Posts
8094
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Mesa, AZ
US
Edited Date/Time
1/27/2012 4:50pm
It was many years ago, 33 to be exact that I had heard about the infamous Barstow to Vegas desert race. Times have changed these days though and what was once an open desert to ride, race or just take in the beauty of the Southwestern desert has fallen victim to closures and protection of an endangered species. In this case it’s the Desert Tortoise.
For the last 22 years the District 37 guys have had the fortitude to carry on this great tradition by organizing a Dual Sport ride for people to still enjoy. After hearing about it the last few years from my old So Cal moto-buds (Jeff, Donny and CT) and the fact I now owned a dual sport bike I couldn’t think of a legitimate excuse not to join them. So after recruiting some fellow “Zonies,” Bill Arens, Mike Elinski and Jan to drive the chase vehicle, riding close to 500 miles on a dirt bike was now becoming a reality!
If I made it a mile from my house with out getting T-boned things were looking good! (For those that don’t know that story, click here.)
We drove out to my parents home in Eagle Rock, CA Wednesday night 400 miles and eight hours away. It was then that I mentioned to the crew, “do you realize that the distance we just traveled (in the van) is less then we will be riding”?
Thursday was Thanksgiving and we smoked a turkey on the grill. It was nice to spend the Holiday with family and friends at the home I grew up in.
As far as the two days of riding went is all I can say is I survived—barely. Had two adventurous days that could have turned out disastrous and for one guy it did. I learned many lessons along the way and while I love to trail ride with friends, my roots are in motocross which is a whole different world than the unforgiving desert. “How do you work this roll chart anyway?”
The bikes were ready for the long haul......
[b:7d8ea]Thanks to Yamaboy for hosting my pics![/b:7d8ea]
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Leaving “The Factory”. I had the slow pig of the bunch but that was ok by me—I was just excited to be going on this historic ride.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Arrived at Berts Cycle Mall in Azusa, this is where rider check-in and tech inspection was. Everything was very well organized as Paul Flanders and the District-37 staff has these Dual Sport Rides down to a “T”.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Bill Arens and I were waiting for our fellow “Zonie”— Mike Elinski. Mike has only been riding for four years; he did really well for that amount of riding experience. One thing for sure was after each days ride he had an ear to ear grin! This was [b:7d8ea]Lesson One[/b:7d8ea]--If you wait for friends (which we wanted to do), it’s hard to stay on schedule and complete the ride before dark.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Shortly after this pic was taken my bike sputtered like an ol dawg and at one point I was in first gear coughing, bogging and smoking up an incline that was at about 6000 ft. This was [b:7d8ea]Lesson Two[/b:7d8ea]--Filter Skins do not work real well in EXTREME DUSTY conditions as well as having a bike that is jetted rich for the hot Arizona climate (165 main, stock is 152). Once we got to the top after getting some tips from some District 37 honchos (thanks guys), I pulled the skin off and we went down the backside of the mountain we had just traversed. The bike ran much better after that as we headed down into Little Rock which is on the other side of Angeles Crest Highway. I was having a blast on my now clean running bike, as this was once one of my old favorite rides on my old KZ750 when I lived in Cali 18yrs ago.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
First fuel stop with Bill, Mike and my old So Cal Moto Buds Donny “Ex-Pro” Sieverston and CT Faulk.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
A reset point (there were 18 each day) and you really needed to follow the roll chart as I would soon find out.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Bill and Mike “rolling the charts”.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Lunch at the Pizza joint.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Smack dab in beautiful downtown “Helenville”.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Upon leaving Helenville we got caught at a RR crossing waiting for the train to go by.
This was [b:7d8ea]Lesson Three[/b:7d8ea]—never follow riders you don’t know without looking at the roll chart. While waiting Bill, Mike and I were behind a group of riders who were bs’ing and looked like they were having fun. Straight ahead was a hill that had some trails that looked like FUN and they were, so I took off after them! Picked my way through the pack and came upon the leader who was going at a pretty good pace. He looked back and didn’t recognize me, so he slowed down so the other riders would catch up. I asked him “is this the way”? He replied “no this is not on the roll chart, it cuts out seven miles of road”. I decided to stop and wait for Bill and Mike but they were no where to be seen! I caught back up to the pack and asked one of the guys if they had seen my friends. No one did so I started to head back to look for them. At this point it’s about 4:30 pm and all of a sudden I find myself alone on un-chartered territory.
No sight of my fellow Zonies and I look back the other way and barely see a dust trail on a mountain so I decide I better hurry up and catch them! One of the guys had stopped by a mine shaft hole and I was glad to see him. I was now the second to last guy and felt better but things were about to get real ugly.
While following a guy on a WR he clips a three foot boulder that was hidden in a bush. His bike was pitched sideways and he’s about eight feet in the air and slams the ground with a thud. He’s laying there motionless as I come up to him to remove his goggles.
(I had a bad experience like this as I lost my friend Mark Anderson RIP racing with him in a Grand Prix), and I was pretty concerned.
Here I was with a guy I didn’t even know or what kind of condition he was in or where we were at. Soon his friend “Larry” came up and we were trying to figure out what to do. I picked up “Patrick’s” bike and surveyed the damage. Bent front end and the brake lever was snapped off. Went back to Pat and we tried to sit him up and then we helped him stand. He was real wobbly and started to fall, I caught him and we sat him back down.
Turned out he’s a paramedic and he said “I’m concussed, and feeling dizzy”. With daylight now also starting to be a concern along with the cold desert conditions we needed to come up with a plan fast. We asked him if he could ride and he wasn’t sure. So Larry offered him his bike and we had to help him get on it. I don’t know how he made it as he rode like he was real drunk but the important part was he made it out and we were now in that OHV area right off I-15.
