Feb 26, 2014

All I want for Christmas is the dirt of the Salton Sea to Bradshaw Trail to Kofa in my teeth. That was a bit long of a title.

So there I was, eating 7 layer dip, waiting for the prime rib dinner yet to come and opening presents. The only problem was that I wished I was in the middle of no where, campfire going, looking at a view that very few had ever seen. It's strange. I was having a blast and loving the family and extended family time, but somehow I always long for the freedom of a dirt road and my own mode of transportation. No crowds in sight. I was so close to the next trip it was hard to concentrate on the moment. Then, finally, after reassuring every family member that I was not depressed or crazy I headed into the adventure. Well, not so fast. At 10:30PM on Christmas Eve I was sitting in bumper to bumper traffic in Los Angeles. Ahhhhh, California, where the folks move like the Salmon of Capistrano. GET ME OUTTA HERE!!! "head for dirt, head for dirt, head for dirt" I clicked my heals and did my best to get to it ASAP! Soon enough I was moving and the cruiser (Goose) was at full speed headed to dirt. I was able to find a nice view looking down on Palm Springs and the craziness down there. Any time I find an escape from normalcy I feel peace. Here is my little tiny piece of peace for night #1. Merry Christmas to me!  photo IMG_3708.jpg Plan of attack for the day was to kill time in the best way possible, adventure!  photo IMG_3711.jpg So, off to Joshua Tree I went. I was meeting "the crew" at the beautiful Ski Inn bar of Salton Sea later in the day. Ah yes, Joshua Tree was good for Subaru's and the big BMW GS bikes, but it was basically a beautiful place that was packed with tourists and good roads. That doesn't make it any less pretty, but it makes it dead boring to me when I'm trying to get away and feel adventure. I need places that tick that special "Where the heck am I" box. So, off to Salton Sea I went out a back way in the park that was actually fairly fun and remote. Ah, the Salton Sea. A sidebar, I once lived in a house on the Salton Sea while mapping via Dirt Bike the most remote trails/cultural sites and sites nearby. Welcome to the Sea.  photo IMG_3716.jpg A little Rustoleum should fix it?  photo IMG_3718.jpg And then there were three.  photo IMG_3721.jpg Let's go find the Bradshaw Trail.  photo IMG_3722.jpg And there is Ruff. Then there were four.  photo IMG_3725.jpg A home overlooking the sea. So much water and not a drop to fish or water ski. Well, drink too, that's an important factor.  photo IMG_3727.jpg I need to come back here and ride the rails on a homemade train cart. Check out Youtube if you've never seen them. This is camp.  photo IMG_3728.jpg  photo IMG_3729.jpg Good morning! Let's head out!  photo IMG_3737.jpg  photo IMG_3738.jpg Let's do this.  photo IMG_3740.jpg Don't jump!!  photo IMG_3742.jpg Yah, don't take gifts home from here.  photo IMG_3744.jpg The US Bombs.  photo IMG_3748.jpg  photo IMG_3745.jpg Home sweet home. Visiting a friend of a friends bug out palace.  photo IMG_3750.jpg  photo IMG_3752.jpg Neat place. Lots of secret locked or just hidden water cache's etc.  photo IMG_3753.jpg Then BAM we were at the Colorado River. Wait, what? Where are the details of the Bradshaw Trail? It's a overly maintaned dirt road through some pretty, but albeit boring terrain. No additional pics needed until I find the interesting stuff off the main trail one day. (Sorta like Death Valley, if you didn't take some unplanned roads, you didn't see it all)  photo IMG_3755.jpg Sunset?  photo IMG_3757.jpg Well, I'll just sit here then.  photo IMG_3759.jpg Time for KOFA, the mostly undiscovered treasure of western AZ.  photo IMG_3778.jpg This is an amazing place. Don't go there. Stay home. Leave it for me.  photo IMG_3781.jpg If that road doesn't beg for you to explore it then I don't know what does.  photo IMG_3783.jpg Hike time. Cactus!  photo IMG_3784.jpg Cactus!  photo IMG_3787.jpg Mordor, just off in the distance.  photo IMG_3789.jpg So much awesome.  photo IMG_3792.jpg  photo IMG_3793.jpg The new and the old. Nature is efficient.  photo IMG_3796.jpg The Ocotillo are happy!  photo IMG_3799.jpg The most evil of all evil cacti. Cholla..... Grrr. Lots of stories here.  photo IMG_3801.jpg Plugging along around Kofa.  photo IMG_3809.jpg I love what you do for me. Trucks and Yota. Time for the next adventure. If you don't have one on the calendar, get it on there now.  photo IMG_3808.jpg

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