KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 Here's a write-up and photos from the ADVrider Rally by Tom's Place, north of Bishop, August 4th-6th, 2006. For link to complete write-up and photos by others, go HERE The primary goal of the weekend is eat, drink, be merry with fellow Adventure Riders, ride, and go up to the open house at the White Mountain High Altitude Research Station at 12.500 feet on White Mountain. Our Story........ Mad Dog Mike, his wife Connie and I left San Diego at 9:00pm on Thursday, got to Bishop at 4:00am. I decided to share their room and get some shuteye for a few hours before heading up to the Holiday Camp. Friday morning, got to the group campsite at 10:00am, everyone was gone out riding already. Late Friday morning, Mad Mike showed up and we finally hit the trail as some people started returning to camp. We took the Sand Canyon Trail right out of the campsite. Nice view as the trail runs through a valley, then up over a ridge. Mad Mike on his 1200GS approaching the end of the trail by the lake. Mike and I at the lake at end of Sand Canyon Trail Afterwards, we headed back to the turnoff which heads up to Wheeler Ridge. This route is rated the toughest out of all the trails in the 4x4 book I have for the High Sierra. We went up a couple of miles and I came to this rocky section, stopped to survey the proper line (mistake was stopping), then as I started to go, front wheel caught a rock and I put my foot down, but couldn't touch the ground, so over I went. The bike dropped hard on a rock, I'm holding the mirror that broke off..... Mike's skidplate was already coming off, and we were working with only 3 hours of sleep from the night before, it was getting late, so we decided to bail on this trail and do it another time. We headed back to camp to socialize. Saturday's Ride.....Some of you asked about that crazy guy on the Buell.......here's a pic of my friend Dale on his Buell, who lives in Bishop....... BTW, he's only 72 years young !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 Saturday, we had a group of 17 bikes to go do the Buttermilk Country Loop, and then up to Coyote Flat at over 10,000 feet. ZenSlug and others have already covered the first part of the ride, riding the Harley, doing jumps, etc. Here's Beachbusker and his off-roading Harley Since we had broken up into 2 groups after the Buttermilk Loop, there were about 8 of us in the second group, heading up to Coyote Flat. Stream crossing on the way to Coyote Flat Vince (Vrago) Jeff (Arbrlover) Mike Tony (Sandplow) When we got up to the top of Coyote Flat to the turnoff at Baker Creek, which drops down to Big Pine, we all decided it was too late in the day to finish the entire loop. So we explored some side trails that dead-ended. One was pretty rocky, and Mike on the 1200GS bashed his rear brake to where it wouldn't work anymore. We turned around and headed back down the mountain. Vrago on his KTM, and my 9fiddy A few of us headed back to camp where Tony and Vince cooked hamburgers and dogs........we didn't feel like riding all the way up to Red's. Then it was a memorable Joke Marathon for over an hour around the campfire late Saturday night......the jokes were flyin' and it was gettin' rude & crude, but everyone was lovin' it. I think the party died down around 1:00 or 2:00am. More pics to come........... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 From ZenSlug...........BeachBusker on his Harley, dualsporting with us....... Right after the water crossing there was a left uphill turn Imagine my surprise when this guy came plowing through... in the middle of the pack! Of course, Harleys aren't exactly designed for water crossings he stalled out, but she started up right away Getting going again up a hill with a wet street tire wasn't gonna be easy But somehow BeachBusker convinced that pig to float 'course she floated straight up the hill and over onto her side After we helped pick up the bike everybody was getting a little tired I can only guess how BB must have felt After a brief rest he made another run at the hill And was over and out Yeeehawg! Ride that thing until the motor falls out! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 From Zenslug........ Beachbusker, on the Harley, had a little trouble with a loose, uphill rocky section. Lucky for him there were one or two other riders around who knew a thing or two about riding big bikes in places where they don't belong... being less tired than bb they offered to help him get the bike over the hill Randy said the hardest part was the fact that the bike only had highway pegs with the rear brake pedal so far forward it was practically useless in rocky terrain It was mostly just a slow and steady paddle all the way down the other side of the hill while BeachBusker walked behind Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 Irl Sanders at the first stream crossing in Buttermilk Country Who is that......jumping someone else's XR-650 ?!! I'll never tell !! And ZenSlug swears someone else got on his borrowed DRZ while he wasn't looking, to do these jumps....:evil Zen got a few of one of my lame attempts......