I did not think it was a good idea to have him on the freeway, so Larry flagged down an empty pickup with a blond chick driving. We loaded up the bike and instructed her to drive into Barstow at the Ramada Inn.
This little Princess was a sight for sore eyes.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Larry did not want to ride the freeway back so we headed back into the OHV area cross-country style. At one point there was no trail and I asked him. “Is this really a good idea, I’ve got people wondering where I am and need to get back.” He laughed and continued on., it was now sunset and I still had no idea where I was. Finally we got on the 15 and he pulled out in front of a 18 wheeler. Didn’t think much about it until miles down the road I did not see him anymore. Continued on until I found an off ramp and asked for directions. Rolled into Barstow at night and saw Bill and Mike fueling up next to the Ramada Inn. Waved to them and went to check in and I ran into this guy.
I recognized him from ThumperTalk and his Fred Flintstone aviator. “Keithco”? “G-Man”? LOL
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Pulled into the Comfort Inn looking for the van. It wasn’t there! Rode around back and there it was. What a relief to see the van and Jan too.
But before I could warm up I needed to work on the bike because I did not want a repeat performance in the hills. Mike had some jets from his XR and we changed out the 165 main for a 158 and I cleaned the air filter too.
With the wind howling, the Corona tasted extra good as I now installed the Day Two roll chart. This was [b:7d8ea]Lesson Four[/b:7d8ea]—Install the roll chart carefully as the Day One chart started to get crooked and would not roll anymore. Also [b:7d8ea]READ THE CRITICAL RIDE INFORMATION[/b:7d8ea] that they give you at the Checkpoint that’s in a manila envelope. I was too tired, cold and hungry to bother to do this and missed all the warnings about taking bail out routes at certain time frames so you don’t ride in the dark.
Day Two started at about 6:30 am in cold conditions as the sun started to come up over the mountains.
Met the gang at Mickey D’s and here is where my riding partner of 33 years Jeff Arzouman joined us. It was good to see him as we love riding together—we’re like brother’s.......
It was then that I realized I did not have my camelback on loaded with survival doodads! Jammed back to the room and Jan was walking out of the room carrying it. Whew that was close!
Once we hit the road I was glad to have my Moose cold weather gloves as it was a bit on the nippy side. Finally hit the trail and we were greeted with dust heading into a rising sun. Another words we were riding on faith and you had to be really careful about hitting embedded rocks.
Shortly after that we came upon a hill with a guy on top telling us to slow down. It turned at the top and as you looked down you could see the carnage. A rider had not made the turn and went down HARD into a ditch. He was being treated but you could tell he was hurt. That was a bit of a wake-up call and the day was just starting!
The crew at a reset.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Jeff and I had fun riding together and we traded positions back and forth, just like ol times.
Fueling up in Baker.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Mike fueling up his body with some much needed nourishment.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
CT looking at a map like a smart B to V veteran does……
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
This is where a decision was made. Mike and Bill had already decided to take an option and a short-cut to lunch. The rest of the crew decided on the hard way which first consisted of 21 miles of pavement.
Jeff and I (the designated “B” Team) darted ahead of the fast guys on their exotic sweet machines as they had given us wave-by’s. Turns out the KTM 525 EXC’s are the bikes to have for the serious Dual Sport riders. This is where a series of crashes would suddenly inflict us. Jeff hit a washout at speed and went over the bars, but he was able to continue. I took off with the boys chasing me and I could see Donny catching me in a dust cloud in my rear view mirror. He passed and CT put a sweet move on me as well then Donny crashed.
We regrouped and the “A” Team decided to go ahead and Jeff wanted me to ride with him which I wanted to do anyway, you know it’s that “brutha” thing......
Next thing I know I had my little slew of crashes in the sand, they were low speed tip-overs, nothing major, but I did bend my front brake lever pretty bad and we stopped to get our game plan together.
This is where my second crash happened.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Jeff coming back from “lightening the load”……
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Would you follow this guy into the unknown (instead of taking the options out) on a bike with electrical problems? I did….. lol
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Then it happened!
I heard a popping and suddenly Jeff’s DRZ rolled to a stop—it freaken died in the middle of “No Man’s Land”. We both looked at each other with “Oh shit, wtf are we going to do now” looks.
Now we were desperate and it seemed like we were the last ones out of Kingston Wash and we hadn’t even made the lunch stop yet. Jeff popped off the side of his headlight but didn’t see anything wrong. He started up the bike and I grabbed some wires and it immediately died. I traced it to a pair of wires leading into the headlight. Disconnected one wire and the bike ran without dying. We continued on but I was still very much concerned. Occasionally it would act up again and he would reach down and it would run ok again. Matter of fact on the pavement it died one more time. I kept asking him “how’s your bike running”?
