San Diego DL650 Rides

Some San Diego Travels of a Fine Suzuki V-Strom

San Diego Essentials

April 2006 Rides
It's been a bit impossible to post detailed
info about April. I've mostly been riding to
keep up, so I've not had too much chance
to document tracks and post GPX routes
and the like. Here's a few ADVrider
threads on rides I've been on:
Slug Ride 4/1 and Lost Valley.

Oh yea, I met Glen (Striking Viking) and
he asked me ride alongside him as he
led 60 bikes north from the border to
downtown San Diego for lunch at Dick's
Last Resort, celebrating his triumphant
return from a solo round-the-world
motorcycle journey. Why me? I knew
the best directions.

At the end of the month we rode to the 24th
Laughlin River Run with my in-laws. Lisa
and I did a side-trip to the Petroglyphs
at Grapevine Canyon. Also enjoyed
routes along old Route-66 to Oatman
and on to Kingman.

Behind old Harleys in Oatman

Self-portrait near Mecca and
working the sand somewhere
north of Campo

"dustjunkie" and "sandiegoland"
descending a volcanic plateau
near Jacumba (photo Zen Slug)

North of Warner Springs with
Matt, Matt, & Michael B.

Glen (and local Dakar rider
John) in San Ysidro

Grapevine Canyon

Near Christmas Tree Pass

Otay TT & Border Trails - 03/19/06
Wet, saturated roads. I brought a knife to a
gunfight (no knobbies). Great experience in
bike handling, but Torrances are no match
for clay like mud and steep grades. Finally
though, after nearly 17,000 miles, my
DL650 is prepped for flush mount blinkers.
Not another scratch. Thanks handguards!

More at ADVrider.com

Dirty twisties descending
to Barrett Junction

Cottonwood Creek near the
US-Mexico Border (photo Randy)

Lusardi TT - 02/25 & 02/26/06
The track and photo set for Lusardi
Truck Trail can be found at
GPXchange.com
The rest of the weekend was retracing
steps from an earlier run and scoping
out a good overlook for Mocogo
Ranch in the Otay BLM zone.

Northbound on Eagle Peak Rd

Spur road over Mocogo Ranch

Pine Creek Road - 02/18/06
Complete track and more photos at
GPXchange.com
First snow of the season. Headed up
Pine Creek Road to avoid traffic.
Enjoyed a gorgious view of the snow
sprinkled peaks above the desert floor
near Oasis Springs.

Near the top of
Nobel Canyon

Notice the snow
covered cactus?

Panormic View near Oasis Springs off Sunrise Highway (CR-S1)

Back to Otay - 01/07/06
Jeremy returned with me to the Otay BLM area
to scout out a few routes I was curious about. It
was good to ride with him again (see his
Oregon Deer Incident). The tracks we rode
were probably the extent of what I would attempt
on the V-Strom with Tourances (combination of
clearance and traction).

Jeremy hopping
down the road

"Watch Out!"
"Don't expose your life to the elements"
"It is not worth the trouble!"

Boulder Creek Road & Nate Harrison Grade - 12/29/05 GPS tracks at GPXchange.com - 2UP adventure riding to Julian the back way on Viejas Grade Road and Boulder Creek Road and climbing Palomar Mountain the old way on Nate Harrison Grade.
View along Boulder Creek Road	Oak shaded switchback on Nate Harrison Grade	Above the cloud cover at Boucher Lookout

Campo to Tecate on the Border - 12/28/05 GPS tracks at GPXchange.com - Rugged border terrain. Tunnel #4 and the bridge over Campo Creek in Stony Canyon for the "Impossible Railroad," the San Diego & Arizona Railway.
Border fence near Campo	Rough terrain	SDAR tunnel #4 and bridge over Campo Creek	DL-650 at home near Otay Mountain