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 The view up at Coyote Flat, over 10,000 feet elevation The view looking east towards the Owens Valley and the White Mountains, as we headed back down from Coyote Flat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 Sunday, we had another good group of manly ADVriders heading up to the White Mountain Research Station.....here, we're getting ready to depart from the Railroad Museum in Laws, to head up Silver Canyon After ZenSlug stopped at the second water crossing for photos, everyone stopped while he was taking the photos...so I took advantage and took off to avoid the dust. Rounding a corner a few miles up, a small herd of Bighorn Sheep ran across the road right in front of me. I stopped for some photos, and they were less than 50 feet from me. I waved a few riders to stop as they approached so they could check out the sheep. Was funny, each time one bike approached, they would go a little further up the rocky hillside, but never ran away from us. As we started up the steep uphills and switchbacks of Silver Canyon, I was going at a pretty good pace, when I looked back and saw RiverRat was right behind me on his DRZ. So, I kicked it up a notch.....RiverRat, what'd you think of the pace going up ?? We had a blast haulin' up the switchbacks to the overlook !! We met OldSchool KLR and his buddy at the overlook Vrago ridin' up on his KTM Heading through the high altitude, alpine scenery on the way to the Research Station Adventure Kitty and her Dakar BMW, and the man she makes ride the bike for her (Greg). Too bad Kitty is already taken....... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 At the research station, 12,400+ feet. The station itself....I expected a much bigger complex I heard they were recruiting participants for experiments with the Sheep in the high altitudes......a bunch of ADVriders were quick to sign up !! A few of us watched the aerial photo presentation inside the hut. Lots of aerial photos of the Sierra Nevada, Death Valley and surrounding geologic features and volcanic formations in the area......was pretty cool. Bikes lined up Some of the Sunday crew posing...... Heading back down from the research station Looking down Silver Canyon, which is quite a quick drop in elevation, down towards Bishop After we got to the bottom and back to the Railroad Museum parking lot, RiverRat was a lifesaver with a cold brewski for us. After, Vrago, Sandplow and I wanted to ride dirt back to the campsite, so I led them through Fish Slough and the volcanic hills near Lake Crowley. Vrago Sandplow Vince and Tony (Vrago & Sandplow) at the Petroglyphs Vrago in Red Rock Canyon Sandplow in Red Rock I was getting bored with the easy, graded main dirt roads, so we spent a few minutes trying to find some 4x4 trails....which we did, and they were more fun !! Here, we're approaching Lake Crowley....Vince and Tony We crossed the dam at Lake Crowley, then were back to the campsite. Vince and Tony offered to cook up a killer chili with leftovers........many thanks to Vince and Tony for cooking for us and the awesome grub !! After, we spent another night benchracing and telling tall tales around the campfire. Next day I saw a few of the guys off, had breakfast with them at Tom's Place........they were all homeward bound, and I headed north for another 5 days of exploring on my own. I'll post photos and write-up from that soon...... Lookin' forward to next year at the WMRS III !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 On Monday, I had breakfast with Vrago, Sandplow and saw IrlSanders, they all departed to head home. I got out my maps and Sierra Nevada Byways Adventure book and decided where to go for the next few days. I left Tom's Place at 11:30am, and took the twisty, back road to 395 for a few miles to the turnoff for Convict Lake. From there, I headed on dirt to the Laurel Lakes Trail..... I tried this on July 4th weekend a month ago, but couldn't make it to the end due to this........ On the way up.....rough road Finally, this time the snow was clear and I got to Laurel Lakes at the end. The road at the end is pretty rough, lots of loose shale rock, with a couple of switchbacks and steep climbs. Laurel Lakes Scenery Video I spent some time up there relaxing and takin' in the view, talked with a couple of other riders and a guy in a jeep.......they were pretty interested in the big 950 Beast being up there, after the rough road up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 After the ride to Laurel Lakes, I took dirt to Mammoth, and came to Old Mammoth Road........I'd never explored deep in the Mammoth area, so I headed west towards the Lakes. Now I know why they call it Mammoth Lakes......tons of lakes in the area, I spent a couple of hours just checking out the lakes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 After the Mammoth Lakes area, I headed towards Devil's Postpile......right before the entrance station, there's a turnoff that takes you to a parking area, and a dirt road that takes you up to San Joaquin Ridge.....10,250 feet up, right across from Mammoth Mountain......this was an awesome 360 degree view !! For those of you who rode to Red's Meadow, you went right past the turnoff for this !! Mammoth Mountain Met this family from La Mesa (near where I live), he was flying a remote control glider plane from the ridge, the winds were really high up there....he said the plane's been clocked by radar at 292 miles per hour.....cool !! On top of the ridge Especially for y'all..