Placelast, 2stroke4fun and friends do Ballinger

[2strok4fun]

It was a little more difficult than usual to get up to the 5:00 am alarm, with the time change stealing an hour of sleep. Nonetheless I woke up feeling good and ready to ride, happy there were no traces of the bottle of wine I shared with my wife the night before. Placelast had called me the night before and was wrestling with a mechanical problem on his loaner, so he was unsure if he was going to make it or not, but knowing Placelast I knew he would pull it off (perks of being a temporary bachelor I guess) I picked up my friend Don just before 6:00 to make the 160 mile trek to Ballinger. I called Jose as I started up the grapevine, he and Danny were only about 10 minutes behind. Clouds still covered most of the Tehachapi (sp) and light snow was falling in Gorman. Placelast called stating that he was going to make it but was running late which worked out to good as we arrived at the staging area close to the same time. Don and I arrived about 10 minutes ahead of Placelast, Jose and Danny arrived about 15 minutes after that due to missing a turn.

The staging area met us with views of deep green hills with masses of yellow. The temp was high 40 and no sun yet but it looked like it was going to be nice. We got ready to ride as everyone got acquainted, and decided on a route to take. The trail took us to great scenic views and multi colored flower fields. John and I switched between lead and sweep, as we were the only 2 of our group that has ridden here. Traction was good but gave up some dust. Missing was the hub deep mud holes from our last visit. All machines were in working order which is something considering a couple bikes being of the "vintage" variety.

About ¾ of the way through our first loop while I was leading, I was feeling warm and comfortable and carrying some good speed on a downhill section, I had a meeting with oncoming traffic. I clamped on the brakes and the good traction gave up a pretty good nose wheelie. The light contact I made with the other bike was enough so send me on a trip over the bars landing hard on the trail. Luckily no injuries to me or the bike but I knew then I would pay the next day. The guy's buddy barked at me to slow down and I apologized and we moved on, no harm. At lunch we decide tentatively on our second loop and took off after eating. The square edge accelerating / braking bumps seemed to beat me a little more after lunch. I nearly skidded off of the trail while "site seeing" on a section demanding attention with steep drop offs, John kinda shakes his head as if to say "DUH" as I am pulling my bike back onto the trail. Feeling like we got our fill for the day, and there was to be no camping expedition on this ride, we plot our way back to camp. We were nearly back to camp when I met another rider. This time I was being careful nearing camp and was riding conservatively, but single track trails with blind corners and 2-way traffic yielded another crash. The other rider was just exiting the corner as I was coming in thru baseball size rocks. We should have been able to clear each other but my peg ripped into the XR. Again I was lucky as my foot was just swept off of the peg. As I was getting out from under my bike, the other guy was screaming to get the bike off of his foot. He thinks his foot is in the chain but is only pinned under the bike. We lift the bike off and get his foot out. I give him a couple of motrin from my pack and check to see if all is OK, no dangling limbs, blood loss. The guy was cool about it but still thinking his foot is broken, but he manages to walk, so a break is unlikely. At camp we see paramedics administer to him, and I talk to him just after and it turned out it only tore the nail off of his second toe. Although I am sure painful, he will probably be able to ride soon but only after he will need to replace some parts on the XR, as my foot peg managed to open the crankcase like a can of tuna.

While in camp as we are enjoying chips and salsa, we witness a small kid maybe only five come out from behind some of the large juniper bushes in camp, to get smacked broadside by a white Expidition. Turns out it was the Ranger! Luckily he is unhurt and we joke as the ranger is writing down some info that he is probably writing him a ticket for no sparkey.

All these close calls have me looking to get back into the desert where riders are few and visibility is miles. Well next week I may change my mind.

 

[D36-108A]

there was to be no camping expedition on this ride

Wusses!

I didn't realize Ballinger was so crowded. Or was it just a fluke you had two head-ons?

 

[2strok4fun]

Its not that it is so crowded, I think it is just blind corners, and the huge superconductor bike magnet that must be attached to the front of my bike.