Finally made it to the Sandy Valley lunch stop where we were greeted by the local PTA with some burgers and dogs. Jeff said “If we woof down our food we can still make the Red Rock mountain ride, it’s the best we can’t miss it!” “But what about your bike?” “Don’t worry it’s fine!” “If we get stranded because of my bike you can blame me”. And he gave me “the look” that I know all to well. You know the one when you’re with friends? The “your not gonna puss out on me look?” lol
So against my better judgment we soldiered on. This is when we came upon some riders at our final decision maker that would be crucial. It was highway 160 and it was getting close to sunset. The other riders bailed out and took the highway (I wanted them to stick with us) and we crossed the road and hit the trail. Had a nice ride through the forest road area and came upon a paved road. At this point it was too dark to read the roll charts and we used the headlights to read them. We went down the road and I remember seeing a trail we had passed. I thought we missed it so we backtracked--it was not the one. Finally we reached the end and came upon highway 160. I thought we were suppose to turn left but Jeff insisted it was right. We got on the freeway and it was dark, cold and windy with trucks whizzing by us at speed. After about six to eight miles of this and not seeing any Vegas lights I pulled off onto the shoulder in the dirt and Jeff followed. His bike was really acting up and the situation was getting worse. I knew we had gone the wrong way but we needed to get across the highway which had a big ravine filled with bushes. I quickly went back to the side of the road as on-coming traffic was coming my way. Whew that was close. Then I spotted a “No Turns” sign that was lit up by some headlights. That was our ticket to the other side. I proceeded across and Jeff followed, I looked back to see if he made it as traffic was coming up the hill and his bike’s light went off and started to stall again. Somehow he made it across and it died again. We went off to the shoulder AGAIN and I’m really starting to wonder how we are going to get back. Jeff made some phone calls to his wife Erin and Donny but we didn’t know where we were and it was pitch black with traffic speeding by us. Jeff said if he clamped down on the harness that his bike would run and he had a zip-tie somewhere in his pack but we couldn’t see anything. I had a flashlight buried in mine but needed a flashlight to find it! lol So I tell Jeff “get your cell phone out and we can use that to find my flashlight”.
He then zip-ty’d his harness and the DRZ came to life. I crossed my fingers and told Jeff, “you stay to the right side of the road and I will ride behind you, pull off to the side of the road if your bike craps out again!” We soldiered on up the hill and it was pretty damn cold. I would put my glove to the cylinder of my XR then raise it to my frozen face to help keep me warm.
As we went up the freeway vehicles were whizzing by us at 70 mph and we were going about 50. I was trying to get Jeff to speed up as I didn’t want to get mowed over, hoping that we would soon see some Vegas lights and after about 10 miles we did. What a relief it was to se the beautiful Vegas sky lit up in all it’s glory off in the distance. As long as Jeff’s bike holds up we were home free!
Got into the final checkpoint at the Orleans Casino around 8pm (about three hours late) but very relieved to have made it.
Everyone was gone except some bikes and some guy strolling by. I told him “we are here to check-in”. He chuckled “you guys are supposed to be DEAD!” lol
Jeff and I will be able to laugh about this for years to come.
[img:7d8ea]http://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVegas…]
He did get tired of hearing it from me though, but hey what else are friends for?
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
The following pics are from D&W Images
Bill coming out of Box Canyon
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/Box%20Canyon.jpg[…]
This was one of the few wet spots climbing out of Azusa Canyon.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/G-man.jpg[/img:7d…]
I want to thank the District-37 Club for putting on a great event as well as all the guys from TT and the D-37 message boards for giving me some great advise and tips. As well as a big thumbs up to Yamaboy for hosting my pics!
I will be more than ready next year!
For the last 22 years the District 37 guys have had the fortitude to carry on this great tradition by organizing a Dual Sport ride for people to still enjoy. After hearing about it the last few years from my old So Cal moto-buds (Jeff, Donny and CT) and the fact I now owned a dual sport bike I couldn’t think of a legitimate excuse not to join them. So after recruiting some fellow “Zonies,” Bill Arens, Mike Elinski and Jan to drive the chase vehicle, riding close to 500 miles on a dirt bike was now becoming a reality!
If I made it a mile from my house with out getting T-boned things were looking good! (For those that don’t know that story, click here.)
We drove out to my parents home in Eagle Rock, CA Wednesday night 400 miles and eight hours away. It was then that I mentioned to the crew, “do you realize that the distance we just traveled (in the van) is less then we will be riding”?
Thursday was Thanksgiving and we smoked a turkey on the grill. It was nice to spend the Holiday with family and friends at the home I grew up in.
As far as the two days of riding went is all I can say is I survived—barely. Had two adventurous days that could have turned out disastrous and for one guy it did. I learned many lessons along the way and while I love to trail ride with friends, my roots are in motocross which is a whole different world than the unforgiving desert. “How do you work this roll chart anyway?”
The bikes were ready for the long haul......
[b:7d8ea]Thanks to Yamaboy for hosting my pics![/b:7d8ea]
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Leaving “The Factory”. I had the slow pig of the bunch but that was ok by me—I was just excited to be going on this historic ride.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Arrived at Berts Cycle Mall in Azusa, this is where rider check-in and tech inspection was. Everything was very well organized as Paul Flanders and the District-37 staff has these Dual Sport Rides down to a “T”.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Bill Arens and I were waiting for our fellow “Zonie”— Mike Elinski. Mike has only been riding for four years; he did really well for that amount of riding experience. One thing for sure was after each days ride he had an ear to ear grin! This was [b:7d8ea]Lesson One[/b:7d8ea]--If you wait for friends (which we wanted to do), it’s hard to stay on schedule and complete the ride before dark.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Shortly after this pic was taken my bike sputtered like an ol dawg and at one point I was in first gear coughing, bogging and smoking up an incline that was at about 6000 ft. This was [b:7d8ea]Lesson Two[/b:7d8ea]--Filter Skins do not work real well in EXTREME DUSTY conditions as well as having a bike that is jetted rich for the hot Arizona climate (165 main, stock is 152). Once we got to the top after getting some tips from some District 37 honchos (thanks guys), I pulled the skin off and we went down the backside of the mountain we had just traversed. The bike ran much better after that as we headed down into Little Rock which is on the other side of Angeles Crest Highway. I was having a blast on my now clean running bike, as this was once one of my old favorite rides on my old KZ750 when I lived in Cali 18yrs ago.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
First fuel stop with Bill, Mike and my old So Cal Moto Buds Donny “Ex-Pro” Sieverston and CT Faulk.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
A reset point (there were 18 each day) and you really needed to follow the roll chart as I would soon find out.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Bill and Mike “rolling the charts”.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Lunch at the Pizza joint.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Smack dab in beautiful downtown “Helenville”.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Upon leaving Helenville we got caught at a RR crossing waiting for the train to go by.
