Trail Riding

It rained during the night on Sunday, and we woke up to dark, ominous clouds. The forecast was for “partly cloudy and 20% chance of rain.” There was some discussion about cancelling the day’s rides because of possible flash flood danger in the numerous washes you go through on these trails; in the end, however, the powers-that-be decided it was safe to give it a try, as there were several places we could bail out of the ride if it started looking iffy. Ten adventurous couples in their jeeps lined up behind us and off we went to find Tank Pass. Steve and I were both pretty nervous--not only about the weather, but also about being able to find our way through the maze of little dirt trails in the desert. For some unknown reason, we were unable to load the trail map into our nice big Garmin nuvii GPS. Instead, we had to rely on our little handheld GPS, which doesn’t have nearly the detail, is in black and white instead of color, and is much harder to use, especially while driving on bumpy roads and holding a CB radio mike to give instructions to the group behind you. We took a wrong turn. And then another. And then another. Luckily, each time, we figured out our mistake within a 100 yards or less and were able to get back on the right track. Steve also remembered where several of the really cool points of interest were along the trail (the “jailhouse” quarry and a couple of old miners’ cabins), and the group really enjoyed those, particularly a couple from Ohio who had only been out west once before. They had been motorcycling for years, came out last year on a Gold Wing motorcycle and went jeeping with some friends. When they went home, they traded in their motorcycle and their car for a jeep! We got through the whole ride without rain, although there were gale-force winds at the top of Tank Pass. Everybody seemed to have a good time, including us, once we got over our initial nervousness. We would definitely lead a ride again, although not until we can figure out the GPS map thing.

Yesterday, after rain again during the night, we woke to a clear, brilliant blue sky, and lined up for a ride to Hogback and Dripping Springs. A lot of folks didn’t go out on Monday because of the weather and were making up for the lost day. There were 24 jeeps, one pickup truck, and our Suzuki, lined up and ready to go at 9 a.m. Despite the cumbersome group ( an ideal size is no more than 12-15 vehicles), we had a great time. The scenery was beautiful, the terrain rugged, and the obstacles were within our capabilities. I took a lot of pictures, but I guess I need lessons, or else more practice. Steve says my photos look like they were taken in a K-Mart parking lot instead of a rough, 4 wheel drive trail. I have to agree.

It started pouring rain as we got off the trail, and it rained hard and the wind blew from late afternoon through most of the night, ruining any prospect of Happy Hour around the campfire. Bright, clear skies again this morning, and several rides went out. We’re taking a rest day. Heading into town to shop, see about the brake lines on the Samurai, and get on the internet. Our campsite here in La Paz Valley is too far away from town to establish a reliable internet connection. Sometimes we can look at email, and occasionally send it, if it’s a small file, but that’s about it.