Off Road in the Mojave Desert

[2on2off]

Every year, I like to go to my favorite off road riding area in the Mojave Desert for Veterans Day weekend. This holiday usually marks the first weekend of off road riding for me and the conditions couldn't have been better.

My daughter and I were able to go out one day early this year and were the only ones riding last Thursday in a 500 sq. mile area of the desert. Temp was in the low 70's with no wind. (This area of the desert can get winds up to and over 70 MPH.

We unloaded the Yamaha's, checked tire pressure, topped off the fuel and headed north.

[2on2off]

Tire pressure is very important as we run 13 psi rear and 15 psi front. More psi if the conditions are very rocky and less if there is more sand.

My daughter has been riding off road since she was four but hadn't been riding much the last several years because of volleyball committments. I was glad to be riding with her again and at times had a hard time keeping up.

[2on2off]

Not far from the trails we ride, is a very nice house that appears to be completly off the power grid. You can only get to this house by traveling on a dirt road for several miles.

There are many open mine shafts all over this area of the desert. Most are covered and fenced, but not all of them. When you see dirt piled up, don't use it for a jump until you know what is on the other side or you might find yourself at the bottom of a several hundred foot abandoned mine shaft.

[2on2off]

There are over 500 sq. miles of desert we covered this weekend. Not all of these miles are trails but much of this area is "open area" meaning you can ride anywhere within the boundries you want. Other parts of this area require you to stay to established trails, routes and roads.

[2on2off]

One of the reasons this is my favorite area to ride is because of the variety of terrain. There are dirt roads, single track trails, hill climbs, sand washes and many destinations to ride to. There are short loops, long loops and trails that connect for multiple days of riding over hundreds of miles all without having to go off the dirt.

You can ride to dry and wet lake beds or ride up to pine trees and snow at 9,000 ft. elevations. The variety is almost endless and at the end of the day you can still return to a cozy camp and start it all over again the next day.

[2on2off]

There are easy loops and there are challanging trails it may take you years to master. Whatever type of riding you are in the mood for can be found a short distance away.

[2on2off]

I have been riding the Spangler Hills area for over ten years and still am finding new things to see. I rode with my son and daughter for four days and did not repeat any of the trails. Each time we left camp we took a different route.

My daughter and son know their way around this area well enough now that I have been letting them lead most of the time which has been alot of fun for me.

[2on2off]

This is the first time I have taken this many pictures of this area. In the past, I just didn't want to stop riding long enough to take pictures, plus if you are riding with a group, you can get separated very easily if you don't keep up.

[2on2off]

One of our rules of riding is to always stop at a fork in the trail and make sure the person behind you know which way you are going before proceeding. That helps to keep people from getting separated.

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Habitats for quail and desert turtles have been built all over the desert to help protect the wildlife. In all my years of riding at the desert, I have only seen a turtle twice in this area. There were some bird hunters out this last weekend, but they hadn't seen any birds to shoot and asked if I had seen any. The only bird I saw was a bird of prey riding the up drafts but I couldn't get a picture of it before it was out of sight.

If you keep a sharp eye out, you can spot some great real estate investment opportunities as there are some "fix-er-upper" opportunities. Can you arrange some refinancing on this property Tim?