This was [b:7d8ea]Lesson Three[/b:7d8ea]—never follow riders you don’t know without looking at the roll chart. While waiting Bill, Mike and I were behind a group of riders who were bs’ing and looked like they were having fun. Straight ahead was a hill that had some trails that looked like FUN and they were, so I took off after them! Picked my way through the pack and came upon the leader who was going at a pretty good pace. He looked back and didn’t recognize me, so he slowed down so the other riders would catch up. I asked him “is this the way”? He replied “no this is not on the roll chart, it cuts out seven miles of road”. I decided to stop and wait for Bill and Mike but they were no where to be seen! I caught back up to the pack and asked one of the guys if they had seen my friends. No one did so I started to head back to look for them. At this point it’s about 4:30 pm and all of a sudden I find myself alone on un-chartered territory.
No sight of my fellow Zonies and I look back the other way and barely see a dust trail on a mountain so I decide I better hurry up and catch them! One of the guys had stopped by a mine shaft hole and I was glad to see him. I was now the second to last guy and felt better but things were about to get real ugly.
While following a guy on a WR he clips a three foot boulder that was hidden in a bush. His bike was pitched sideways and he’s about eight feet in the air and slams the ground with a thud. He’s laying there motionless as I come up to him to remove his goggles.
(I had a bad experience like this as I lost my friend Mark Anderson RIP racing with him in a Grand Prix), and I was pretty concerned.
Here I was with a guy I didn’t even know or what kind of condition he was in or where we were at. Soon his friend “Larry” came up and we were trying to figure out what to do. I picked up “Patrick’s” bike and surveyed the damage. Bent front end and the brake lever was snapped off. Went back to Pat and we tried to sit him up and then we helped him stand. He was real wobbly and started to fall, I caught him and we sat him back down.
Turned out he’s a paramedic and he said “I’m concussed, and feeling dizzy”. With daylight now also starting to be a concern along with the cold desert conditions we needed to come up with a plan fast. We asked him if he could ride and he wasn’t sure. So Larry offered him his bike and we had to help him get on it. I don’t know how he made it as he rode like he was real drunk but the important part was he made it out and we were now in that OHV area right off I-15.
I did not think it was a good idea to have him on the freeway, so Larry flagged down an empty pickup with a blond chick driving. We loaded up the bike and instructed her to drive into Barstow at the Ramada Inn.
This little Princess was a sight for sore eyes.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Larry did not want to ride the freeway back so we headed back into the OHV area cross-country style. At one point there was no trail and I asked him. “Is this really a good idea, I’ve got people wondering where I am and need to get back.” He laughed and continued on., it was now sunset and I still had no idea where I was. Finally we got on the 15 and he pulled out in front of a 18 wheeler. Didn’t think much about it until miles down the road I did not see him anymore. Continued on until I found an off ramp and asked for directions. Rolled into Barstow at night and saw Bill and Mike fueling up next to the Ramada Inn. Waved to them and went to check in and I ran into this guy.
I recognized him from ThumperTalk and his Fred Flintstone aviator. “Keithco”? “G-Man”? LOL
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Pulled into the Comfort Inn looking for the van. It wasn’t there! Rode around back and there it was. What a relief to see the van and Jan too.
But before I could warm up I needed to work on the bike because I did not want a repeat performance in the hills. Mike had some jets from his XR and we changed out the 165 main for a 158 and I cleaned the air filter too.
With the wind howling, the Corona tasted extra good as I now installed the Day Two roll chart. This was [b:7d8ea]Lesson Four[/b:7d8ea]—Install the roll chart carefully as the Day One chart started to get crooked and would not roll anymore. Also [b:7d8ea]READ THE CRITICAL RIDE INFORMATION[/b:7d8ea] that they give you at the Checkpoint that’s in a manila envelope. I was too tired, cold and hungry to bother to do this and missed all the warnings about taking bail out routes at certain time frames so you don’t ride in the dark.
Day Two started at about 6:30 am in cold conditions as the sun started to come up over the mountains.
Met the gang at Mickey D’s and here is where my riding partner of 33 years Jeff Arzouman joined us. It was good to see him as we love riding together—we’re like brother’s.......
It was then that I realized I did not have my camelback on loaded with survival doodads! Jammed back to the room and Jan was walking out of the room carrying it. Whew that was close!
Once we hit the road I was glad to have my Moose cold weather gloves as it was a bit on the nippy side. Finally hit the trail and we were greeted with dust heading into a rising sun. Another words we were riding on faith and you had to be really careful about hitting embedded rocks.
Shortly after that we came upon a hill with a guy on top telling us to slow down. It turned at the top and as you looked down you could see the carnage. A rider had not made the turn and went down HARD into a ditch. He was being treated but you could tell he was hurt. That was a bit of a wake-up call and the day was just starting!
The crew at a reset.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Jeff and I had fun riding together and we traded positions back and forth, just like ol times.
Fueling up in Baker.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Mike fueling up his body with some much needed nourishment.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
CT looking at a map like a smart B to V veteran does……
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
This is where a decision was made. Mike and Bill had already decided to take an option and a short-cut to lunch. The rest of the crew decided on the hard way which first consisted of 21 miles of pavement.
Jeff and I (the designated “B” Team) darted ahead of the fast guys on their exotic sweet machines as they had given us wave-by’s. Turns out the KTM 525 EXC’s are the bikes to have for the serious Dual Sport riders. This is where a series of crashes would suddenly inflict us. Jeff hit a washout at speed and went over the bars, but he was able to continue. I took off with the boys chasing me and I could see Donny catching me in a dust cloud in my rear view mirror. He passed and CT put a sweet move on me as well then Donny crashed.
