Ride to Primm NV for J Lewis school

Noguz · 10-04-2005, 09:53 AM

I was lucky enough to be notified a couple of months ago by Heather Lewis, Jimmy's wife, about the Oct 1&2 school to be held in Primm NV. Knowing that if I never did this I would regret it I sent off my deposit check as Oct 1 quickly approached.

So Thursday morning, Sept. 29, I saddled up my ride, a KTM 950 I bought slightly used last summer, and headed out. I stopped in Lower Lake to fuel up and a harley-looking dude climbed out of his minivan (!) at the gas station and mumbled something about "hey, are those things really comfortable for a long trip?" so I told him, "yes, motorcycles are great for long rides, you should try one". He didn't seem to like what I said and he STFU like I wanted him to.

I took Knoxville Berryessa Road over towards Winters, got on 80 and while going through Sac my mind was on my good friend Melinda who was the subject of many threads on mc lists over the last two weeks. While pondering what she did I lost track of where I was going and inadvertently stayed on 80 instead of heading out 50 (I had been thinking I would take 16 or something and get over to 108 or 4 for my trip over the Sierra). I wound up getting off 80 around Auburn, following some stinky diesels along 49 until I got to Placerville where I took Diamond Sprs, Pleasant Vly, then Mormon Emigrant Trail up to 88 and stopped at Woods Lake for my lunch, a italian sausage sandwich I had stashed in the saddlebag. I kept thinking of Melinda's beautiful red Tuono, it's been parked in my driveway many times when she had visited me in Cobb Mtn. I'll miss Big Red a lot; she was an inveterate social planner and instigator who put together many rides, parties, and ride-n-parties.

Up and over the Carson Pass, through Markleeville (miss the Cutthroat Saloon there), and on over Monitor Pass. It was a gorgeous cool afternoon.

I rode along 395 pretty quickly, hoping to get to my favorite camping spot before dark, but I realized I wasn't going to make it (that would be Tuttle Creek CG, outside of Lone Pine). I ended up staying in a motel in Bishop, just as well as I didn't feel like setting up a camp after riding about 60 miles in the darkness. Traffic seemed rather heavy on 395 South and I didn't like it much.

Next morning I rode down to Lone Pine and had a late breakfast/early lunch, then out into Death Valley. It was not too awfully hot and the scenery was desolate and spectacular. Here is an overlook I stopped at on the way in, that is the valley where Panamint Springs is located (Panamint Valley, maybe?)

I stopped at Death Valley Junction to ask if there was any fuel available in Shoshone, 27 miles to the south. The funky Amargosa Opera House is at DVJ, it's a cool place to stop and look around but there is not any fuel available there. The lady there told me that there was indeed a gas station in Shoshone, so after a soda and watching a most gorgeous french-accented ballet dancer check in to her hotel room (yes, I wondered what she was doing there) I took off to get some gas for my nearly empty 950. In Shoshone I bumped into two KTM riders and as I asked them what they were up to it turned out they were headed off to the JL school as well. Two hours later I arrived in Primm NV. I was surpised to see a huge complex of three casinos as Primm had only appeared on my maps as a tiny dot and on some of them it wasn't even noted as being there at all. I checked in and took a shower, got a beer, got a couple more beers, had a burger, and turned in, awaiting the morning for the off road school.

In the morning we met up by Jimmy's big rig he uses for a rolling house and race shop. That's Jimmy's prototype BMW HP, a bike that he did test riding for its development. He likes this bike a lot. He also had a R1200GS that he and Heather would both use, and a Honda XR600 that Heather used on Sunday out in the desert.

We spent the morning and afternoon doing drills on the huge dry lake bed that forms the bottommost portion of the Primm Valley. Jimmy would tap his helmet and have everyone gather in an arc in front of him as he explained the hows and whys of what our next exercise would be.

Jimmy spent a few minutes from time to time demonstrating his own enjoyment of the HP. He can really ride a bike, no shit sherlock! He could ride the rear tire all the way across the lakebed if he wanted, but it is a long way. That lake must be five miles across, even though it doesn't look it at first. Distances out in the desert can be very deceptive.