Otay Mountain - 12/17/05 & 12/18/05 Crawling the mountain for two days. Found two roads to the border and also a nice spot overlooking Marron Valley and the Tijuana River. Commanding views of the border area would be even more spectacular on a clear day. GPS Data: Google Earth File and GPX File More photos and comments at ADVrider. Files also posted at GPXchange for easy viewing with topographic maps.
Panoramic view of Otay National Cooperative Land and Wildlife Management Area
Panoramic view of Marron Valley and the Tijuana River.
View from Otay Mountain to Cerro Jesus Maria	Lots of corner mirrors for a road with no traffic	Border Monument southwest of Otay Mountain	A well used Cadillac and bathtub on the ridge road to Marron Valley

Exploring - 12/10/05 & 12/11/05 Wildcat Canyon, Featherstone Canyon, San Vicente Oaks Road (or Painted Rock Road). Watching Paragliders at Kwimee Point off Sunrise Highway. Fragments of the 1875 Stage Route just east of Barrett Junction. More photos and comments at ADVrider. Stage Route added to GPXchange for easy downloading and viewing with topographic maps.

East (really East) San Diego County - 11/08/05
Some more comments about SR-94 and Old Highway 80 at www.pashnitforum.com in "Along the Southern Border"	Made one last round of the county before Andy had to head back home. The weather was perfect for a run down CR-S2 and SR-94. Desert Tower, always a pleasure... the new owner has really done a great job to keep this landmark in shape!	Desert Tower

San Diego 250 & Buell Chasing - 11/05/05 & 11/06/05
Full Route Plan: San Diego 250	Mechanical stop sign man Motor Transport Museum	Chain-drive Mack truck used in the movie "The Aviator"
Andy and I completed the entire San Diego 250 route from start to finish on Saturday. There was not a cloud in the sky to be seen and we also had a chance to stop off and visit the Motor Transport Museum housed at the Campo Mill property (31949 Highway 94, Campo, 91906). On Sunday I met up with Devin to see his new Buell and I got the chance to scout out how far Wisecarver Truck Trail goes on my way back.		Water Tower at the Campo Mill
The clouds on Sunrise Highway	Devin's new Buell on Sunrise Highway	Wisecarver Truck Trail is gated 3.9 mi north of Skyline

South County, San Diego - 10/29/05 & 10/30/05
Lyons Valley Road, SR-94, Lawson Valley Road, Honey Springs Road,
Deerhorn Valley Road, Mother Grundy Truck Trail
More Comments and more Photos at Stromtrooper.com

Mother Grundy Truck Trail
sense of humor

West leg of
Mother Grundy

Obligatory
V-Strom pose

Pick the right
Tool for the job

Castle view from Deerhorn
Valley Road

Mother Grundy Truck Trail is steeper on the west leg.
I'll start from that direction next time. You see new stuff when
you flip around!

Proctor Valley Road is still a bit of a snore, but good
practice for running crowned twisting dirt roads. Visibility is
not 100% around all the turns, so you have to negotiate a few
banks on the "wrong slope". Big gravel "dump" to cross on
the west end, probably the hardest 30 yards of the day.

San Diego 250 - 10/15/05 Lyons Valley Road, 94, Old Highway 80, Sunrise Highway, Banner Grade, Yaqui Pass, Montezuma Pass (The Glass Elevator), Palomar, Mesa Grande, Wynola Road, Boulder Creek Road, Engineers Road, Cuyamaca, Japatul Valley Road.
Full Route Plan: San Diego 250	Not that trucks are bad...	Prelude to a hairpin on Lyons Valley Road	Along Japatul Valley Road
View due East from Kwimee-Point off the Sunrise Highway
View of Lake Henshaw from Palomar East Grade Road
View of a Crouch Valley on the Sunrise Highway

Some GPS Practice out East - 12/04/05 Chilly gusts thin out the bike traffic, but the clear skies make it all the more inviting for a nice day of exploring the southern stretches of the county.

...see More San Diego Adventures from earlier in 2005...