nOObs Rally End of March Madness 2012 Ride Report

Someday, maybe I can zip up to the lookout at Chloride Cliffs as if it were a smooth and level fire road and ride down as if it were a piece of cake. I turned off the camera before luv2race (John) raced up to the lookout, but here's his decent. The camera angle does not do justice to the actual grade...

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On Saturday, Joel, Ersin and I rode the DV South Loop east to west.

So we were riding west on Warm Springs Road from West Side Road...

Joel - Riding the 690


Ersin on the 990 is following



Joel





Ersin






At the Geologist Cabin






Joel deciding which way to go down Goler


And decides to go down the rocks (on the right side heading down)



It was a great ride. Going east to west gets through all the boring pavement and West Side Road early, and leaves the rest of the day with fun riding!

Larry,

Thanks for posting the evidence of Joel doing the "Harley Waddle" and standing up like he is doing a squat. I'll work on fixing him when he comes to school.

Looks like the group as a whole got to go to some pretty neat places and come back safely, which is always a bonus. I was pretty cool to see such a wide range of bikes out there as well. I'm sure I'll run into a lot of you guys out on the trail.

JIMMY

Jimmy,

Thanks for your continued support for ADV Riders (especially the March Madness Rally)!

I'm sure Joel will appreciate some additional coaching. I'm hoping to take another class with you this fall.

jimmy, going down on goler got my knees shaking.....

same here....larry and i will see you this fall

and mark your calendar next year...end of march.

larry, i remember you and i reviewed how to go down the steps.....butt above the rear wheel, lean as far back, arms straight and stay loose.

just didn't happen...should have been like these....

one of the drills i need to constantly remember....need to find some hills this coming weekend.

And that I had the SPOT Shared Pages app on my iPhone with your link in it AND that the spotty wi-fi at the camp decided to actually work. AND that there were those who then rallied to the cause. Great group of PPs.

We ought to plan an LA day at Jimmy Lewis! Let me know when, lord knows I need more training,

Jimmy, thank you the first lesson suck pretty good. Lippencott was not that scary!

On Saline valley road:















Joel, thanks again for the dinner and the night at Panamint Springs!

-- Tristan (and Sharon) - with the old KLR 650 loaded like a mule!

My buddy michael.brat/Mike and I drove up Thursday night from LA, ready to roll Friday morning. Friday's ride was the large Steele Pass loop set up by jarthur/Jack, as seen in the below GPS tracks. On this ride we have 7 inmates total:
jarthur/Jack
Bitwrench/Jackson
isaac004/Isaac
michael.brat/Mike
mikey113/Mike
steveoh/Steve
TwoWheelsGood/Rich

Also, on the photos, you can click on any of my photos to get linked to the original large size. You can also find them all posted here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/isaac_eos/sets/72157629386735258/

The GPS tracks, run clockwise.




Only the best sleeping accommodations thanks to Subaru.


Heading up Saline Valley Road towards South Pass.


Looking back towards Panamint Valley from South Pass.


Blasting down Saline Valley Road with steveoh/Steve in tow, now in Saline Valley.


The crew pulls up for a regroup, with steveoh/Steve and Bitwrench/Jackson and others. This is where I was a bit puzzled, as I thought I was in the last part of the group of 7. Turns out I was number 3 in formation, and was quite surprised when all the bikes pulled up behind me.


TwoWheelsGood/Rich leads the way to a land of old guys wearing nothing but t-shirts, as well as spafixer/Jim's fuel truck. Lucky for us, Jim kept his clothes on.


An oasis of fuel and warm water in the middle of Saline Valley. Thanks Jim!!!


Heading up Steele Pass.


mikey113/Mike heading up Steele Pass. We did a short regroup here as Mike had a small but otherwise insignificant spill. The only issue was his bike ran rough for some odd reason after the spill, but eventually cleared itself out.


One more coming up Steele Pass.


A small regroup, minus Rich who was blasting like a rocket ship, scoping out our lunch stop. Left to right, Mike, Jack, Mike, Jackson, and Steve.


steveoh/Steve getting ready to drop down into Eureka Valley.


steveoh/Steve riding down to the Eureka Valley Sand Dunes. As you come down a few rock steps and out of the canyon from the top of Steele Pass into Eureka Valley, you are greeted by the peaks of sand dunes which create much excitement.


Stopped to grab another shot. Apparently these are some of the tallest dunes in America, at 600 feet above surrounding grade. Also to add to the excitement was a few fighter jets flying overhead. Commenting on the sand here, this is the toughest sand I have ridden in so far. Something about it is much lighter and fluffier than any other sand I have ridden in thus far, as I struggled to keep the bike upright. I know this is nothing compared to the infamous silt beds, but still!