Here he is doing a sliding turn at what I estimate would be about 75 mph in second gear of his 110 hp big dirtbike.

That night we all had dinner together in the Tony Roma's Ribs place inside the casino. It was good, lots of banter and lots of food. We all retired early I think. I sure did.

Sunday we got to meet up and we headed out a powerline road to utilize our newly learned methodologies of staying upright. It was quite a difficult road, don't be thinking for one minute that riding this road was easy. It was not! I think everyone except Jimmy and Heather dumped their bikes at least once.

Riding in sand is very tricky, it must be learned. Even if you don't fall it is mentally exhausting, not just tiring, but exhausting. Jimmy's whole curriculum is centered around conserving your energy (he is an accomplished trials rider and enduro rider and he really blends both of those specialties in his course). Here he is looking out for a student while seated on the R1200GS, a bike he can ride just about anywhere.

He showed us some steep climbs and dropoffs, and I was the only one of the class to try a near vertical drop of maybe fifteen feet. I did it successfully with a small amount of good form and grace and Heather gave me a really big cheer for the effort. It made me feel pretty good. Heather is a great gal and an awesome rider and racer in her own right, and a very good teacher as well. I wish there were more girls like her, and when I told her that, she told me that she feels the same way. Just not many like her.

My ride home on Monday morning was uneventful (what I wanted). I left Primm at 6:10 a.m. in the cool morning and fought a strong headwind most of the way, but that didn't stop me from making good time. I arrived back at my hovel in Cobb at exactly 5 p.m. to greet my dog. The return trip was 630 miles on main highways with a strong headwind so you can safely surmise that I did not mess around. It's not my style to do that anyway.

My ktm, in spite of being drastically overdue for maintenance, ran flawlessy without a hiccup and in spite of being dumped in the sand and rocks at least ten times did not even so much as break a turn signal stalk or bend a lever. Unbelievable!

Hope you enjoyed the writeup.

Cheers

Bill AKA Norbert Noguz
Cobb Mtn CA
KTM 950
Moto Guzzi California SS
Moto Guzzi Ambassador
BMW R1100RS
Suzuki DR650SE

Jerrykap · 10-04-2005, 10:27 AM

Awesome report Bill, well photographed. Not only did I want to know more about the JL school but you shared some of your feelings about "Big Red" who, needless to say, has been on my mind a lot lately. I wasn't as close to her as you were, but our paths had crossed several times and I always came away impressed with her enthusiasm and energy. Her death brought back all the same feelings of grief and sadnessI had when my friend James died on the way to Middletown. Obviously depression can be a real killer.

Hey, life's for the living. Dirt season is here, all we need is a little rain to wet down the dusty trails. I took my LC4 around Indian Valley and into Stonyford last week. It was fantastic. That LC4 has legs and suspension that will go anywhere as long as you have the right tires. How bout we hook up soon and do some dual sporting? I think Kim and his buddy Ben would be interested as well.

C-ya, Jer

Noguz · 10-04-2005, 11:15 AM

Jerry, I've got Boggs Mtn right across the highway, and it's legal as long as you stay on the main roads. Most of them are so rutted and rocky and poorly maintained that it's good practice over there. I have a little 6 mile loop I try to do four or five times a week. And if that's not enough, I've got Knoxville down the road a ways and the Mendo Natl Forest to the north. So come on over!

Jerrykap · 10-04-2005, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noguz

So come on over!

You're on. How about Thurs. or Fri? Let's run it by Kim too.

C-ya, J

SeanF · 10-04-2005, 11:38 AM

Nice write-up and photos.

Kingsqueak · 10-04-2005, 12:03 PM

Looks like you guys were on the other side of the highway from where I was when I was out there with Admo Tours. Gotta love that place. There is pretty much any terrain you want too. Just head up and over those mountains and into the valleys between. Sand, singletrack through the desert grasses, sandy two-track, rocky two-track, rocky goat trails. Plenty enough to wear me out for sure.

osteo · 10-04-2005, 12:52 PM

Nice report Bill - and great pics!

