A Dilemma of Scheduling

After many hectic weeks of moving from coast to coast, managing our careers, getting properties and personal belongings sorted, the wife and I finally had a weekend to ourselves! We set off with minimal wares, intent on staying in a hotel and carving out 500 miles from San Diego – Joshua Tree – Big Bear-Chula Vista. Our plans to go to Joshua Tree were thwarted due to weather conditions. The real feel of the desert that weekend was around 120, it was absolutely unbearable. One would think that air flow/speed would help cool you down. At these temps, the air just bakes you, we had to take pit stops about every 20 mins to cool off. It was challenging, but the town of Palm Springs was pretty inviting.

First Stop, Breakfast

After Gaia robbed my wife and I of about 2 hours of riding time, I said the hell with technology for a few, and traveled eastward toward Julian. Nestled near the bottom of the Santa Ysabel Mountains and just Northwest of Julian is an inviting section of road. There is a gas station, several Julian pie places (really great pies btw) and a proper country restaurant, Farmhouse 78. It was about 11AM, just in time to break our fasts. We have eaten here before, they have an epic selection, any sandwich you could want, block coffee, and an array of breakfast items. My wife ordered a skillet bowl and myself a classic breakfast burrito. Both entrees were great and delivered swiftly, but the cinnamon roll was the real ticket here. It was the best i’ve had. The roll was warm, sweet and savory. Not much more we could ask for, outside of a little bit cooler weather after we get out of the moutains, and into the desert. This is also a hot spot for fellow motorcyclists to get fueled up for the twisties that await in Palomar Mtn area, about 25 mins from there.

Joshua Tree.. Err Palm Springs

Initially, after riding past the Salton Sea, my wife and I were slated to tackle Berdoo Canyon Road towards Joshua Tree. The weather had different ideas. It was nearly 120 degrees real feel, and we were really feeling it. We ended up finding a hotel right outside of Palm Springs, next to a(some) casino(s). Not sure what it is, but Indian Reservations bring out the big buildings with slot machines, maybe tax loopholes? Anywho, it was a pretty unique night. The lead singer of Journey was playing at our casino next door! Ended up being a pretty exciting night along with some more great food. We found a great independant food stop, Bob’s Twin Kitchen. I ordered a large strawberry shake, probably 64oz worth. After our bellies were full we limped back to the hotel trying to dip out from the Summer heat.

Finally, Off-Road

Sunday Morning, we woke up early and refreshed to hit the road. At about 7AM, it was already 102. We were ready to go towards pioneer town to get into some dirt and much needed elevation to cool off. It didn’t take long and we found what we were looking for… Except it was deep, REALLY deep sand. I have some experience riding in thin sand back in the Carolinas, but this stuff was different. After my wife recognized us struggling a bit to keep the bike up, she wanted to get off, I assured her we would be fine.

Well, my first dump EVER on an adv bike. Had to be on my brand new, shiny, with wife on back Taureg! Thankfully wife was fine, I didn’t let the bike fully go down until her boot was out of the way. Picked up the 660 (pretty easy ftw) and got a quick lecture by the wife, and we were back on track . The road we took out of Pioneer Town was Burn’s Canyon Road. Beautiful Joshua trees flirted with the desert roadway, a gentle rain to cool us down and cobblestone rock to test out the limits of both the 660’s suspension and my wife’s bottom. After a few compression adjustments, the Taureg was finally not fighting us and we could focus on the surroundings, a really beautiful area with plentiful camping opportunities.

Big Bear

I will be coming back here. The hiking, roadways, and offroad are unmatched in the San Diego area. Its a bit of a drive, but a scenic one with twisties if you take the right routes. The evergreens, mountain caps and beautiful lakes really make us want to visit again. Plenty of 10K + summits up here also. We didn’t spend much time in the more urban areas of big bear, most of our time was spent trying to shuttle the 660 down a mountain (we “lost” the trail). Little did we know we would end up in a fenced in property, with a gate blocking our path to the savored gravel road way. Fortunately, the land owner was incredibly kind, and escorted us off her land. However, there would be another gate, that blocks this country residential area off from the more urban part of town. After much pushing and cursing, we were able to ride/hike the bike around a post. No GS’s would be fitting through there, wish I had a picture. All in all, for our first major outing, the wife, Taureg and myself had a great time.

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