Incredible Johnson Valley Ride! Sorry I missed it...

[riceless950]

Last Sunday I took my new ride out to Johnson Valley for a little solo loop. I was really looking forward to some quality one on one time with my Italian Beauty, in the 188,000 acres of open offroad solitude.

Curses foiled again!




I had forgotten that the King of the Hammers race week started today. Circus tents, Semi trucks, motorhomes and Rock racing buggies owned Means Dry Lake for the next 7 days.




But I'm a bit of a motorhead myself, so I figured I'd just enjoy the show. These were spectator's vehicles. The race rigs were still down on the lake.







This trail is Sledgehammer. The first of the Hammer trails.





I've done it once in a jeep, and once on a trials bike. I didn't get too far on the Beta. She's still way too shiney & new to try it.





Another way into Sledge is to go in on the "Escape Route" trail. But to do that, you have to climb this.....not today....not solo.





So I rode around a bit more, then went down to "Hammertown" to look around. Nice Cars.







When I got home I had a message from inmate "fuggy" saying he was at Johnson Valley for the races and wanted to ride some singletrack. I answered that I'd be up for it Tuesday.

Skip ahead to Tuesday:


Not having ever met fuggy, I didn't know what type of rider he was so the ride I took him on started pretty easy. Everytime I looked over my shoulder he was right there, so gradually the difficulty increased. By the end of the ride we were exploring new gnarley trails that neither of us had ever seen, and making new trails of our own. Really Fun!!!

I made two big mistakes on this ride though.

1. I forgot the mount for my helmetcam, so I rigged it to my visor.

2. I left my still camera in the truck.

I was able to put together a short video though. Here it is...Enjoy.

[IMG][/IMG]


Thanks for the great ride Chad! I'm looking forward to seeing the video from your properly mounted GoPro.

[Nightstalker]

[B-Rod]

Congrats on the Beta

[riceless950]

Originally Posted by B-Rod

Congrats on the Beta

>

thanks.

It may be a while before Fuggy posts up 'cause he'll be out in JV untill Monday. So in the mean time I'll try to keep everyone's interest with more lame vids like this:

[IMG][/IMG]

[DavidQ]

I love Hammertown! I haven't been there since 2009 but it was a great time. I have a bunch of friends out there racing this week. It is definitely something to see. When I went there in 2009, I brought my buggy. Since then I have wanted to get back out there on a dirt bike but haven't found the time.

[B-Rod]

Originally Posted by riceless950

thanks.

It may be a while before Fuggy posts up 'cause he'll be out in JV untill Monday. So in the mean time I'll try to keep everyone's interest with more lame vids like this:

Hmmm, looks you have a bad case of target fixation caused by



I know, I know, I keed.

[riceless950]

I'm goin' back out there today for the Main Event. The Ramm mount is already in the truck.

[riceless950]

I showed up a little late (8am) to Means Dry Lake for the King of the Hammers main event. Fuggy was already gone out on the course somewhere. This meant I was left to enjoy the race solo.

Sort of.





Two 60ish mile loops hitting alot of the toughest trails in Johnson Valley...

AT SPEED!





Racing on trails with names like Wrecking Ball, Jackhammer, Aftershock and Outer Limits, to name a few, can get pretty hectic at times.





and Dangerous





Lots of really nice and very expensive cars.





This guy (Shannon Campbell) finished the first loop in first place and was favored to win.



I didn't stay for the finish but I'd bet he won.



I rode some fun trails











Enjoyed some great scenery!







and some great racing with great scenery!



Pretty dang fun day but I think it's safe to say that I still prefer Riding to spectating. So that's what I'm gonna do tomorrow.

[fuggy]

Originally Posted by riceless950

Not having ever met fuggy, I didn't know what type of rider he was so the ride I took him on started pretty easy. Everytime I looked over my shoulder he was right there, so gradually the difficulty increased. By the end of the ride we were exploring new gnarley trails that neither of us had ever seen, and making new trails of our own. Really Fun!!!

I made two big mistakes on this ride though.

1. I forgot the mount for my helmetcam, so I rigged it to my visor.

2. I left my still camera in the truck.

I was able to put together a short video though. Here it is...Enjoy.

[IMG][/IMG]


Thanks for the great ride Chad! I'm looking forward to seeing the video from your properly mounted GoPro.

Them AZ people like rolling over big rocks! I had blast riding with you Brent, sorry we didn't hook-up for another ride. Will post up my video soon.

BTW: Shannon Campbell, from AZ, won the race by a huge margin.

[fuggy]

I learned a few lessons from Riceless on how to handle your bike on the super steep stuff. He calls it 'bull-doggin'.



I also learned a visor is not only good for blocking the sun, it is good for blocking the camera.


I really enjoyed the trails around JV. Been there 4 times and never found the good stuff.





Scott and I following Riceless thru the desert:



Finally on some good stuff:


That lakebed was so smooth by the M.B. I went out and hit it again with my buddy Dave:



will work on video tomorrow. I should have some great footage!

[riceless950]

Originally Posted by fuggy

will work on video tomorrow. I should have some great footage!

Lookin' forward to it Chad.
Remember though, we agreed, No Beastie Boyz.

[Sportakus]

Great!!!!!!!

[ClearwaterBMW]

loved all of it
the video... cool
that song... AWESOME

great pictures
what wonderful vehicles
please don't get me hankering for one of those, too

[fuggy]

Video from my GoPro mounted on my flimsy visor:

[riceless950]

Cool vid Chad, thanks. Hope I can visit your trails soon.