Now you have me trying to decide between the Harden Off Road school and JL - but either way, those are way way off in the future - pipe dreams right now!

Great report!
D

TUFELHUNDEN · 10-04-2005, 01:51 PM

Someday I will, but until then... Thanks for the excellent report and pictures! I look forward to more informative posts just like this one!

Bill the Duck · 10-04-2005, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noguz

*snip*
I think everyone except Jimmy and Heather dumped their bikes at least once.

Hey Bill! Glad to have met you at the course!

Actually me and two other riders, the ones with the antique R100GS's, managed to survive the weekend without a drop. In my case it's just because I was too big a wuss to try the really tough stuff

The pic above is Jimmy on my bike and was actually the last drill on Saturday. That was the "how to get unstuck in sand" lecture, and I think I got a "D" on that test.

The second day ride was unusually tough according to Jimmy. Recent heavy rains left the roads a lot softer.

Riding on the dry lake bed was my favorite part. The GPS track showed a top speed of 62 through the lake bed on the way back to the hotel after the ride. (Heather got up to 110 :rabia )

Thanks for the write-up and hope to meet up with you again! My pics will be up shortly.

Bill the Duck · 10-05-2005, 08:35 AM

Bill,

Sorry to kill your thread.

Kevin

(This message brought to you by the CSB Citizens for Shameless Bumps)

alcesito · 10-05-2005, 02:27 PM

Thanks for the report. Makes me want to go.

Zen Slug · 10-07-2005, 11:15 PM

Nice report!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noguz

Bill AKA Norbert Noguz

Is that Norbert from the Sierra Extreme rally???

If so,

how are you doin?

How does the Jimmy Lewis class compare to the Rawhyde one?

