[Izzyblue]

Hello Everyone,



Well , I haven't had a chance to go riding since my big adventure to San Francisco.... Ugh working working working...Blah blah blah! I miss the open road and the wonderful feeling of freedom and..... well you all know what i'm talking about... just need to vent...



I need to take my adorable tw in and get her all tuned up so I can plan a new adventure.... What do you guys think of riding south down to baja? Should be nice huh? Maybe a 10 day trip in January? Well at least it won't involve the interstate 5...... and I wont be going on the Bay bridge with no emergency lanes and crazy people trying to run me off the road. Well I'm sure there will be other obstacles but I will gladly face them as they come..



Well anyways just a nice thought for now.....



Back to work....



Bye for now...



Izzyblue

 

[qwerty]

Too much killing and kidnapping in Mexico to suit me. I'll be staying north of the border for awhile.

 

[Gerry]

Maybe you should contact JS5owner and make arrangements to spend a week at the 'T-Dubbers Ride

Resort'. Seems the weather in Palm Springs should be better than SF and I am sure, in addition to a nice comfy bed, you will be provided a 'list of rides' that get you into the hills everyday. Just a thought. Gerry

 

[thumper]

My son works for the border patrol....his advice...stay well away from this area! Listen to Qwerty's advice on this one.

Anyone in a moving vehicle in the desert is a target these days.

How about heading our way...Maybe san jose to monterey, big sur, harmony etc.

Lovely coast hwy, and I'm sure at least a couple of us would join you.

 

[jim]

I have not lost anything south of the border, but there are a lot of areas to ride in southern Ca and the Palm Springs area and safer also, if you come to the desert I would ride part of the Bradshaw Trail with you.

 

[heyduke]

I did Baja last spring for a month on my TW, Had a blast, no problems with rape kidnapping or murder

We did have to go through many military check points but they were always polite.



The TW is an excellent bike for Baja my buddy took his KLR 650 I was always waiting for him. He had problems whenever we got into sand or deep gravel. He bought a TW when he got back home.



My advice......go for it.... you only live once and contrary to popular belief you are not any less safe in Mexico than in the U.S just obey the rules and don't act like an idiot.

 

[elime]

I know when I look back at the time I rode my Honda 160 across the Bay Bridge the only conclusion I can come to is I was nuts!

 

[lizrdbrth]

I have not lost anything south of the border, but there are a lot of areas to ride in southern Ca and the Palm Springs area and safer also, if you come to the desert I would ride part of the Bradshaw Trail with you.

Jim,



I'd like to do the Bradshaw as well. I haven't done the homework yet, but I'm wondering how possible it might be to do it further south than the 70 or so miles maintained by the county and BLM.



If you or anyone else know, PM me.



I'm also interested in the old plank road from Yuma to S.D., if anyone has ever run it.

 

[thumper]

Jim,



I'd like to do the Bradshaw as well. I haven't done the homework yet, but I'm wondering how possible it might be to do it further south than the 70 or so miles maintained by the county and BLM.



If you or anyone else know, PM me.



I'm also interested in the old plank road from Yuma to S.D., if anyone has ever run it.

Victorville, Apple Valley, and the surrounding Mojave desert have lots of cool desert roads to explore!

Just be carefull with the abandoned mine shafts!

 

[lizrdbrth]

Victorville, Apple Valley, and the surrounding Mojave desert have lots of cool desert roads to explore!

Just be carefull with the abandoned mine shafts!

Yes, we do. But don't tell anyone

I don't wanna hijack Izzy's Mexico thread, but yer all welcome here, and I can bore you to tears with the historic significance (obscure and otherwise) of the dirt under yer tires should you venture into The Largest County in America.

 

[Gerry]

As it seems with "all" situations, everyone has an opinion. Some are based on first-hand experience and many more are based upon what a friend of a friend told a friend, or the news.



I went down Baja in the early to mid 70's and even then, I was told I was going to "Die". The bad guys were going to kill me and I would never be seen again.



I as well have certainly heard of all the nasty stuff that the 'news' presents to us. I have no doubt that a situation exists, and research needs to be done (my opinion).