We regrouped and the “A” Team decided to go ahead and Jeff wanted me to ride with him which I wanted to do anyway, you know it’s that “brutha” thing......
Next thing I know I had my little slew of crashes in the sand, they were low speed tip-overs, nothing major, but I did bend my front brake lever pretty bad and we stopped to get our game plan together.
This is where my second crash happened.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Jeff coming back from “lightening the load”……
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Would you follow this guy into the unknown (instead of taking the options out) on a bike with electrical problems? I did….. lol
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
Then it happened!
I heard a popping and suddenly Jeff’s DRZ rolled to a stop—it freaken died in the middle of “No Man’s Land”. We both looked at each other with “Oh shit, wtf are we going to do now” looks.
Now we were desperate and it seemed like we were the last ones out of Kingston Wash and we hadn’t even made the lunch stop yet. Jeff popped off the side of his headlight but didn’t see anything wrong. He started up the bike and I grabbed some wires and it immediately died. I traced it to a pair of wires leading into the headlight. Disconnected one wire and the bike ran without dying. We continued on but I was still very much concerned. Occasionally it would act up again and he would reach down and it would run ok again. Matter of fact on the pavement it died one more time. I kept asking him “how’s your bike running”?
Finally made it to the Sandy Valley lunch stop where we were greeted by the local PTA with some burgers and dogs. Jeff said “If we woof down our food we can still make the Red Rock mountain ride, it’s the best we can’t miss it!” “But what about your bike?” “Don’t worry it’s fine!” “If we get stranded because of my bike you can blame me”. And he gave me “the look” that I know all to well. You know the one when you’re with friends? The “your not gonna puss out on me look?” lol
So against my better judgment we soldiered on. This is when we came upon some riders at our final decision maker that would be crucial. It was highway 160 and it was getting close to sunset. The other riders bailed out and took the highway (I wanted them to stick with us) and we crossed the road and hit the trail. Had a nice ride through the forest road area and came upon a paved road. At this point it was too dark to read the roll charts and we used the headlights to read them. We went down the road and I remember seeing a trail we had passed. I thought we missed it so we backtracked--it was not the one. Finally we reached the end and came upon highway 160. I thought we were suppose to turn left but Jeff insisted it was right. We got on the freeway and it was dark, cold and windy with trucks whizzing by us at speed. After about six to eight miles of this and not seeing any Vegas lights I pulled off onto the shoulder in the dirt and Jeff followed. His bike was really acting up and the situation was getting worse. I knew we had gone the wrong way but we needed to get across the highway which had a big ravine filled with bushes. I quickly went back to the side of the road as on-coming traffic was coming my way. Whew that was close. Then I spotted a “No Turns” sign that was lit up by some headlights. That was our ticket to the other side. I proceeded across and Jeff followed, I looked back to see if he made it as traffic was coming up the hill and his bike’s light went off and started to stall again. Somehow he made it across and it died again. We went off to the shoulder AGAIN and I’m really starting to wonder how we are going to get back. Jeff made some phone calls to his wife Erin and Donny but we didn’t know where we were and it was pitch black with traffic speeding by us. Jeff said if he clamped down on the harness that his bike would run and he had a zip-tie somewhere in his pack but we couldn’t see anything. I had a flashlight buried in mine but needed a flashlight to find it! lol So I tell Jeff “get your cell phone out and we can use that to find my flashlight”.
He then zip-ty’d his harness and the DRZ came to life. I crossed my fingers and told Jeff, “you stay to the right side of the road and I will ride behind you, pull off to the side of the road if your bike craps out again!” We soldiered on up the hill and it was pretty damn cold. I would put my glove to the cylinder of my XR then raise it to my frozen face to help keep me warm.
As we went up the freeway vehicles were whizzing by us at 70 mph and we were going about 50. I was trying to get Jeff to speed up as I didn’t want to get mowed over, hoping that we would soon see some Vegas lights and after about 10 miles we did. What a relief it was to se the beautiful Vegas sky lit up in all it’s glory off in the distance. As long as Jeff’s bike holds up we were home free!
Got into the final checkpoint at the Orleans Casino around 8pm (about three hours late) but very relieved to have made it.
Everyone was gone except some bikes and some guy strolling by. I told him “we are here to check-in”. He chuckled “you guys are supposed to be DEAD!” lol
Jeff and I will be able to laugh about this for years to come.
[img:7d8ea]http://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVegas…]
He did get tired of hearing it from me though, but hey what else are friends for?
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/LAtoBarstowtoVega…]
The following pics are from D&W Images
Bill coming out of Box Canyon
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/Box%20Canyon.jpg[…]
This was one of the few wet spots climbing out of Azusa Canyon.
[img:7d8ea]https://www.yamaboy.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10025/G-man.jpg[/img:7d…]
I want to thank the District-37 Club for putting on a great event as well as all the guys from TT and the D-37 message boards for giving me some great advise and tips. As well as a big thumbs up to Yamaboy for hosting my pics!
I will be more than ready next year!
Is there a couple of groups to it? A and B?
Is there a couple of groups to it? A and B?[/quote:db735]
Thanks guys.....
Tiki,
Not sure what you mean (I think I do
The Shop
Mike,
Not sure about completely staying off the fwy (if your late your suppose to take the fwy) but your bike needs to be Calif. street legal worthy. You have to go through Tech Inspection at Berts.
If your thinking about next yr, I'd say START PLANNING FOR IT!
[quote="Utrider":caa08]Excellent write up, G-Man. I'm glad to see you arrived in one piece. I noticed the same thing about choice of machine on the dual-sport rides I have been on as well.[/quote:caa08]
Thanks guys.