10-04-2005, 09:53 AM	#1
Noguz Rest in peace, William. Joined: Jun 2004 Location: Cobb Mountain Oddometer: 277	Ride to Primm NV for J Lewis school I was lucky enough to be notified a couple of months ago by Heather Lewis, Jimmy's wife, about the Oct 1&2 school to be held in Primm NV. Knowing that if I never did this I would regret it I sent off my deposit check as Oct 1 quickly approached. So Thursday morning, Sept. 29, I saddled up my ride, a KTM 950 I bought slightly used last summer, and headed out. I stopped in Lower Lake to fuel up and a harley-looking dude climbed out of his minivan (!) at the gas station and mumbled something about "hey, are those things really comfortable for a long trip?" so I told him, "yes, motorcycles are great for long rides, you should try one". He didn't seem to like what I said and he STFU like I wanted him to. I took Knoxville Berryessa Road over towards Winters, got on 80 and while going through Sac my mind was on my good friend Melinda who was the subject of many threads on mc lists over the last two weeks. While pondering what she did I lost track of where I was going and inadvertently stayed on 80 instead of heading out 50 (I had been thinking I would take 16 or something and get over to 108 or 4 for my trip over the Sierra). I wound up getting off 80 around Auburn, following some stinky diesels along 49 until I got to Placerville where I took Diamond Sprs, Pleasant Vly, then Mormon Emigrant Trail up to 88 and stopped at Woods Lake for my lunch, a italian sausage sandwich I had stashed in the saddlebag. I kept thinking of Melinda's beautiful red Tuono, it's been parked in my driveway many times when she had visited me in Cobb Mtn. I'll miss Big Red a lot; she was an inveterate social planner and instigator who put together many rides, parties, and ride-n-parties. Up and over the Carson Pass, through Markleeville (miss the Cutthroat Saloon there), and on over Monitor Pass. It was a gorgeous cool afternoon. I rode along 395 pretty quickly, hoping to get to my favorite camping spot before dark, but I realized I wasn't going to make it (that would be Tuttle Creek CG, outside of Lone Pine). I ended up staying in a motel in Bishop, just as well as I didn't feel like setting up a camp after riding about 60 miles in the darkness. Traffic seemed rather heavy on 395 South and I didn't like it much. Next morning I rode down to Lone Pine and had a late breakfast/early lunch, then out into Death Valley. It was not too awfully hot and the scenery was desolate and spectacular. Here is an overlook I stopped at on the way in, that is the valley where Panamint Springs is located (Panamint Valley, maybe?) I stopped at Death Valley Junction to ask if there was any fuel available in Shoshone, 27 miles to the south. The funky Amargosa Opera House is at DVJ, it's a cool place to stop and look around but there is not any fuel available there. The lady there told me that there was indeed a gas station in Shoshone, so after a soda and watching a most gorgeous french-accented ballet dancer check in to her hotel room (yes, I wondered what she was doing there) I took off to get some gas for my nearly empty 950. In Shoshone I bumped into two KTM riders and as I asked them what they were up to it turned out they were headed off to the JL school as well. Two hours later I arrived in Primm NV. I was surpised to see a huge complex of three casinos as Primm had only appeared on my maps as a tiny dot and on some of them it wasn't even noted as being there at all. I checked in and took a shower, got a beer, got a couple more beers, had a burger, and turned in, awaiting the morning for the off road school. In the morning we met up by Jimmy's big rig he uses for a rolling house and race shop. That's Jimmy's prototype BMW HP, a bike that he did test riding for its development. He likes this bike a lot. He also had a R1200GS that he and Heather would both use, and a Honda XR600 that Heather used on Sunday out in the desert. We spent the morning and afternoon doing drills on the huge dry lake bed that forms the bottommost portion of the Primm Valley. Jimmy would tap his helmet and have everyone gather in an arc in front of him as he explained the hows and whys of what our next exercise would be. Jimmy spent a few minutes from time to time demonstrating his own enjoyment of the HP. He can really ride a bike, no shit sherlock! He could ride the rear tire all the way across the lakebed if he wanted, but it is a long way. That lake must be five miles across, even though it doesn't look it at first. Distances out in the desert can be very deceptive. Here he is doing a sliding turn at what I estimate would be about 75 mph in second gear of his 110 hp big dirtbike. That night we all had dinner together in the Tony Roma's Ribs place inside the casino. It was good, lots of banter and lots of food. We all retired early I think. I sure did. Sunday we got to meet up and we headed out a powerline road to utilize our newly learned methodologies of staying upright. It was quite a difficult road, don't be thinking for one minute that riding this road was easy. It was not! I think everyone except Jimmy and Heather dumped their bikes at least once. Riding in sand is very tricky, it must be learned. Even if you don't fall it is mentally exhausting, not just tiring, but exhausting. Jimmy's whole curriculum is centered around conserving your energy (he is an accomplished trials rider and enduro rider and he really blends both of those specialties in his course). Here he is looking out for a student while seated on the R1200GS, a bike he can ride just about anywhere. He showed us some steep climbs and dropoffs, and I was the only one of the class to try a near vertical drop of maybe fifteen feet. I did it successfully with a small amount of good form and grace and Heather gave me a really big cheer for the effort. It made me feel pretty good. Heather is a great gal and an awesome rider and racer in her own right, and a very good teacher as well. I wish there were more girls like her, and when I told her that, she told me that she feels the same way. Just not many like her. My ride home on Monday morning was uneventful (what I wanted). I left Primm at 6:10 a.m. in the cool morning and fought a strong headwind most of the way, but that didn't stop me from making good time. I arrived back at my hovel in Cobb at exactly 5 p.m. to greet my dog. The return trip was 630 miles on main highways with a strong headwind so you can safely surmise that I did not mess around. It's not my style to do that anyway. My ktm, in spite of being drastically overdue for maintenance, ran flawlessy without a hiccup and in spite of being dumped in the sand and rocks at least ten times did not even so much as break a turn signal stalk or bend a lever. Unbelievable! Hope you enjoyed the writeup. Cheers Bill AKA Norbert Noguz Cobb Mtn CA KTM 950 Moto Guzzi California SS Moto Guzzi Ambassador BMW R1100RS Suzuki DR650SE

10-04-2005, 11:38 AM	#5
SeanF On the move Joined: Jun 2004 Location: Silver City, New Mexico USA Oddometer: 1,645	Nice write-up and photos. __________________ Before enlightenment, change oil and adjust valves; after enlightenment, change oil and adjust valves.