Blasting up towards The Crater on the west side, on what I believe is Eureka Valley/Death Valley Road.


Another shot west of The Crater, looking back at Bitwrench/Jackson and crew.


Getting closer to The Crater with Bitwrench/Jackson, which is all I see it marked as on any map I look at. I thought I would be greeted by some magnificent overlook and view, but apparently The Crater is truly large enough that I doubt you can see much of the vastness unless you are in an airplane or find just the right peak. I'm not so sure on that however, as the more I search about The Crater, the more I see it referenced as Crater Mine, an old sulfur mining location that is now defunct after an explosion in 1941 and the start of WW2. Some more info: http://mojavedesert.net/desert-fever/last-chance-range.html


The vastness continues on as we head east away from The Crater and Crankshaft Junction.


michael.brat/Mike before he leaves me in the dust. In the headwinds, the poor WR250R can't keep up with the big 650 singles.


Regroup at Death Valley Road and Ubehebe Crater Road, just west of Scottys Castle Rd. At this point we were deciding if we would loop back using Hunter Mountain or Lippincott Pass. Due to the fact that Hunter Mountain is usually snowed in this time of year, most agreed that Hunter Mountain would be the best choice due to the moment of opportunity.


While the rest continued on to Tea Kettle Junction, michael.brat/Mike and I took a few minutes to check out Ubehebe Crater.


Some interesting findings on the crater, one of which is that the crater is believed to be as young as 800 years old, the result of a rising magma chamber hitting the water table. The result is a very large steam explosion.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152516.htm

michael.brat/Mike and I stop for a photo, with the wind blowing hard.


We stop at Tea Kettle Junction for a quick rest and to snap a few photos. Here I am on the back side of the sign. At this point Rich and a few others went off to the Racetrack to check that out quickly.


I forgot to take a photo of the front side of the Tea Kettles and the sign, probably due to all the ugly ADV'ers and their bikes behind me.


Heading up Hunter Mountain.


More of the view on Hunter.


michael.brat/Mike and some of the mud we encountered.


Snow!!!!


Back to the view of Panamint Valley from South Pass.


Blasting back down Saline Valley Road towards 190.


The March 2012 pinup photo of Sexy ADV Desert Riders.


All in all this was a great loop, one that I would love to ride again. Turns out Jimmy Lewis ran this loop backwards solo on Saturday. It's a great view of the northern half of the park, and not overly hard, just a long day in the seat. The vastness and isolation of this desert always amazes me. Thanks to Jack for leading this great loop, and thanks to everyone on the loop for an enjoyable ride. Everyone ended up being pretty well matched in riding pace, and we made it back to camp with plenty of light to spare and no broken bike or body parts.

sweet shot!

pleasure to have you tristan and sharon. great to hear you made it to sf.

last year, we had a traveller from england who joined us too. we'll always have rooms for weary travellers.

i was lackadaisical and too busy sharing my spot shared page, but with some prodding from eric i finally did.

thanks eric for handling the spot thing, people will realize the benefits only after something unfortuante happened. as eric said, PPs will step in and will give assistance. yeah, i remember lonestar....he rescued loner's se950 on the way to warp last year.

I was sold on the SPOT before the Rally but hadn't got around to getting one. Now I'm determined to get one before my next trip. Even though we were almost back to the pavement it was such a relief to see those headlights heading toward us on Thursday night. Thanks to Eric for organizing the spot page and for noticing that the spot hadn't moved and to jnyrav, dsm8 and lonestar for coming to the rescue! It was really heartwarming to return to camp and see how many people were looking out for us and were worried about us. I also want to thank dsm8 and everybody else who looked after Joe that evening too. ADVers are terrific!!

Saturday’s ride was the loop lead by r3r3r/Randall, which great to 14 people deep. A few dropped out, a few dropped in, and I am terrible with names so unfortunately I won’t even attempt to name everyone I snapped in my photos. After a last minute chain change the night before (thanks to Lior for bringing some good spare parts with him!) after my chain

Again, on my photos, you can click on any of my photos to get linked to the original large size. You can also find them all posted here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/isaac_eos/sets/72157629386735258/

The GPS tracks, ridden counter clockwise.


GPS elevation profile.


michael.brat/Mike and group in tow as we head south on Panamint Valley Road to the start of the dirt on Indian Ranch Road. This is where we first noticed the crazy headwind that would only get worse later in the day.