 

[placelast]

On my way back from the ranch where the Penguins were marking the course for the upcoming dual sport ride, I stopped at the motor-sikle-ey shop to buy a head nut and washer, and surprise, surprise! “no, we have to order it, and it’s only $3.98 for the nut and $1.49 for the washer; aren’t you one lucky customer we’re the only show in town?”…phooey Louie to you, Hughey; I’ll use one off of my own bike for the loaner (piece-by-piece this loaner is becoming mine.)

Napa Auto Parts was the next stop for a Helicoil kit. But as most things I do, there is no easy answer. Let me see: drill out the old threads first? Yahgottabekidding! I’m not going to be able to pull this one off. I drive to the local do-all sickle meck-ah-neck, and he first asks me to strip’er down. “Excuse me?” “Take the body parts off of it. The tank, scoops.” “Oh; OK.” So the loaner gets stripped, exposing her tenderparts. And the meck-ah-neck takes one look at the offending stud (as in bolt) and says “Nope; yer gonna hafta pull the barrel off fer me.” I pass, with the clock running out; choosing to do it myself; looks to me like a straight shot.

With that I head back to the bachelor pad to load the drill motor with the proper bit, and get ready to hog it out. But first I call my trusty old machinist/friend, and ask him what to do with the Heilcoil tab; if I break it off with a punch as instructed, it will go into the water jacket. Not good. Methinks a long, skinny needle-nosed pliers should be used, but can’t be gripped with the head on. My friend sez go ahead and pull the head, as it too would otherwise get tapped. “Ah ha!” So with that I go back to the garage to arm up for the impending operation, following first removal of the coolant and the aforementioned head. Say now, that new piston is looking mighty fine, with pretty good burn-spread marks on the crown. I’m mighty proud of myself, so far.

Err. ERRRR.rrrrr, sszzzz. Um: deep enough? In goes the depth gauge. Nope: just a few more fractions of an inch. Wha, wha..eeerEEEERRrrrr. Perfect. Now, where’s that Heilcoil. Ah. And now, the insertion tool. Uh huh. Twist, twist, twist…hmmm…twist, twist…perfect. Grab the tab and a simple tweek of it’s beak, back and forth, back and forth, again and again, then – snap! Yes! Got it. Screw in stud, place gasket, wedge head in place and secure with nuts to proper torque specs, reconnect coolant hoses, coolant, etc. and voila! Ready to go. Oh, lets fix that pipe hanger; yet another part from my own bike onto the loaner. OK. Tighten - ah, just a little more turn…SNAP! Dang! Next victim: upper pipe mount. Lets see; one more nudge…snap! Uh oh: two fer two – I’m loosing my feel at this late hour (10pm); better quit while I’m a head (ha ha!). So it was off to bed, thinking my ride with the crew at Ballinger was off for sure - me sad.

The next morning I wake up my usual early, thinking – perhaps I can replace the lower pipe mount with the original cheezy loaner part. I happened to have a screw to make it a go – there still hope! With that I decide to go for it, and it’s off to Ballinger Canyon.

I arrive just after 2stroke4 (Chris) and his friend Don. It was cold and overcast - unusual for this time in the spring, but just fine for riding. We get to hustlin’ and the rest of the party arrives. Between the bikes we are looking at an 18-year spread, about the same considering the pilots (me, of course, being, ahem! the most senior.)

Now Chris is one character: he gives me a topographical color print of our last visit here, complete with red lines showing what trails we were on! Now I could just hear his wife - ho-hum; men and their toys, but this is cool stuff. We used the USFS map to plan the first loop.

On our way out one could see the colors of spring. The trails were on the dry side; nonetheless fun and challenging. On the first ridge/razorback uphill one had no option other than to place both tires in a rut; otherwise steep drop offs on either side awaited sloppy riding. The first two made it up fine, but one rider in the middle (Jose?) stalled on a rock; we all got going again without much trouble, once the rock was spit downhill. Chris waited up top and snapped the first photos there. And yes: I was in a lame trail-riding sit-down position as opposed to the more photogenic standup attack mode. Oh vanity.

As we weaved in and out and up and down this ridge, the temptation was to look off at the many afforded vistas. Beautiful place. I happened to be in the lead when we came upon some other riders in a clearing; as I pulled to the side of the trail to look back for the others, both bike and pilot fell over, finding us on a high spot. Splat! First layover for the day. Goofy. We then looped down thru some overgrowth and back out in the open. Everyone was doing fine.