10-04-2005, 12:52 PM	#7
osteo Motion is Life Joined: Nov 2004 Location: somewhere in Ontario, Canada Oddometer: 1,482	Nice report Bill - and great pics! Now you have me trying to decide between the Harden Off Road school and JL - but either way, those are way way off in the future - pipe dreams right now! Great report! D __________________ "If it is small enough to eat in a single meal, don't worry about it, hit it!. If it is too large to eat in one sitting, get the hell away from it!" Jack Splash commenting on animals on the trail. Rally Connex Adventures Off-Road Adventures Adventure Has No Destination 08' KTM 450 EXC - The Half Beast - 04' Yamaha TTR250 (for the wife)

10-04-2005, 01:51 PM	#8
TUFELHUNDEN I'm bringing sexy back Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Irvine, Ca Oddometer: 346	I would love to do this ride. Someday I will, but until then... Thanks for the excellent report and pictures! I look forward to more informative posts just like this one!

10-05-2005, 08:35 AM	#10
Bill the Duck Unwitting Accomplice Joined: Oct 2002 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Oddometer: 10,606	Bill, Sorry to kill your thread. Kevin (This message brought to you by the CSB Citizens for Shameless Bumps) __________________ "You will soon find more adventure in life." - A Peking Noodle Co. Fortune Cookie "The truth shall set you free, but first it will piss you off." - David Icke "Tho only truly tolerant ones are those who don't care. " - Mike Berlien "Believe in something! Even if it's wrong! Believe in it!" - Glenn Beck

10-04-2005, 10:27 AM	#2
Jerrykap Cyclemania Joined: Dec 2003 Location: Davis, CA Oddometer: 205	Awesome report Bill, well photographed. Not only did I want to know more about the JL school but you shared some of your feelings about "Big Red" who, needless to say, has been on my mind a lot lately. I wasn't as close to her as you were, but our paths had crossed several times and I always came away impressed with her enthusiasm and energy. Her death brought back all the same feelings of grief and sadnessI had when my friend James died on the way to Middletown. Obviously depression can be a real killer. Hey, life's for the living. Dirt season is here, all we need is a little rain to wet down the dusty trails. I took my LC4 around Indian Valley and into Stonyford last week. It was fantastic. That LC4 has legs and suspension that will go anywhere as long as you have the right tires. How bout we hook up soon and do some dual sporting? I think Kim and his buddy Ben would be interested as well. C-ya, Jer

10-04-2005, 11:15 AM	#3
Noguz Rest in peace, William. Joined: Jun 2004 Location: Cobb Mountain Oddometer: 277	Jerry, I've got Boggs Mtn right across the highway, and it's legal as long as you stay on the main roads. Most of them are so rutted and rocky and poorly maintained that it's good practice over there. I have a little 6 mile loop I try to do four or five times a week. And if that's not enough, I've got Knoxville down the road a ways and the Mendo Natl Forest to the north. So come on over!

10-04-2005, 12:03 PM	#6
Kingsqueak Wannabe Joined: May 2005 Location: Monmouth County, NJ Oddometer: 713	Looks like you guys were on the other side of the highway from where I was when I was out there with Admo Tours. Gotta love that place. There is pretty much any terrain you want too. Just head up and over those mountains and into the valleys between. Sand, singletrack through the desert grasses, sandy two-track, rocky two-track, rocky goat trails. Plenty enough to wear me out for sure.

10-05-2005, 02:27 PM	#11
alcesito Nube Joined: Jun 2005 Location: El-Lay Oddometer: 110	Thanks for the report. Makes me want to go. __________________ DR650

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: .
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread: