew I would have a very difficult time going back the way I came. So on I went. I did find one wide enough and flat enough place to dismount and rest in the shade which is where I snapped the first picture above. From there I walked a little back up the trail to try to get a more representative picture. Here’s a section I actually rode through. Meaning I was up on the pegs actually riding the bike. I wasn’t willing to waste the energy needed to walk back up to one of the “less than 2 miles and hour sitting on the seat paddling and screaming for my mommy sections”! What this picture doesn't represent well is the 30 to 35 degree downslope of this section. From here I took it very slow. I’d walk a little ways ahead on the trail, scout out my lines, ride the lines, stop when I could, and repeat. The trail just kept getting worse and worse and I was digging myself deeper and deeper into the crap pile. I just kept looking at the GPS and thinking “It’s only 1 mile to the main road! How bad can it be”? Then I’d come up on something like this. Plan my line. Make it through. At this point returning the way I came just didn’t seem like an option. I was doing alright though. Hadn’t dropped the bike once, was making progress, and more or less feeling pretty good about myself. Hell, I even ran over a rattlesnake with my front tire, he struck, hit my boot… Meh - I’m invincible. This section made me feel particularly good about myself. A narrow weave through a washout, but what you can’t see is the 30 yard long 45 degree downhill scree slope right after the left turn in the pic. I pulled it off - managed the bike with some rear brake down the scree which ended in a nice meadow. Took a long break after that, and walked some more trail. Looks like it might be getting better finally! Yay! I was just getting ready to push on when this Jeep came down the trail I had just ridden from above me. It’s a CJ of course, and naturally the guy’s name was actually CJ. The nicest, and most helpful guy you’d ever meet. He was quick to tell me he wasn’t going any further down the trail as it was impassable a bit past where I’d just walked. Very steep, covered with scree, and pretty much washed out to non-existence. At least 3 times worse than what I’d just come through. In fact, two months ago a jeeper died trying to come up that section when he rolled his jeep over backwards. Now, I realize I’m on two wheels and am not a jeep, so it’s very possible that what he sees as impassable may very well be passable to a bike, but at this point my confidence was completely shot. After a bit of deliberating internally I decided the only way out was back the way I came through a trail I did not want to go back through. Double crap. CJ said he'd follow me up and make sure I got out. An amazing guy. So up I went. At first not so bad. Moving at a pretty good clip keeping up momentum over the rocks when I took a bad angle and ended up in a bush. Sorry, no pic of the bush. CJ caught up and helped me yank the bike out of the bush, get it back on it's wheels and off I went again. Another nasty obstacle - had a bad line and had to stop. Good thing I did cuz down came 2 Tacomas and a FJ. Now the predicament of getting me out of the way, and CJ's jeep out of the way to let the 3 Toyotas get by and out of our way. Classic trail dilemma. Lucky for me the 3 Tacoma drivers looked like they lived at the gym, and we just literally picked the 560lb bike up off the ground and moved it over. I Didn't have much room to get a run at the obstacle which was on a really steep sideways cant. Lost the rear end into the ditch and the bike ended up on it's side and upside down. The three huge guys were still around thankfully, so we just picked the bike up and carried the damn thing the rest of the way up the obstacle. Off riding again. Completely wasted, burnt out and tired. Finally came up on the big doozy of an obstacle. You know, that first rock pile I’d navigated around knowing it would be exceedingly difficult to get around in the opposite direction? Yeah, that one. I though about it. Thought about it some more. CJ finally says - "you're not doing this. your too wiped out and you'd have to be completely on your game to pull this off. If you screw it up you WILL break bones. I don't give a shit about your bike, but your not breaking any bones." As luck would have it AGAIN two more jeeps pulled up behind us, both