Utrider try to join us next yr!
btw while riding I thought about your story (more than once) where your buddy had visions of trophies and prizes at the end and ended up CRASHING HARD. I had to keep reminding myself that the "only trophy" was getting to the finish itself. Especially when your riding along at speed in blinding dust and "[b:caa08]BAM[/b:caa08]" you hit a rock you never saw!
One thing for sure is I have a new found respect for the Baja 1000 Racers.....
Oh and I did get a cool finisher pin and they gave away a lot of swag at the banquet at the Orleans Hotel and Casino. I got there just in time to see it end! lol
[quote="Utrider":0c4a2]Excellent write up, G-Man. I'm glad to see you arrived in one piece. I noticed the same thing about choice of machine on the dual-sport rides I have been on as well.[/quote:0c4a2]
Thanks guys.
Utrider try to join us next yr!
btw while riding I thought about your story (more than once) where your buddy had visions of trophies and prizes at the end and ended up CRASHING HARD. I had to keep reminding myself that the "only trophy" was getting to the finish itself. Especially when your riding along at speed in blinding dust and "[b:0c4a2]BAM[/b:0c4a2]" you hit a rock you never saw!
One thing for sure is I have a new found respect for the Baja 1000 Racers.....
Oh and I did get a cool finisher pin and they gave away a lot of swag at the banquet at the Orleans Hotel and Casino. I got there just in time to see it end! lol[/quote:0c4a2]
The same thoughts were crossing my mind while reading your story.
I have considered it, I recently picked up a very clean 02 KTM 520 Exc just for that purpose.
The friend and I are looking to put together a couple of dual-sport events here in Northern Utah, and Eastern Nevada. So gaining the perspective of experience from some of the other well organized events would be a good idea..........................and a great reason to participate in the legendary event that is LA-Barstow-Vegas!!!
I am actually committed right now to a Honda pit support crew next year, this event takes place the week before Thanksgiving weekend. If you watch the deleted scenes on Dust 2 Glory, there are the Baja Fools, ya those guys. So anyway, I met some of them up here on a ride last fall and we have been working it out ever since.
I have considered it, I recently picked up a very clean 02 KTM 520 Exc just for that purpose.
The friend and I are looking to put together a couple of dual-sport events here in Northern Utah, and Eastern Nevada. So gaining the perspective of experience from some of the other well organized events would be a good idea..........................and a great reason to participate in the legendary event that is LA-Barstow-Vegas!!!
I am actually committed right now to a Honda pit support crew next year, this event takes place the week before Thanksgiving weekend. If you watch the deleted scenes on Dust 2 Glory, there are the Baja Fools, ya those guys. So anyway, I met some of them up here on a ride last fall and we have been working it out ever since.[/quote:3cc6a]
No your story did not hinder me, it helped to keep my ego in check and realize that this is not a race--it's more of a survival test if you will. I read on the D-37 board where this one guy said he had FOUR FLATS! lol He finally traced it down to a bad wheel lock.
How did you find the KTM, how much? Those bikes look sweet!
I need to get Dust 2 Glory DVD and check it out.....
The dual sport ride I'd like to do is the Sheetiron in spring, which goes from Stoneyford out to the coast at Fort Bragg, and then back again. Unfortunately it's run on the Hangtown weekend the last couple of years.
The dual sport ride I'd like to do is the Sheetiron in spring, which goes from Stoneyford out to the coast at Fort Bragg, and then back again. Unfortunately it's run on the Hangtown weekend the last couple of years.[/quote:0a22e]
That sounds like a fun ride, but a long haul in a vehicle, where is it close to for a reference point?
btw you REALLY need to try the B to V once in your lifetime, just because.....
Well check this out, the best part is you can wave to the "Man"!
Just a teaser, he said he's going to put up some more. Man now I know what to get myself for Xmas! lol
[url:292ab]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6537363400447209788&pl=65373634…]
This was my first LA Bee to Vee ride back in 2005.
It was many years ago, 33 to be exact that I had heard about the infamous Barstow to Vegas desert race. Times have changed these days though and what was once an open desert to ride, race or just take in the beauty of the Southwestern desert has fallen victim to closures and protection of an endangered species. In this case it’s the Desert Tortoise.
For the last 22 years the District 37 guys have had the fortitude to carry on this great tradition by organizing a Dual Sport ride for people to still enjoy. After hearing about it the last few years from my old So Cal moto-buds (Jeff, Donny and CT) and the fact I now owned a dual sport bike I couldn’t think of a legitimate excuse not to join them. So after recruiting some fellow “Zonies,” Bill Arens, Mike Elinski and Jan to drive the chase vehicle, riding close to 500 miles on a dirt bike was now becoming a reality!
If I made it a mile from my house with out getting T-boned things were looking good!
We drove out to my parents home in Eagle Rock, CA Wednesday night 400 miles and eight hours away. It was then that I mentioned to the crew, “do you realize that the distance we just traveled (in the van) is less then we will be riding”?
Thursday was Thanksgiving and we smoked a turkey on the grill. It was nice to spend the Holiday with family and friends at the home I grew up in.
As far as the two days of riding went is all I can say is I survived—barely. Had two adventurous days that could have turned out disastrous and for one guy it did. I learned many lessons along the way and while I love to trail ride with friends, my roots are in motocross which is a whole different world than the unforgiving desert. “How do you work this roll chart anyway?”
The bikes were ready for the long haul…..
Leaving “The Factory”. I had the slow pig of the bunch but that was ok by me—I was just excited to be going on this historic ride.
Arrived at Berts Cycle Mall in Azusa, this is where rider check-in and tech inspection was. Everything was very well organized as Paul Flanders and the District-37 staff has these Dual Sport Rides down to a “T”.
