Help
Got to an early start on Friday morning. XR650L Bum, Spaugh and I hit the road after a small breakfast and a brief discussion on bike packing.
From there rode to the Silver Strand state park to get our tires in the sand and begin our adventure.
From the Beach we took a little ride south to route 905 where we topped off the tanks and started up and over Otay Mt. We didn't stop anywhere for photos as most everyone has a pic or has seen one from there. But as were descending into Marron Valley we were greeted with a little stream to cross.
Spaugh went first
Then me and finally XRBum
Mike shows his waterlogged packout.
No pictures from here to the border fence. We stopped in Tecate for more fuel and lunch.
Took the Border Fence road all the way to Boulevard. We stopped and talked to the Minutemen on watch in Campo.
They told us we were being watched closely as they also had a number of Mexicans approaching the fence as we were riding up. They say the big thing is to throw the dope over the fence to some motorcyslists who pick it up and ride away.
After the border fence we did a mixture of slab and dirt into Jacumba and then the wagon trail onto I-8 and down to Occotillo where we entered our first sand wash.
I think the rains this season have had an effect on the desert roads. The trail behind us had two-track leading up to it and was now barely 3 feet wide. Perfect width for DS bikes.
The first of many....
I don't have any more pictures from there to El Centro. There was a few nasty areas to contend with and then the farmland started so we slabbed it in to the Ramada Hotel for the night.
Me un-packing the bike for the night.
Our room was right next to the bikes.
A little relaxation ater 175 miles of riding. This one's for KTMrad
Day 2:
Saturday started with a beautiful morning ride through the farmland of the imperial valley. Temps were in the 60s and the veiw was spectacular.
We gassed up again in Calexico and started along the canal roads east.
After awhile we got bored with riding strait along the canal so we decided powerline roads were more fun
The powerlines ended for us at the duner's diner
We had second breakfast there and the sand begun....
This is the bad, XRBum found a dune that rolled slowly up and came to an ubrupt end. He soared off the top and when he came down lost control of his bike, smashed into the bars and ended up on the ground.
This doesn't look good...
We got Bum back to the entry road and he rode all the way to Oceanside. We tried to set him up with a ride home, but he'd have none of that.
From here it was just two of us. Spaugh and I went to and conquered Test Hill
350' vertical of pure sand hill.
After the hill we started across the open dunes.
It sucked, we spent more time digging our bikes out of the sand then riding. Brad has about 200 photos of me crashing, crashed or about to submarine my front tire into the sand. We both know how to ride sand but I think after Mike's misfortune we were being a lot cautious.
It took 2 hours to go 18 miles and 8 of it was on the street, but we finally made it to Winterhaven for more gas.
After topping off the bikes we started off into the great unknown of this ride. Areas none of us has ever ridden on and doesn't know anybody who has. As we got closer things looked good...
...and sometimes not so good...
...,but we made it to the mine....
and kept on going.
The trails got really rough at times trying to get through the washes and old 4x4 roads around the mine areas. Eventually we made it through and the goal was in sight.
Picacho Peak.
Awesome ride after the mine, strait, flat, wide open roads with dips into small sand washes.
Brad shows us how it's done
We made it to Picacho Rd
and it was only 10 miles to the halfway point...just a few minutes after 5PM we made it to the river.
We were spent, but after a shower we mustered up the strength to go back for more pics.
Our camp....
....was the foundation of an old mining home from the 1800's when Picacho was an actual village.
Day 3:
We got on the trails again just after 8AM. We had a long way to go and if we were going to get to San Diego by the end of the day we needed to get going. We don't have a whole lot of pictures as we had the throttle wide open most of the morning. But we stopped for a few.
We headed North on a pencil straight dirt road toward Glamis at a speed that would turn most rangers white. In fact we passed this train on the way to rte 78 and then had to wait for it to get to Glamis.
More sand,
this time it was a lot of fun, there was a bit of moisture in the sand and getting through was no problem.
After the dunes we took a little ATV trail to where the famland began and then slabbed it in to Brawley.
The ugly part of the story was the first flat of the trip.
because 2 minutes later there was another flat.
Yeah, it's the same place, it's just that it took two minutes to get the rim back on the bike and find out the other tube didn't hold air.
Well we were only 4 miles from Brawley maybe there will be a parts store in town and we can get it fixed there. We were wrong, the closest shop is in El Centro, 20 miles away.
Yup we were in a bind and had enough of changing tires. So we called in the chase team, sat at the Jack-in-the-Box ....
....and waited....
....for the truck.
The End.