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 360 degree view on video from top of San Joaquin Ridge After San Joaquin Ridge, I explored some dirt road spurs and came to this awesome view on the edge of a cliff.....I had to call a couple friends in San Diego to rub it in !! [ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 After more relaxation time on the cliff edge, I headed back down towards Mammoth. I found another dirt road that looked interesting, and came out on the back side of the top of Mammoth Mountain, near "Red's Lake". Met a couple of people, their dog having fun swimming in the brisk, cold lake I then headed to Mammoth Scenic Loop, found another dirt road....I started following it, then saw white chalk lines and arrows at the turns (probably from a Mountain Bike Event), so I started following this route for miles......had fun blasting along through the pine forests around Mammoth, heading north along Hwy. 395. I came to a turn and realized the chalk arrows were going away from the direction I wanted, so I headed east towards the highway, found more ATV trails that paralleled the highway and took them for many miles all the way into the town of June Lake. At 7:15pm, I got a motel room and hit the local tavern for dinner. Today was only 110 miles, but lots of exploring that took me all day.......to be continued...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kaw'ee 10 Posted August 20, 2006 I came to this rocky section, and I put my foot down, but couldn't touch the ground, so over I went. The bike dropped hard on a rock, I'm holding the mirror that broke off..... Thank God the life saving donor organs in the blue ice chest were not damaged in the crash, and reached the White Mountain Research Station safely... It takes a certain kind of unsung hero the donate his personal time and effort to risk such a mission.....If its not confidential what kind of life saving supplys you were transporting , I'm sure allot of us would like to know .??? . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 Thank God the life saving donor organs in the blue ice chest were not damaged in the crash, and reached the White Mountain Research Station safely...It takes a certain kind of unsung hero the donate his personal time and effort to risk such a mission.....If its not confidential what kind of life saving supplys you were transporting , I'm sure allot of us would like to know .???. I can tell you, but then I'd have to kill you !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 Tuesday morning I woke up, had my coffee, it was cold outside at June Lake....in the 40's. By the time I packed up and had breakfast, it was 11:00am when I left June Lake. I took a couple of miles of pavement and found the first dirt road of the day, which took me past Grant Lake, towards Horse Meadows and dropped me out in Lee Vining. I gassed up and had a gatorade break, then continued north on the highway (395). Approaching the Conway Summit, I saw the old route 395 on the side of the mountain, so I turned off the main road and took the old broken pavement road. I knew this might not take me all the way through, and sure enough, I came to this washout.....no way through. But, I backtracked a short way and found another dirt uphill which popped me out half way up Conway Summit. Then I took the highway to the Virginia Lakes turnoff. A mile up the road, I turned onto dirt to do the Copper Mountain Loop. This had some great views, and fun dirt riding. I had to ride the 950 up to the edge of a cliff for some photos......overlooking Mono Lake and points eastward Mono Lake and highway 395 as it passes the lake on the west side.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 I continued on the Copper Mountain Loop.... Great views......looking up and across Lundy Canyon Found this old cabin and had to check it out The floor was too rickety to go in.... Exploring all the side trails, I came to a locked gate and it was time to head back Got back to the Virginia Lakes paved road and took it to the end to relax for a bit This little critter was watching me from about 3 feet away After a nice, long break at the lake, I headed back to the highway and got to Bridgeport about 3:30pm. I decided to stop and have some fish n' chips for lunch. At the restaurant, I lost motivation after eating, and decided to get a room early today, so went across the street to the Silver Maple Motel....$75, and had a nice, green lawn area with lounge chairs. I relaxed the rest of the evening, while calling more friends in San Diego to rub it in again. Then did laundry later that night. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 Wednesday morning, as I was drinking coffee, I got out my map and Sierra Byways book to decide where to go for the day. I didn't quite have a plan, but by the time I got the bike loaded up, I felt like crankin' on some pavement miles...that's what I love about an Adventure trip, no plan, sometimes it's just spur of the moment decisions. So I took 395 north to 89, Monitor Pass to Markleeville, then up to route 88 west towards Carson Pass. I passed Hope Valley, and realized this is the area where the next ADVrider Rally will be in September. So, if you're going to the Hope Valley Rally, check out these photos....some great stuff in the area !! I took the turnoff for the Blue Lakes and Indian Valley Loop....man, am I glad I did....this was an awesome ride !! Rough road The book mentioned a snowdrift sometimes blocking the trail well into August....luckily I was able to ride across it.... Which allowed me to get down to Lost Lakes.....another great spot to relax !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 After Lost Lakes, I rode down to Upper Blue Lake for some more photos..... I was trying to find my way to the trail down to Meadow Lake, and ended up on this trail, marked as a snowmobile trail. It got pretty rough, but I continued until this spot..... I didn't have the National Forest map for this area, so I didn't know where it went, and since it was getting rougher, I figured I wouldn't attempt this by myself. I did find the right trail going to Meadow Lake, when I saw this sign I knew it would be a fun trail !! When I got to the end, I actually had to walk 200 yards to get a view of the lake !! This photo does not show how colorful these wildflowers were......there were lots of colors......yellows, purples, reds, whites After getting back to Blue Lakes Road (paved), I saw more dirt roads paralleling the paved road, so I explored them and found my way out to the highway on a network of dirt roads. Once back at highway 88 (near Hope Valley), I headed east again back to the Monitor Pass Area on route 89. I had more dirt loops to explore for the day !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 Off of route 89, east of Markleeville, I took the turnoff onto dirt for the Haypress Flat Loop. There was a maze of dirt roads and trails in this area, due to a number of old mines in this district. I explored some of the side trails..... On top of a ridge An old mining cabin Some old, abandoned mines on top of a mountain This looked like the remains of an old tramway that went down the mountain, to deliver ore down to the bottom, I could see the path of the tram through the trees heading down.... Exploring some more side trails Some pretty rocky riding to get to a view looking northeast towards Nevada After spending a couple of hours exploring on the Haypress Flat Loop, I came to the Leviathan Mine dirt road and followed it down past the old mine.... Leviathan Mine Video A little bit of history......This mine is an inactive, open-pit sulfur mine dating back to 1863, when extraction of copper sulfate was used for processing silver ore in Nevada's Comstock Lode. Off-and-on mining occurred there until 1962. Water seepage through the pit, and huge tailings created acid mine drainage which has unfortunately decimated aquatic life in the nearby streams. After Leviathan Canyon, I got on the 395 southbound towards the California border. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 20, 2006 Heading down 395 south, I passed Holbrook Junction when out of the corner of my eye I saw a sign for a store and bar. I flipped a u-turn, went and got a gatorade, then stopped in the local bar. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by this group....... Left to right....Paul, Carol, Dave, Mitch, Iggy, Johnnie and Squiggy Squiggy, the bartender, saw me in my chest protector and riding gear, and said "you look pretty hardcore"....I laughed, and said "well, I'm doin' some pretty hardcore ridin'" I had a beer, they were real friendly, so I had another I quickly convinced them to do The Salute !! They were all interesting characters, it was Mitch's 64th birthday and he's a 3 tour Vietnam Veteran, and I met Tom Reeves, who was the Bartender on the old Bonanza TV series for a few years...he's 83 years young now... This dog, a yellow lab started barking at me, Paul said, "she wants a dollar"......I thought he was joking. Nope, she begs for dollars, then goes and gives the dollar to the bartender and she gets a dog biscuit. Squiggy said she averages $350 a month income from begging for dollars, and the money goes to bar improvements......too freakin' funny !! Squiggy told me he taught her how to take money out of a purse, so one night a woman left her purse on the floor, and Angel ended up with $140 in the corner. Of course, the woman got her money back Angel doing a High Five for a buck Angel scammin' money off the bar Angel beggin' for a buck That was one cool, funny dog !! I had such a good time, I spent a couple of hours there, gave Angel a few bucks.......then it was time to head south. Sunset on Topaz Lake It was only a few miles to the town of Walker where I stopped for dinner at a pizza place / motel. After dinner, I ended up getting a nice cabin there. Here's my romantic, little cabin......I was all alone Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted August 21, 2006 Thursday morning I left Walker after breakfast and headed a few miles on pavement to the Burcham Flat Road. Today, I would have a different type of Adventure on the mountain....... Here, the dirt road runs at least 1000 feet above highway 395 in the canyon below I took the turn to head towards Lobdell Lake and Jackass Flat, another route in the Sierra Byways book. My plan today was to knock out another 4 routes from the book. Here is the view from close to 10,000 feet elevation I rode up to the top of this rocky ridge for some photos After the photos, I turned the bike around, which was tough since it was very rocky. I almost tipped over, but was able to stop it with my foot. Then, as I was crawling over another rock, I lost my balance and my foot couldn't touch the ground, so over I went.......the pig fell over hard on the rocks. I picked her up and rode down to the bottom. The exhaust suddenly was really loud. At the bottom, I had to inspect the bike and saw the subframe tweaked over a few inches The pipes had pulled off the exhaust header I had to strip all my gear off the bike to inspect further....upper subframe bolt missing Lower subframe bolt missing, which I had lost up on top of White Mountain at the research station on Sunday.....like an idiot, I thought just using zip-ties and safety wire would hold it. Dented Pannier Bent brake lever At least I had good scenery around me while I had to work on the bike I contemplated what to do....I had to take off the pannier mounts, the rear side panels, and drop the pipes to try to align everything At one point, when I was almost done, a Jeep pulled up to ask me directions on how to get down the mountain. He asked, "what, are you camping up here?" I laughed and said "no, I'm working on the bike". He looked and realized what I was doing. He offered to help, and we tried getting the exhaust lined up and back on, but the exhaust gaskets were chewed up, so I pulled them out, then we were able to get the exhaust back on. He waited until I fired her up to make sure all was OK, then he and his family headed down the mountain. This whole process took me about 5 hours. Finally packed up and ready to go I knew my off-roading was done for this trip. I called my friend Dale in Bishop, and told him I would see him tonight. I rode back down the mountain and got on highway 395 south. On the way, I stopped at Tom's Place one last time for a beverage. There was some nice machinery out front.... I got to Bishop and Dale's house in the evening, thought about making the blast home tonight. But after getting into the typical bike stories with Dale, I decided to stay and he offered to let me sleep in his spare room, I agreed. Next morning, we went to breakfast together. Then we stopped at Golden State Cycle, where I bought 2 new mirrors for the ride home (I had been riding without mirrors on the bike for the last 5 days). I said goodbye to Dale, thanked him for helping lead the ride through Buttermilk on Saturday with the ADVrider group. Then I did the long, boring blast down 395 to interstate 15and home. I arrived home in the afternoon after a little 1600 mile Adventure. The problem with the tweaked subframe on top of the mountain just added to the adventure, at least I was able to ride out of there. This additional 5 days added to the awesome time I had at the WMRS II ADVrider Rally. After this trip, and the last 2 trips in the Sierra Nevada over the last 3 months, I've done more routes out of the Sierra Nevada Byways book, with not many left to finish all 50 routes. My addiction to the Sierra Nevada mountains continues !! Until next time........I have one more Sierra trip in October to do this year, from Death Valley to Bishop and back to Death Valley. I can't wait !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sandiegoland 0 Posted August 21, 2006 On the way up.....rough road Salivating... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brett 0 Posted August 22, 2006 Nice job Randy!I'm glad you post this great stuff here, not just on ADVrider.Call me next time you're going, my schedule is flexible.Also, if your bike breaks, I'll let you look admiringly at mine. Brett Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carguy 1 Posted August 22, 2006 Awesome Ride Randy! I /we are jealous. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