Bill Arens and I were waiting for our fellow “Zonie”— Mike Elinski. Mike has only been riding for four years; he did really well for that amount of riding experience. One thing for sure was after each days ride he had an ear to ear grin! This was Lesson One--If you wait for friends (which we wanted to do), it’s hard to stay on schedule and complete the ride before dark.
Shortly after this pic was taken my bike sputtered like an ol dawg and at one point I was in first gear coughing, bogging and smoking up an incline that was at about 6000 ft. This was Lesson Two--Filter Skins do not work real well in EXTREME DUSTY conditions as well as having a bike that is jetted rich for the hot Arizona climate (165 main, stock is 152). Once we got to the top after getting some tips from some District 37 honchos (thanks guys), I pulled the skin off and we went down the backside of the mountain we had just traversed. The bike ran much better after that as we headed down into Little Rock which is on the other side of Angeles Crest Highway. I was having a blast on my now clean running bike, as this was once one of my old favorite rides on my old KZ750 when I lived in Cali 18yrs ago.
First fuel stop with Bill, Mike and my old So Cal Moto Buds Donny “Ex-Pro” Sieverston and CT Faulk.
A reset point (there were 18 each day) and you really needed to follow the roll chart as I would soon find out.
Bill and Mike “rolling the charts”.
Lunch at the Pizza joint.
Smack dab in beautiful downtown “Helenville”.
Upon leaving Helenville we got caught at a RR crossing waiting for the train to go by.
This was Lesson Three—never follow riders you don’t know without looking at the roll chart. While waiting Bill, Mike and I were behind a group of riders who were bs’ing and looked like they were having fun. Straight ahead was a hill that had some trails that looked like FUN and they were, so I took off after them! Picked my way through the pack and came upon the leader who was going at a pretty good pace. He looked back and didn’t recognize me, so he slowed down so the other riders would catch up. I asked him “is this the way”? He replied “no this is not on the roll chart, it cuts out seven miles of road”. I decided to stop and wait for Bill and Mike but they were no where to be seen! I caught back up to the pack and asked one of the guys if they had seen my friends. No one did so I started to head back to look for them. At this point it’s about 4:30 pm and all of a sudden I find myself alone on un-chartered territory.
No sight of my fellow Zonies and I look back the other way and barely see a dust trail on a mountain so I decide I better hurry up and catch them! One of the guys had stopped by a mine shaft hole and I was glad to see him. I was now the second to last guy and felt better but things were about to get real ugly.
While following a guy on a WR he clips a three foot boulder that was hidden in a bush. His bike was pitched sideways and he’s about eight feet in the air and slams the ground with a thud. He’s laying there motionless as I come up to him to remove his goggles.
(I had a bad experience like this as I lost my friend Mark Anderson RIP racing with him in a Grand Prix), and I was pretty concerned.
Here I was with a guy I didn’t even know or what kind of condition he was in or where we were at. Soon his friend “Larry” came up and we were trying to figure out what to do. I picked up “Patrick’s” bike and surveyed the damage. Bent front end and the brake lever was snapped off. Went back to Pat and we tried to sit him up and then we helped him stand. He was real wobbly and started to fall, I caught him and we sat him back down.
Turned out he’s a paramedic and he said “I’m concussed, and feeling dizzy”. With daylight now also starting to be a concern along with the cold desert conditions we needed to come up with a plan fast. We asked him if he could ride and he wasn’t sure. So Larry offered him his bike and we had to help him get on it. I don’t know how he made it as he rode like he was real drunk but the important part was he made it out and we were now in that OHV area right off I-15.
I did not think it was a good idea to have him on the freeway, so Larry flagged down an empty pickup with a blond chick driving. We loaded up the bike and instructed her to drive into Barstow at the Ramada Inn.
This little Princess was a sight for sore eyes.
Larry did not want to ride the freeway back so we headed back into the OHV area cross-country style. At one point there was no trail and I asked him. “Is this really a good idea, I’ve got people wondering where I am and need to get back.” He laughed and continued on., it was now sunset and I still had no idea where I was. Finally we got on the 15 and he pulled out in front of a 18 wheeler. Didn’t think much about it until miles down the road I did not see him anymore. Continued on until I found an off ramp and asked for directions. Rolled into Barstow at night and saw Bill and Mike fueling up next to the Ramada Inn. Waved to them and went to check in and I ran into this guy.
I recognized him from ThumperTalk and his Fred Flintstone aviator. “Keithco”? “G-Man”? LOL
Pulled into the Comfort Inn looking for the van. It wasn’t there! Rode around back and there it was. What a relief to see the van and Jan too.
But before I could warm up I needed to work on the bike because I did not want a repeat performance in the hills. Mike had some jets from his XR and we changed out the 165 main for a 158 and I cleaned the air filter too.
With the wind howling, the Corona tasted extra good as I now installed the Day Two roll chart. This was Lesson Four—Install the roll chart carefully as the Day One chart started to get crooked and would not roll anymore. Also READ THE CRITICAL RIDE INFORMATION that they give you at the Checkpoint that’s in a manila envelope. I was too tired, cold and hungry to bother to do this and missed all the warnings about taking bail out routes at certain time frames so you don’t ride in the dark.
Met the gang at Mickey D’s and here is where my riding partner of 33 years Jeff Arzouman joined us. It was good to see him as we love riding together—we’re like brother’s.......
It was then that I realized I did not have my camelback on loaded with survival doodads! Jammed back to the room and Jan was walking out of the room carrying it. Whew that was close!
Once we hit the road I was glad to have my Moose cold weather gloves as it was a bit on the nippy side. Finally hit the trail and we were greeted with dust heading into a rising sun. Another words we were riding on faith and you had to be really careful about hitting embedded rocks.
Shortly after that we came upon a hill with a guy on top telling us to slow down. It turned at the top and as you looked down you could see the carnage. A rider had not made the turn and went down HARD into a ditch. He was being treated but you could tell he was hurt. That was a bit of a wake-up call and the day was just starting!