with Andre the Giant at the wheel. We got the bike out of the way enough to let CJ in his CJ by, and he went up past the rocks, turned around, and payed out his winch. Yes I said payed out his winch. We winched that damn Tenere up around the rocks. BTFA! If those guys hadn't been there I would have been leaving the bike and walking home - I am forever in their debt. AltRider - your crash bars and skid plates are indestructible! Unfortunately I don't have video of winching over the obstacle itself as the camera operator had to go run the motor in the CJ's jeep so his battery wouldn't die. You can get a pretty good idea of what we were up against though. After that it was smooth sailing back to the road. CJ met back up with me there and we aired the tires back up on the bike and his Jeep, fixed some bent crap on my bike, had a couple beers, and shot the breeze for about an hour. Great guy - CJ wherever you are, YOU ARE MY HERO! If it hadn’t been for all those 4-wheelers being in the right place at the right time I would have been screwed. I either would have had to leave the bike there and walk out to return later for it, or more likely done something I shouldn’t have done in my wiped out state. Lessons learned? Never ride an unknown trail alone. For that matter it’s not really a good idea to ride any trail alone whether known or unknown. You never know what kind of crap you’ll get yourself into. Never cross an obstacle you are either A) Not willing to cross again, or Can’t cross again in the opposite direction. Option B is exactly what I did in this situation, and as you’ve read it got me in a serious pickle. In the end it all worked out ok. No damage to me, and some minor damage to a couple of the guards/plates on the bike, but meh… that’s what their for right?

Motomachines came to us and graciously offered to help out with our project bike! They are the nation's main distributor for Hepco & Becker products, as well as Ermax molded plastic parts (among many other products). Brown Santa recently delivered us: Engine guards Headlight guard

The weekend of April 24th, 2015, eight riders from various parts of southern California set out to explore a few places off the beaten track. Seven of us started out in Irvine, California at the appropriate Starbucks and headed up Interstate 15 towards Hesperia, Ca, where we stopped at the intersection of I-15 and I-395 for breakfast and met up with our 8th rider from Los Angeles, Roger. After breakfast we rode north along I-395 and then east on HWY 178 to Trona Pinnacles, which is about 20 miles due east of Ridgecrest, California. Trona Pinnacles is an amazing geologic formation of spires, cones, and towers from a long dead inland sea rising straight out of the desert, formed by calcium carbonate in springs billowing out of the ancient lake, perhaps as deep as 400 ft during certain ice ages. More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trona_Pinnacles Day 1 Our route, more or less... The approach to Trona Roger, Jon, Mark B, Gregory, Josh, Ron, Carter, Mark S. Me with Trona's ancient spires in the background Carter, exploring some of shallow Trona caves Resting and rehydration time After Trona Pinnacles we rode north along Highway 178 through the town of Trona and arrived at Ballarat, in Death Valley. Ballarat is a small collection of trailers, old wood buildings, and rusted out trucks, one of which is rumored to have been used by Charles Manson. More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballarat,_California Supposedly a truck used by Charles Manson... The Ballarat Trading Post. Cold soft drinks and nothing else. Pee around the back. There are a few trucks, pieces of mining equipment, and unknown objects to explore around Ballarat. Mind the snakes! The awesome approach to Ballarat across a well paved road bisecting salted flats. Make sure to take time to rest and re-hydrate. There's no need to rush things in Death Valley. After Ballarat we headed up 178 towards Panamint Springs, which due to its location has about the most expensive gasoline within a few hundred miles (regular unleaded only). We fueled up the bikes and our stomachs and rode west on Highway 190 over Father Crowley Pass, where you really should stop and enjoy the vistas, which are not to be missed. This is also a great spot for cell phone coverage so you can check in, as the Searles Valley to the west and Death