The first of a few large and longish regroups just as we hit Indian Ranch Road. We dropped two at this point due to some mechanical issues created the day prior....Andrea's little DR200 had some problems and she and Ed turned back to ride a different loop.


The infamous Goler Wash rock step. I rode this thing for the first time two years ago and didn't even really remember it, probably due to the fact that I was on a better bike for the rough stuff (TE250) and I suspected the step is harder now. Well after looking at my old video, the step did not have all those loose rocks that you see now...notice them in the photo below?


Watch the video below around 8:32 or so, you can see the step there with no loose rocks below it. I do have new helmet cam footage of me riding up it this time but I have gotten around to posting it yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vvYInwEKR0&

I managed to make it up without trouble (big ups to riding a small 250, a nice payoff for having to wring the engine out on those high speed sandy roads and headwinds), as well as a few others who made it up with little to no trouble. Here is a photo of me, courtesy of r3r3r/Randall.


Let the carnage begin....dainbramaged with a little incident going up the rocks.


Like a true large project, notice the management on the left providing valuable feedback and oversight.


How many guys does it take to haul a 1200GS up the rock step? All in all, we pulled him up without any naps or damage. Quite the effort though!


I believe this is pinocono, flying up the step with some wheelie action to boot.


Some assistance for the BMW G650X.


As we all finally made it up the step, a Mercedes G Class rolls up and walks right up the rock step like it was a speed bump. He makes it look so easy, but we make it so much cheaper! Turns out it was Redbull Addict, a fellow ADVer and friend of h8chain/Joel.

Made it up to Mengel Pass, where the wind became quite bad again. It was definitely a nice day to be back in the canyons.


michael.brat/Mike, at Mengel Pass.


A few guys drop down to find the cabins, in hopes of a less windy spot for lunch.


michael.brat/Mike drops in.


The Geologist Cabin was supposed to be our next stop for the lunch break, but instead we mistakenly stopped at the cabin before that one...nonetheless, still a nice cabin, all ready for a candle light dinner.


We ended up staying here for at least an hour while the tail end of our group caught back up. Some of the bigger bikes and n00bs took some more time through




These cabins are nice. We noticed that someone dragged up a big goblet from Medieval Times.


Striped Butte....this site is absolutely stunning and no photos can do justice to how the bands of colors stick out against the barren landscape.


Striped Butte....again, something that must be seen in person to truly appreciate. The way it grows in sight as you head east from Butte Valley down Warm Springs is amazing.


Another regroup on Warm Springs roads after it opens up quite a bit.


At West Side Road and Badwater Road...the wind was really howling here, as you could lean this far and more into the wind and it would hold you up.


The rest of the group catches up as West Side Road ends. We were all flying down West Side Road with the tail wind at our backs. You could haul at 60-70mph and not feel any wind around you at all, the air was perfectly still. Randall commented on the huge ball of heat between his legs since the air cooled bikes had virtually no airflow to cool off with. I think michael.brat/Mike got up around 80-90mph. As Mike and a few others made the 90 degree right hander on West Side Road just before it ends at Badwater Road, they got hit by the crosswind so hard that a few of them were blown straight off the road. It was an odd sensation to be sliding sideways across the gravel while riding down a straight road!


Heading north on Badwater Road, you can see all the storms being whipped around. At this point it's back to riding at 60mph with such a strong tail wind that the air is completely still around you.


Get ready to enter...


...THE BEAST!!!! This was right around the sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells.


As we came down pass on 190 back to PSR, we came across a small amount of fist sized rocks in the road, which looked like a fairly fresh small rockslide. We talked with some riders who were 5 minutes behind us, and apparently there was a larger rockslide right after we passed through as a few cars had to stop completely.

All in all, another great ride and great loop. Thanks to r3r3r/Randall for leading such a large group! A few falls in the group, but overall nothing serious and another great day of riding!!!

i've also been through this goler wash trail years ago, when there were no loose rocks like that.

one of my friends who went there recently told me it was easier to pass the "step" by walking the bike (rather than riding it) and playing with the clutch on the empty (much lighter) bike.

has anyone tried that technique with a 650cc or larger bike? (I have a KLR650)

the problem with those large bikes is that it's hard to get a good footing if needed, because they are quite high. a 250cc like a honda XR is perfect for this kind of trails!

it's probably much easier going down, of course, but i might try my way up next time i get there.

Isaac, those are great photos from both of your group rides. It's neat to see pictures from another view. That's the first I've seen of my wheelie up the steps.