The crew at a reset.
Jeff and I had fun riding together and we traded positions back and forth, just like ol times.
Fueling up in Baker.
Mike fueling up his body with some much needed nourishment.
CT looking at a map like a smart B to V veteran does……
This is where a decision was made. Mike and Bill had already decided to take an option and a short-cut to lunch. The rest of the crew decided on the hard way which first consisted of 21 miles of pavement.
Jeff and I (the designated “B” Team) darted ahead of the fast guys on their exotic sweet machines as they had given us wave-by’s. Turns out the KTM 525 EXC’s are the bikes to have for the serious Dual Sport riders. This is where a series of crashes would suddenly inflict us. Jeff hit a washout at speed and went over the bars, but he was able to continue. I took off with the boys chasing me and I could see Donny catching me in a dust cloud in my rear view mirror. He passed and CT put a sweet move on me as well then Donny crashed.
We regrouped and the “A” Team decided to go ahead and Jeff wanted me to ride with him which I wanted to do anyway, you know it’s that “brutha” thing......
Next thing I know I had my little slew of crashes in the sand, they were low speed tip-overs, nothing major, but I did bend my front brake lever pretty bad and we stopped to get our game plan together.
This is where my second crash happened.
Jeff coming back from “lightening the load”……
Would you follow this guy into the unknown (instead of taking the options out) on a bike with electrical problems? I did….. lol
Then it happened!
I heard a popping and suddenly Jeff’s DRZ rolled to a stop—it freaken died in the middle of “No Man’s Land”. We both looked at each other with “Oh ****, wtf are we going to do now” looks.
Now we were desperate and it seemed like we were the last ones out of Kingston Wash and we hadn’t even made the lunch stop yet. Jeff popped off the side of his headlight but didn’t see anything wrong. He started up the bike and I grabbed some wires and it immediately died. I traced it to a pair of wires leading into the headlight. Disconnected one wire and the bike ran without dying. We continued on but I was still very much concerned. Occasionally it would act up again and he would reach down and it would run ok again. Matter of fact on the pavement it died one more time. I kept asking him “how’s your bike running”?
Finally made it to the Sandy Valley lunch stop where we were greeted by the local PTA with some burgers and dogs. Jeff said “If we woof down our food we can still make the Red Rock mountain ride, it’s the best we can’t miss it!” “But what about your bike?” “Don’t worry it’s fine!” “If we get stranded because of my bike you can blame me”. And he gave me “the look” that I know all to well. You know the one when you’re with friends? The “your not gonna puss out on me look?” lol
So against my better judgment we soldiered on. This is when we came upon some riders at our final decision maker that would be crucial. It was highway 160 and it was getting close to sunset. The other riders bailed out and took the highway (I wanted them to stick with us) and we crossed the road and hit the trail. Had a nice ride through the forest road area and came upon a paved road. At this point it was too dark to read the roll charts and we used the headlights to read them. We went down the road and I remember seeing a trail we had passed. I thought we missed it so we backtracked--it was not the one. Finally we reached the end and came upon highway 160. I thought we were suppose to turn left but Jeff insisted it was right. We got on the freeway and it was dark, cold and windy with trucks whizzing by us at speed. After about six to eight miles of this and not seeing any Vegas lights I pulled off onto the shoulder in the dirt and Jeff followed. His bike was really acting up and the situation was getting worse. I knew we had gone the wrong way but we needed to get across the highway which had a big ravine filled with bushes. I quickly went back to the side of the road as on-coming traffic was coming my way. Whew that was close. Then I spotted a “No Turns” sign that was lit up by some headlights. That was our ticket to the other side. I proceeded across and Jeff followed, I looked back to see if he made it as traffic was coming up the hill and his bike’s light went off and started to stall again. Somehow he made it across and it died again. We went off to the shoulder AGAIN and I’m really starting to wonder how we are going to get back. Jeff made some phone calls to his wife Erin and Donny but we didn’t know where we were and it was pitch black with traffic speeding by us. Jeff said if he clamped down on the harness that his bike would run and he had a zip-tie somewhere in his pack but we couldn’t see anything. I had a flashlight buried in mine but needed a flashlight to find it! lol So I tell Jeff “get your cell phone out and we can use that to find my flashlight”.
He then zip-ty’d his harness and the DRZ came to life. I crossed my fingers and told Jeff, “you stay to the right side of the road and I will ride behind you, pull off to the side of the road if your bike craps out again!” We soldiered on up the hill and it was pretty damn cold. I would put my glove to the cylinder of my XR then raise it to my frozen face to help keep me warm.
As we went up the freeway vehicles were whizzing by us at 70 mph and we were going about 50. I was trying to get Jeff to speed up as I didn’t want to get mowed over, hoping that we would soon see some Vegas lights and after about 10 miles we did. What a relief it was to se the beautiful Vegas sky lit up in all it’s glory off in the distance. As long as Jeff’s bike holds up we were home free!
Got into the final checkpoint at the Orleans Casino around 8pm (about three hours late) but very relieved to have made it.
Everyone was gone except some bikes and some guy strolling by. I told him “we are here to check-in”. He chuckled “you guys are supposed to be DEAD!” lol
Jeff and I will be able to laugh about this for years to come.
He did get tired of hearing it from me though, but hey what else are friends for?
The following pics are from D&W Images
Bill coming out of Box Canyon
This was one of the few wet spots climbing out of Azusa Canyon.
I want to thank the District-37 Club for putting on a great event as well as all the guys from TT and the D-37 message boards for giving me some great advise and tips. I will be more than ready next year!
Post a reply to: LA to Barstow to VEGAS or DIE!!!!