Valley to the east are almost without coverage anywhere. A word about wind - We experienced a lot of wind going up and down this pass to the west and it is worth noting that between the peaks of this road the wind can shift radically. Committing to a lean angle in the twisties can be downright dangerous. Take it conservatively and be safe. We stopped at Father Crowley not for the view, but from fatigue fighting the wind up that hill. Continuing on Highway 190 west we turned right onto Highway 136 towards Owens Lake and the cutoff up to Cerro Gordo. The well maintained dirt road is a 9 mile switchback ascent up to 8,000 ft. The views are awesome, of course. Now Cerro Gordo is privately owned and you have to call ahead for permission to stay in the bunkhouse there. The caretaker, Robert, lives there with his wife about 9 months of the year and double rooms in the haunted bunkhouse cost about $50 a night. Bring your sleeping bag as no linens are provided. There is no running water for showers, but jugs are available to fill your camelbaks and for washing faces and hands. Outhouse facilities are glorious one-holers with a door and a great view of Owens Valley. The town has an old unoccupied hotel with a saloon with period photos, furniture, and even a card table next to a wall with bullet holes. The best thing about Cerro Gordo was the firepit (wood included with the nightly fee). We enjoyed it both that night and again the next morning. Arrived at Cerro Gordo. Every building you see is abandoned. The bunkhouse. Bring your own sleeping bag and don't listen to the ghost stories. Night falls on this amazing place. Great for a drink and a cigar, but be careful, the temperature drops quickly. Carter was the master firestarter. On the way down - 8 miles and 8,000 ft to Owens Lake. Spectacular views and drops. Mark S., and the Carro Gordo caretaker, Robert, who was a gracious and entertaining host! Day 2 Our route for the first part of Day 2 After coffee and passing the hat around for a tip for Robert and his hospitality, we rode back down to Owens Lake and headed up Hwy 136 towards Hwy 395 and into Big Pine, where we fueled up again, before heading west on Hwy 168 up to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Visitor Center, where it started to snow on us. These roads are paved but can be crumbly on the shoulders, with some gravel and small rocks in the turns, so again, ride conservatively and enjoy the views. http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/home/?cid=stelprdb5138621 The oldest single tree in the world is somewhere up in this area but the National Park Service wisely does not identify its location. After a few trail bars and hydration we debated the weather. In April the weather was sketchy and it was already snowing on us. We could go back the way we came and spend the night in Lone Pine or slug it out with the cold front to the east, for our ride through Titus Canyon, on the east side of Death Valley, starting on the Nevada side of the border. Let’s just say we made the wrong decision. We fought wind and rain for the rest of the day heading east to Beatty, Nevada, only to decide that Titus could be dangerous in placed with the heavy rains. We were all exhausted and this was the right decision for us at that time. I’ve been through Titus canyon a few times before, twice on my R1200GS. Based on the weather and the fatigue we were all feeling we collectively voted no and feel good about the call. Other riders might have made a different decision, but this was ours. Heading back to Lone Pine with 60 knot gusts of exhausting riding west across Death Valley again. So after fueling up the bikes and warming our hands in Beatty, we looped back across Death Valley again all the way to Lone Pine and the warm showers of the Dow Villa Motel. A half dozen of the guys jumped into the hot tub to relax and I’m told that a couple ladies came buy and yelled “Man Stew!” But I don’t believe that for a second. So Sunday morning we pack it up for Kelso Valley, riding up above the wind farm north Hwy 14, and exiting onto Hwy 14 at Jawbone Canyon. Then a straight shot home. No injuries, no breakdowns, and great memories. Home down through Kelso Valley for some scenic rides above the wind turbine farm. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRy4GjR8HPk

Jealous for sure! Great ride report! Love Baja!

And of course, a video!