Going further up the canyon, Chris signaled me toward the runoff; he was thinking the steep canyon we wanted to do was going to be even muddier this time. But as we ventured up to the trailhead we could see it was a spring off of another trail, coming right out of the side of a hill.

There was this hard left up the side of a hill we all had to negotiate. One of the guys had, at one point, both tires on the edge of the embankment – impending doom! Somehow he pulled it off; tragedy averted.

The leg back was thru a steep canyon, and it was quite different from a month ago when wet; it took some guts to plow thru the mud puddles, but not now: piece-o-cake. You still had to duck underneath the two fallen trees, kissing the tank for your helmet to clear it, otherwise suffer a “bonk!” Too bad we didn’t get a picture of those trees. Once out of the canyon we headed back to camp for lunch, and to shed heavy, cold-weather gear.

After lunch we did some loops to the south, hoping to mix it up a bit and ride the long ridge. The trail leading up has these water bars to prevent erosion, and Chris used everyone for max air; I’m into so-so air, yet it’s entertaining watching what he does whippin’ his E/XC left, then to the right for kicks. I do not know if it’s the altitude or age, but we had a difficult time remembering the trail numbers, causing several pull-outs of the map to guide us to efficient loops.

The last spur connecting to the long ridge looked, felt, and tasted (for some) like it was fresh out of the SoCal desert. The whoops were deep, sandy, and the section long. I couldn’t get enough speed to stay in the next gear, so had to settle to rolling them the best I could. My chicken legs were getting giving up the ghost about the time the sand ended. Phew!

The long ridge had more than its share of whoops, but with better traction they could be doubled; uh, in theory, anyways; for better, faster riders, that is. After a few miles of the don’t-look-off-the-trail-or-risk-your-life section, we spun off and returned to the main valley, and backtracked on most of the morning loop.

On the last section Chris was up front, when the collision occurred. Spooky; this guy was trapped under his XR, insisting his foot was pinched up in the final drive, and was telling us to do the opposite of what made sense - to get the bike off of him. His crankcase bled empty, so he wasn’t going to be able to ride it back to camp. We left him and company after it looked like it was under control - he making it more difficult than necessary. The moral of this story is to trust those who are trying to help you.

Chris was able to get back to camp fine, suffering no damage other than a bent shift lever (or gear selector, for those of you down under).

As we snacked and drank away the last of the afternoon, we saw the ambulance and sheriff come and go; turns out the fellow hurt had only lost a nail. And there was this kid who collided with the ranger’s pickup…now where’s mommy and daddy in all this?

 

[2strok4fun]

ooh, Placelast, I just remembered your pass is in my truck. I can give it back when everyone meets in Kennedy Meadows. :)

PS. Ill post a couple of pics tomorrow of some of the scenery.

 

[2strok4fun]

Placelast taking in the sights

 

[2strok4fun]

someone wrecking a good picture

Ok so I need help on the file size upload :o

 

[MCassle]

Looks like fun guys!! At least you didn't have to tow John outta Ballinger ;)

I'm itchin' to ride that area again, although a week day might be better as the weekends get fairly crowded. Too many head-on stories for me ...

Matt

 

[Michelle]

Chris was able to get back to camp fine, suffering no damage other than a bent shift lever (or gear selector, for those of you down under).

Hmm, I call that a gear lever hahaha
I can't believe how different your riding is to ours, the first pic is sort of like some farmland rides we go on, but the second is like nothing I've ever ridden. I can imagine the club farmer there - he had to mow the lawns before the enduro (our club looks after the shed & grounds at one of the forests we use & his farm happens to back onto the forest, so as none of us are keen on mowing about 1 acre with hand mowers, he's it ;)) & there he was, mowing around the flowers on his John Deere tractor. We're going to have to confuse him & plant some flowers in the trails just to see what he does hehe

I'm glad we don't have two-way traffic here, but still have the odd one who insists on ignoring arrows & going the wrong way - doh!

Another great ride report guys :) Glad it all ended okay