Category Archives: 2011

I forgot my brand new Lumix LX5 point and shoot camera so the only photos we have are from Steve’s antique digital camera that died during the trip.

Traveled down to South Lava campground to check out the SFRC-Shoe Mafia Memorial day camp out.  SFRC seems to be cut of the same cloth as our RGN friends.  We met a few of them at Jordan Creek a couple years ago and they were a blast to ride with. I saw this event in their newsletter.

The Camping at South Lava was a lot like the China Hat Campground packed and loud as expected.  It was and interesting collections of bikes.  A few bike stood out in a sea of orange, a BSA vintage dirt bike, a few Japanese vintage dirtbikes, and an extra new WR.  Oh, and the coolest race hauler I have ever seen.  I can’t even find anything like it on the internet.  Something like this:

We camped across from what I think is the Shoe Mafia, Super nice 3 families of similarly minded folk.  They had many bikes, vintage and modern, kids, really big dogs, and a professional chef motophile preparing their meals.

Friday Ride 40>38>35>30 back to camp 22mi

Last year I broke my radiator when we finally found this rocky trials type trial.  Steve and I headed for trail 38 right off.  30 goes through lava flows, with a good rock dirt combo and serpentine trails.
Mike came along.  It was good getting to know each other at stops.

Saturday Ride 90>80>85>?>? poker run>2310N>2310S>2510>2270>18>22>90>camp 40 mi

Started a big group ride. Steve, Mike, Hans and John, where the only people I knew, plus maybe 4 or 5 others?
I think we took 90 to 94.  The beginning was great bermed corners with moist tacky dirt.  It would tighten up unexpectedly, but generally fast and open (no whoops).  When 90 turns black the rocks start.  It seemed longer and rockier than last year.  I must be more out of shape.  Someone had a vintage bike with no kickstarter and stalled it in the rocks.  Ew.
At the 94 junction, the group went back to camp. Steve and I continued on toward the motorcycle only single track.
At the junction of 80 and 50 there was a poker run check point.  It was snowing, which it had been doing on and off all weekend.  We didn’t think much of it.  It would usually snow for 20 minutes or so then stop.

We continued on to 85.  At the junction of 85 and 78 we stopped for a snack.  It was still lightly snowing, but not sticking on the ground yet.  We headed up 85 and it turned into a blizzard with huge quarter sized heavy snowflakes.  We thought we had better get back.  We could see the poker run to the west of us.  We joined them going south at least it was one-way traffic since visibility was minimal.

I was having a riot riding in the snow.  Maybe it reminded me of ice racing.  Steve was more cautioned.  We decided to take the road back.  I take us on a wrong turn on 2310, and we head north.  The snow gets deeper and deeper about 3”.  By the time we figured out we were going the wrong way I was wet and frozen.

We encountered another poker run checkpoint with a woman dressed as a Yeti.  She offered us beer and said they saw a grey wolf pass through.

As we went south the snow gradually disappeared.  My fingers were painful frozen stumps, I couldn’t tell if I was pulling in the clutch lever or not.  Back at camp, I wanted to throw myself on the fire and just get it over with.  I ended up sitting really close steaming while quaking.

Sunday Ride 40>49>40>80>85>81>74>66>60>57>32>30  60mi

The whole reason I am writing this is so we don’t do this again.  We are enticed by the motorcycle only no quad trails.   We did this same thing last year.

The blue 40 is not as good as the green 90.  It is just quad point and shoot.

85 goes over flat paved-like lava slabs, rocky trails, small climbs, some tight trees

81 is not so good.  The 4 rocky plateaus that you climb up and down are great, but the 5 miles of whoops are spine shattering (although Hans “I like whoops” might have enjoyed it).  It did have a few small tree obstacles.

74 bad quad boring whoops no connected turns

66>60>57>32
Quads are good for something!  (Stacey)  Some crazy shit happened around 57.  Quads can make a Wall of Death in the right conditions!  A few of the walls seemed to go beyond vertical.  One section had two connected back to back.  WILD!  Unfortunately there were a lot of quads on that trail.

We thought we would check out the blue 30 on the way back.   The beginning was pretty horrible.  We got to boundary signs and thought about taking another route, but there was nothing around.  It was fun enough at speed, but the trees were dense and you couldn’t see oncoming traffic at all.

I think it was Steve’s intention to run me into the ground so I don’t think about dirt biking for a while.  I hit the proverbial wall once we got to black 30.  I also actually hit a few trees and fell in big rocks breaking my precious start button.