I think my friend in AZ recently had an experience with the police for standing on the pegs while riding. His recant of the situation is far better than mine. I recall back in the '80's when I got my MC license, there was a test question about riding over road debris. Specifically , a loose muffler in the road and it was unavoidable. It suggested to stand on the pegs, ride over the debris, then pull over to inspect your bike. -- but that was many moons and beers ago. I tend to ride on the street and stand when I need to stretch, see over traffic, show my ass to the vehicle I just passed for being to damned slow, or see that road sign on the right that is partially blocked by cars. As I was recently bored, I tried to find it on various DMV sites... I cant find anything on a motorcycle test booklet that states 'do not stand up while riding'. but I didn't look in depth for it. I did find it odd that some law enforcement officials can tell you that it is illegal to stand while riding, the booklet tells you to 'rise up slightly', and we all know you stand on the pegs for various reasons. So long as I am not standing on the fuel tank (stunting), whats the big deal? Foremost Motorcycle insurance has this on their site: Hold onto the hand grips tightly. Keep a straight course. Rise up slightly on the foot pegs to absorb the shock. NY DMV section: Watch for uneven surfaces such as bumps, broken pavement, potholes, or small pieces of highway trash. Try to avoid obstacles by slowing or going around them. If you must go over the obstacle, first, determine if it is possible. Approach it at as close to a 90º angle as possible. Look where you want to go to control your path of travel. If you have to ride over the obstacle, you should: Slow down as much as possible before contact. Make sure the motorcycle is straight. Rise slightly off the seat with your weight on the footpegs to absorb the shock with your knees and elbows, and avoid being thrown off the motorcycle. Just before contact, roll on the throttle slightly to lighten the front end. If you ride over an object on the street, pull off the road and check your tires and rims for damage before riding any farther.

Day 2's journey had us setting out south on dirt towards the highway. For some reason the track didn't get loaded so it was all on memory. You can see from the overview on Rever that we turned left too early and had to circle back to the coast. All part of the adventure! After we got over the coastal mountain range and down into the San Vicente area, I decided I wanted to go right this time and explore a different way out to the highway. I'd seen from the map there are a few ways back to the highway in that valley. We ended up at the end of the road south at an olive orchard so we headed back north and took the first road on the right. That turned out to be really cool! It wound its way back over a few hills and around some really great ranchos and sure enough, we found ourselves back at the highway just north of the military checkpoint. These roads are super big-bike friendly too. We got down to Colonet pretty quick and instead of eating lunch there first and then doing some beach riding to the sea cave, we decided to do lunch later. Getting out on the beach was a lot easier this time in 2nd gear than it was in first gear last time! We then rode north on the beach for a few miles until it ended at the sea cave and checked that out. We get back to Colonet to gas up and find some lunch and I find my rear tire is flat! I have all the stuff to fix it but we happened to be right next to a llantera or tire shop, so I just had them fix it. I thought it would make for some good video at least. They patched the tube (incredibly well) for 100 pesos, or about $6.50. We stopped at this little place for some tacos and met these guys, Marcelo and Fabian, who are riding from S. America all the way up to Alaska! They were very nice and we shared a drink before they had to get going. After that we headed south until we got to the road that leads east up into the mountains to Rancho El Coyote Meling. It got quite hot too, about 94. But that made a dip in the pool all that much better! El Coyote is actually quite close to Mike's Sky Rancho but the road in between them is definitely NOT big bike friendly! I did like the staff, pool, rooms and food much better than at Mike's. I was able to make reservations very easily on their Facebook page. Alfredo was our main host and he is a super nice guy and took really good care of us. The food there will knock your socks off! It was easily the best meal I've ever had in all of Mexico! Their chef is Paola and she is amazing. We had chicken Cordon Bleu and it still makes my mouth water. There was a LOT of food too. I ate like a field hand, which was easy since we were so hungry. The whole thing from soup to nuts (and beers) was $65, a bargain. I would like to plan a Baja trip w/camping and have at least one night be there. They have a large grassy area for tents with showers, etc... Here's that food. Breakfast the next morning was equally impressive. We also met this gringo named Michael. He's really cool. He does a lot of solar power work there at the ranch and elsewhere in Baja. Here he is getting ready to go single track riding on his 125. Note the lopping shears. He's a sprightly 70 years old!