I just sold my VW Baja bug to a 72 year old fellow that leases property in Baja and has been going down there for many years. I asked him if he feels safe continuing the yearly migration. He was of the opinion that, at least in his mind, it was 'safe enough' for him and his Wife.



Of course, my death never came about (sorry folks). I found that folks during 1977 (?) were kind and willing to help as (in my opinion) the majority of folks in most places are (daily).



Bad things happen to good people everyday in this country. Do your homework and make (and live bye) your choices. In my opinion, that is always the choice you make when you hit the 'snooze' button' on your alarm clock for the last time.



At this point in my life, I would not be inclined to head South of the border, but then, the reasons are many. Take care, be safe and enjoy. Gerry (in Baja 197?)

 

[heyduke]

Victorville, Apple Valley, and the surrounding Mojave desert have lots of cool desert roads to explore!

Just be carefull with the abandoned mine shafts!

Sorry about hijacking the thread but Im a snow bird and will be in the area from Las Vegas to Yuma and salton sea in february. I would like to meet up with some of you while there. Maybe do a ride or two. What do ya say? pm me.





Mike

 

[Izzyblue]

Thanks guys for your very nice and informative insight... I've been known to be a little " nuckin Futz" at times but I will take all your advice to heart.

I've never been scared traveling to other countries and have only experienced great folks who just want to help! So we will see.....



I do have to admit that I need lots and lots of practice riding off road before I take on Mexico...So living in Ventura county and having very few days off, where might one suggest I start?



bye the way, you guys can hijack my thread any time you want!



Also can anyone tell me how to upload photos? I'm a bit lame at this...

Okay have a great weekend...

 

[lizrdbrth]

Dirt riding opportunities do appear to have largely dried up in your county. Back in the day we could go anywhere we weren't greeted with a shotgun, but from what I can gather these days between all the private property, land conservancies, parks and a generally lazy and disinterested offroader population allowing trails to overgrow or fall under the "five year rule" there isn't much left.



Time permitting, you're not THAT far from places like Soda Lake, Hungry Valley, Lockwood Valley, etc., but you'll have to ride a ways before you can play.



With luck a local will speak up on here. There have to be a few stretches of dirt left where you can get some practice in and get back home relatively quickly.

 

[Izzyblue]

I know when I look back at the time I rode my Honda 160 across the Bay Bridge the only conclusion I can come to is I was nuts!

I still cant believe I did that... I guess we are both nuts!

 

[Izzyblue]

Dirt riding opportunities do appear to have largely dried up in your county. Back in the day we could go anywhere we weren't greeted with a shotgun, but from what I can gather these days between all the private property, land conservancies, parks and a generally lazy and disinterested offroader population allowing trails to overgrow or fall under the "five year rule" there isn't much left.



Time permitting, you're not THAT far from places like Soda Lake, Hungry Valley, Lockwood Valley, etc., but you'll have to ride a ways before you can play.



With luck a local will speak up on here. There have to be a few stretches of dirt left where you can get some practice in and get back home relatively quickly.

Thank you I will look that up and try....

 

[Izzyblue]

I did Baja last spring for a month on my TW, Had a blast, no problems with rape kidnapping or murder

We did have to go through many military check points but they were always polite.



The TW is an excellent bike for Baja my buddy took his KLR 650 I was always waiting for him. He had problems whenever we got into sand or deep gravel. He bought a TW when he got back home.



My advice......go for it.... you only live once and contrary to popular belief you are not any less safe in Mexico than in the U.S just obey the rules and don't act like an idiot.

 

[qwerty]

Best Mwxico ridw I ever did was to Zaca Tecas. Simply beautiful, and people were quite friendly.



If you want dirt experience I suggest the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Dirt Bike School. All the MSF programs are wise investments.

 

[Izzyblue]

Best Mwxico ridw I ever did was to Zaca Tecas. Simply beautiful, and people were quite friendly.



If you want dirt experience I suggest the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Dirt Bike School. All the MSF programs are wise investments.

cool! thanks....

 

[805gregg]

Remember Baja may be mexico but it's cold in the winter, I spent Xmas camping in Baja years ago. We needed down jackets at the Bay Of Conception at Xmas. For riding around Ventura county, go over the 33 out of Ojai to Cuyama valley and maybe the Carrizo Plain, plenty of dirt riding out there including Balanger Canyon.