A bike and a bag to Barstow and back!

Going on two weeks since the events of this post. I am not getting as back on track with my content schedule as I would like after the holidays. I can blame it on the weather, the kids, work or a number of things. Mostly though I've been lazy. I also haven't been in the garage much as I'm trying to save money for this year's race season. Either way, I did do something post-worthy recently. It is detailed here. I hope you enjoy this latest entry to the blog.

 

The day finally arrived. It has been over a year since my last long distance, overnight, motorcycle trip. I had it in my head that I wanted to get out and ride. Since transferring to my latest duty station, my close group of riding buddies has fractured somewhat. Some are still close-ish enough to get the occasional ride in together. Others are now living on the other side of the country. Such is the life of a military rider. With the limited time I had available, I decided on just an overnight ride and to do it solo. With the good amount of rain the Southern California region has had in December and January, I thought that a ride through the well watered sands to my east would be a nice experience. Riding through the deserts is one of those things that needs to be timed just right. Growing up riding dirt bikes during Arizona summers trained me to want to avoid long days riding fully geared up in sun. Since I was only going to away from home for a night, I didn't need much. 

All of that kit from my first picture fit into my regular backpack, A 14 year old Jansport from my middle aged return to university. I used an old lashing strap and a worn out bungee cord to strap my pack down. I took particular pride in the fact that this was my lightest packing to date. It was for only one night and I stayed in a hotel, but it is still about as minimal as I can get. Some of the essentials were my under garments, a flask of whisky and a copy of Sideburn #7. I also brought my journal. I have started keeping a journal after receiving a gift of a nice leather bound journal this Christmas. Keeping it light like this meant I didn't have much to worry about. Worst case scenario would be that my bag somehow flies off my bike while riding unbeknownst to me. Aside from the sentimental value of a couple of things, nothing in the pack couldn't be picked up along the way. Packing light is very freeing. Quite a few ADV riders might want to give it a try.

Day 1 saw me head out to beautiful blue skies and a bit of wind. I planned my route to get the most of the winter deserts in the eastern areas of SoCal along of the I-10 corridor. Going clockwise from the top left we have The mountains west of Borrego Springs, Salton Sea beach (?) and two pictures from Joshua Tree National Park. I went east from my house passing south of Palomar Mountain. Having familiar roads to start let me calibrate my riding style. Usually I ride in this area with my eye on being as sporty as I can. This time I wanted some sport, but I also wanted to slow things down a bit and observe. Turning north on the 79 I hit some winds. I had to lean into them just to go straight down the road. Soon enough I was on my first unfamiliar road heading into the Anza Borrego State Park desert area. I had heard about this area from a dual sport/ADV co-worker that frequents the area. The beauty of the desert is something that warms my heart bringing back lots of fond childhood riding memories. Some day I'd like to come back here and do some dual sport riding.

I got into my destination of Barstow just as the sun finally dropped below the horizon. A quick dinner and shower had me relaxingly cleaning my gear for the next day. I turned in after a couple of nice cups of whisky. In the morning I loaded up on the free hotel breakfast and set out in the direction away from home. I wanted to drive through the Mojave National Preserve which meant a 60 mile ride towards Vegas to get there. The temps on the I-15 were in the low 40's making me wish Had heated gloves. By the time I got to my exit the temps had risen a few degrees. All of the pictures above were from the Mojave National Preserve. The road through this area was a lonely one and the solitude of this ride was relaxing. All the more so since my communication system conked out and I was left to the voice in my head and the sounds of my bike echoing through the empty desert. I was able to ride at a sporty pace along the twists of the road. I only encountered two or three other vehicles and was happy that the bike was running in tip top shape. Soon enough I was back at the entrance to Joshua Tree park, this time at the 29 Palms gate and had another beautiful ride through the park. Due to the recent government shut down, the park was manned, but not fully serviced. On my return day, the roads were empty and another spirited ride over twisted desert roads was my reward. 

I tried a new app this trip. These are the Rever tracks that I recorded. Rever allows you to track your rides and share them. As you can see, traveling solo like I did allowed me to keep my own schedule and put in the miles. When I do these trips, I do it to sight see. I sight see from the back of the bike. I rarely stop and take pictures. I just want to be on the bike, on the road, flying along 4 feet from the earth at velocity. My mileage was 320 miles for day one, 385 for day two for 705 miles total. I meandered through three desert areas. All of them were beautiful, similar yet distinct in their own ways. I didn't even hit the tip of the iceberg when it comes to desert riding. There is the east side of the Salton Sea, Death Valley and so much more to be explored. I think I packed in a pretty good ride for the time I had. There was too much freeway riding, but some of that was necessary due to closed roads and the need to transit between the fun rides. It felt really good to get out by myself with no schedule and a long curvy road ahead of me.

What did those 705 miles do to my sport focused Dunlop Q3 tires? It took them over the top of wear. I was getting close to the wear bars on the rear, but I didn't have cords starting showing. My front tire still has some life left, but not enough to keep it while I replace my rear. It is time for my 4000 mile oil change and as become my normal for this bike, my tire change interval. Once a year I have to change my oil and tires which gets to be a bit pricey. This time around I think I will go for something more tour oriented with a bit more mileage to them. I also need to clean my chain. Most of this will cost money and the race season is getting started sooner that I'd like by the numbers reflected in my bank account.

So, things are getting real for the My Motorbike Obsessions family. Racing is getting underway soon. I haven't practiced flat track since my Moto Anatomy class. I have received orders to Japan for the upcoming summer which means lots of work with doctors, packing and cleaning up around the house in preparation. It also means a new chapter in the adventures of the blog. There is a budding flat track scene in Japan that I'm hoping to explore. I also want to do some moto-camping and overnight trips. Track days aren't out of the question either. To have the kind of Motorbike fun I'd like to do will require me to boost my Japanese and to dive headfirst into a whole new culture of riding. I can't wait. I'll keep you up to date as well. Take care and ride safe friends.

Blue