On Sunday Mike and I wanted a decent ride, but not an all day event so we could still get back in time to PSR and load up and drive home. We decided to just do an out and back to the Saline Warm Springs so we could soak and relax in the tubs for a while and have our lunch break. When we passed through on Friday for the Steele Pass Loop, we did not have enough time to relax here in the springs.

As we were heading out, Mark joined us on his DR650.


Mike, heading up Saline Valley Road.


All in all a great ride out for the tubs and lunch. As usual, you meet some interesting characters and their lack of clothes in these hot tubs.

On the way back we stopped at one of the scenic viewpoints off of 190.


Heading home back to LA, enjoying some of the premium milk shakes that the PSR gas station sells. Seriously, these milk shakes are TOP NOTCH and well worth it!!! Thanks to Joe for taking the lead on organizing the ride, and thanks to everyone for kicking in with their help and leading rides! Mike and I were able to get in over 500 miles of riding!!!

Nice RRs Isaac. It was great to have you and Michael on the ride!

The best part about this trip for me was pretty much being able to do what I wanted when I wanted. I was there solo just to meet up with my ADV friends. The bottom line is that I had a terrific vacation and thoroughly enjoyed my ride trips. Last year I came up late on my streetbike due to weather but this year I had the new Husky 630 so it made exploring an absolute blast. I had a preview last November but due to weather our trips were pretty limited. This time I covered over 400 miles on 3 rides in the north and west part of the area, Saline, Hunter, Racetrack, White Top,Cerro Gordo and the Salt Tram. This is the first installment of each day out at the n0Ob rALLy.

I got there Wednesday afternoon and met up with fellow Husky rider Ken (BlaiseW) who traveled all the way from Houston to ride with us. What a trip! Sharing a campsite worked out really well, got setup and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Our Thursday ride was to Saline Valley hot springs and there were a few others wanting to go as well. We waited for a long time for a few peeps to get there and then they were still waiting for more peeps to get there so we decided to meet everyone out at the springs. Ken, John (jnyrav on his new 690) and I headed for Saline Valley Road.

Once we got to South Pass I talked them into shooting up to Hunter Cabin just to check it out. We figured we'd have plenty of time, maybe catch the rest of the riders on our way back down.

Hunter Mountain Road was pretty muddied up and there was snow on the hillsides up that way:



We actually rode through a few snow patches getting into the cabin. Had a cup of coffee with the jetboil, a snack, and a quick photo. Me (Chris), John, and Ken.
Notice the snow in the foreground...if you recall the other ride report photos from the following day(s) it had all melted.



On our way back down the mountain we ran into RobG, Cowgirl, and Macadamia on their way up Hunter Mountain Road on their ill-fated adventure. Glad they finally all made it out okay. I had reservations on seeing them up there, Cowgirl had already dumped at least once in one of the mud-slicked ruts, but it wasn't my place to tell them where to go or what to do. Hindsight is 20-20, right?

So on out Saline Valley to Warm Springs, it's a LONG way out there.



A good riding buddy of mine has been raving about this place for the past 10 years. The first 5 of them I had no idea what the hell he was talking about, a desolate 95 mile road into nowhere, WTF? But alas I challenged him to make the trek and ended up beating him to it. Now I see what he's talking about. Next time I'm going with camping gear and stay there for a few days. Oh, and yeah, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon it was empty. Should'a took a dip but we were hot and hungry and ready to head back to PSR.



The main hot springs pool is just gorgeous. I was duly impressed at how well kept and nice it was. Big kudos to Lizzard Lee and the rest of the folks that come there and keep it up.



The 'kiddie area' has a nice koi pond



Pablo was there handing out beers - THANKS!! And we found some shade under the palm trees and had lunch and a beer. By now BlaiseW was getting pretty antsy since it was about 3 o'clock and we had spent the better part of the day getting there, so he wanted to get going. I don't like to split up a group, but he's a big boy (about the only other inmate older than me there. ) so I said no problem, we'll catch up to you or meet you back at PSR.

John and I headed out after awhile (and another beer) to make the long trek back to PSR. Once we got back out to Saline Valley Road and started south here comes H8chains and Loner. I guess they finally did make it out to the springs!

On the way back we stopped at the Panamint Rainbow Canyon scenic overlook. We never did catch up with BlaiseW.

Our darth peach pic...





Up next is our Friday ride, just Johngil and I, up Lippincott, Racetrack, Tea Kettle Jct, White Top Mt. and Hunter Mt. road. What a trip that was!

A great loop and a great group for sure. Thanks for the RR. I hope to see you guys next year.