Death Valley Ride Report, Goler Wash and Pleasant Canyon

[2on2off]

Eric: Got any pics of the class 4 rocky section further east of Mengel Memorial? You are right about going west on that rocky section. I needed the help of two other riders to get up that section and I was on an XR650L with no luggage and I aired down my rear tire to 12 psi for more traction.

I have seen two riders make it up that section but they were on 400cc dirt bikes with no luggage and have the riding skills of Trials Riders.

I'd love to see more pics of Mengel Pass further east of the memorial. Especially the rocks and sand. Thanks.

[Conniestoga]

Here's what I have of the ride east of Mengel pass. Sorry I don't have more. I need to take more pictures. (an excuse to go again) The ride from Mengel Pass to Striped Butte is no worse than coming up the west side. The rocky section just east of the pass is the worst. There is one more short section further east which I would rate as a class 3. When you approach Striped Butte it gets sandy but as you get lower into the valley it turns into gravel.

The 1st, 2nd and 5th pics are from my '05 trip. 3rd and 4th are from '07. My friend dropped his BMW F650 Dakar no less than 5 times on this trip. We finally figured out he had too much air in his new Mefo tires. We found the Mefo's work best for us(I also have a set now) with 18 lbs rear and 14 lbs front. The only damage the Dakar received was broken windshield and front turn signals. Oh, and his Al Jesse bags got customized.

Eric

[2on2off]

Sometimes the sand can be harder to ride through than the rocks. My XR650L can handle the sand and rocks much better than the R1200GS Adventure.

I think I will stick to my 650L for this particular route.

Thanks for the pics.

[Conniestoga]

Jim,

Let me know the next time you plan a trip to DV. I'd like to go along. I usually try to get there in April and to Moab in June. All my trips are/can be GSable.

Eric

[2on2off]

I have been watching the weather forecast for DV and for the next 10 days it looks like highs in the mid 50's and low's in the 20's.

The DV daily report states that all roads are open but does mention some snow and ice in some of the passes.

I'm going to the Mojave Desert this Friday and Saturday to ride with my nephew. Here is where we will be riding.

[Conniestoga]

Hey! I've never ridden the Mojave. Be sure to post some pics.

Eric

[2on2off]

Eric:

Check out my prior ride reports of this area:
http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4825 and
http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3479

There are also others I have posted but this will give you an idea of what the riding is like in this area. It is mostly single track trail but there are also many dirt roads.

[Chocoholic]

Jim, nice to meet you at Ridgecrest. Did you have a good ride that day?

[2on2off]

Originally Posted by Chocoholic

Jim, nice to meet you at Ridgecrest. Did you have a good ride that day?

Yes we did. How about you? How was the ride to Lake Isabella? Did you run into any snow or ice on the road there?

It is always fun to see other pashnit riders on rides. I have met quite a few riders in Ridgecrest and at Kristi's restraunt across the street from the Motel 6. This is a great place for an overnight stay.

My nephew and I rode to Burro Schmidt Tunnel and then Randsburg later that morning and had a great ride. I will be posting a ride report soon.

Looking forward to reading your ride report as well.

[Chocoholic]

Yes, we did have a shorter ride than expected due to snow and the road was closed. We had to turn back at 10 miles passed Sherman Pass and Beckendridge 40 miles before Bakersfield. So we took the main road. I dropped my bike in attempt to ride over icy road.