Southern California Club Xterra
Southern California Club Xterra => SCCX Xcursions => Topic started by: xtoolbox on December 31, 2008, 05:15:43 PM
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Thinking this might be a good time for a southern desert run
Meets:
1/24 10:15am @ LOVE'S TRAVEL STOPS #207
45761 DILLON RD
COACHELLA, CA 92236
http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=UTF-8&fr=b1ie7&p=dillon+road+gas+station+indio&SpellState=n-2512887579_q-czO6ADrb7Sgdwb%2F82eaHYgAAAA%40%40&fr2=sp-qrw-corr-top
Berdoo Cyn [Easy to Moderate: ~ 25miles & 4 hours w/ Geo Tour Rd ]
Starts off in wash before the park border, passes through a fun rocky canyon, turns into a sand wider open track. At the one way we will swing around to maybe the wind caves and dam at Squaw tank, continue down the geo tour towards Jumbo Rocks.
North Entrance: Mine Sites or Pinkham Cyn
For the 2nd half of the day may head down the Utah trail and try the dirt north entrance: Italy Mine, Goat, Pinto, North Star mines, Music Valley Area just out side the park for camping. Other possiblites include Pinto Basin Rd to Cottowood, Pinkham Cyn out to I-10 Catus City rest area.
1/25 Bradshaw Trail:
From mitch: Sunday will be a trip down Red Canyon Road to the Bradshaw Trail. Then west for a wash run to an oasis and then the Bat Caves and finally ending up at Hwy 111 near the lovely and effervescent metropolis of Bombay Beach.
These would be a stock friendly trails with an opportunity for gas and groceries Saturday afternoon at Chiriaco
Other possiblities include connecting down I-10E, exit Eagle Mt Rd, Chickwall Mts exploring east as far as we feel looking going to the border :D
This run will be diverse and offer something for everyone from easy wash running, desert fast tracks, traditional trail rides, optional rock piles, with views, mine site, landmarks, and flora to see along the way. Please post up if you're interested, have some other stuff in mind, etc.
Reference / GPS:
Guide to Socal Backroads and 4-wheel Drive Trails: Charles A. Wells
Berdoo Canyon #75
Primitive Group Camping Saturday night at someplace that looks good :lol
FRS Channel 1, Subcode 24
CB Channel 12
Brian
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I like either of those ideas Brian. I can be there both days, and can help with planning or leading, whatever. Here are a few thoughts:
For Joshua Tree I was thinking we could do a mix of easy and challenging, by going in through either Berdoo or Pinkham/Thermal and then camping at the spot we found in Nov 2006 (I think it was in the Gold Crown area). That would make Saturday a pretty much stock-friendly day, then on Sunday those who want more of a challenge could head up into the mining district and out to Hwy 62. If someone wants to make it a one-day trip they could easily exit on Saturday by driving back south on Old Dale to pavement (about 10-12 miles of easy sand); and we can set up a meet spot for Sunday morning at that point where the long straight section of Old Dale ends just before it starts up into the mining district. That is about where the trail from the camp site joins it. I would likely head into the Park itself on Sunday to do some exploring there, maybe try to tour the ranch if I can get there early enough.
For the Bradshaw the only real problem I see is if we start at the far eastern end it takes a long time to get out there to start. We could do it like the Mojave, spending Friday night someplace near Blythe and then running the whole trail east to west, which is supposed to be the better way for views of the mountains and Salton Sea. We could camp either near where we did in March 2007 (off Red Cloud Mine Rd.) or near Red Canyon, which looked pretty nice. The only thing with Red Cloud Mine is that it is a ways off of the Bradshaw itself. The spot was pretty nice, though. If we wanted to see some of the east portion but still travel east to west, we could meet at Chiriaco Summit like we did in 2007, but instead of heading down Red Canyon go east on I-10 to either Wiley's Well or for something closer, the off ramp that leads to Graham Pass, and take that down to the Bradshaw. Might be a lot of highway driving though.
Maybe Mitch has some ideas, I think he knows these areas pretty well.
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Don't know if this will be an issue, but this guy says they put in a locked gate. Might need checking possible alternate route in?
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20831
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I'm out already. Business trip 4-17 Jan. :(
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It occurs to me now, as I sit here in sunny San Diego freezing my butt off, that it will likely be quite cold at night in Joshua Tree if anyone wants to camp. Just a thought.
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I'm out that weekend too. Mary is having her shoulder scoped the Thursday before so I'll tending to her.
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Changed to the following weekend: 1/24-25 so more people can attend :D
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Looks like I'm out for the 17-18th after all. Heather and I will be driving to Phoenix to see her mother.
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I'd be in if it's on the 24th. of Jan. '09. I'd go for Saturday only though. Can't seem to convice my wife to camp out overnight (she's got this fear of lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!). And snakes, scorpions, bugs, cactus, leaves, dirt, rocks...
I'm not giving up and still trying however.
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So is it Joshua Tree or Bradshaw?
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I prefer Joshua Tree. Wait, which Joshua Tree is it? The one north of Palmsprings of Hwy. 62/247 or the one much farther north towards central Cali.? If its the one of the 62, I'm in. Otherwise it's too far for me.
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If I can find my wife a ride to work on Saturday the 24th, I'll go for the day. She won't drive my car because it's stick shift :( I would prefer the closest ones to me, since Im going for 1 day.
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We're good to go.
Trixie the Wonder Dog, Noon, and their driver, Paul. ;D
We're good to go both days and camping over night.
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I'd be in if it's on the 24th. of Jan. '09. I'd go for Saturday only though. Can't seem to convice my wife to camp out overnight (she's got this fear of lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!). And snakes, scorpions, bugs, cactus, leaves, dirt, rocks...
I'm not giving up and still trying however.
Get yourself a double bed sized airbed and a pump. That thing will fit just fine inside the truck. There's normally some of us camping in tents so the lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!) get their feed on them and very rarely attack the folks in their trucks. Since it's winter the sunsets early making it easy to find a quite rock earlier in the day for bathroom breaks.
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Mary's shoulder surgery got rescheduled so I'm back in! Either place either weekend as its all in my backyard.
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Don't know if this will be an issue, but this guy says they put in a locked gate. Might need checking possible alternate route in?
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20831
I just met Curt the other day on a run up Berdoo. He's a cool dude. I'll have to ask him if the gate is still there. But like he says, there is more than one way to get in.
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Okay then, I'm in. This time my wife is bringing her girlfriend with her to accompany us all
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So is it Joshua Tree or Bradshaw?
How about both :D JT 1/24 and Bradshaw 1/25.
Should work for the day runners; In Berdoo Cyn out Pinkham Cyn to I-10.
Rest of the group expo Bradshaw run: east I-10, exit before the chuck wash the next day if folks are up for it?
Yes out past Palms Springs, catus city rest stop area. Mitch's Hood :lol:
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OK then, where do we meet, what time and how do I get there from the 15/10 fwy. interchage?
(Pssst: should I remove the factory step rails from my X? I haven't bought rock sliders yet. I got a lot of hell from the other guys for having them on our last run to Rattlesnake Cyn.)
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. . . . (Pssst: should I remove the factory step rails from my X? I haven't bought rock sliders yet. I got a lot of hell from the other guys for having them on our last run to Rattlesnake Cyn.)
If you don't need them to climb in and out I would suggest taking them off before they trashed, that way maybe you can sell them and raise a bit of cash for other stuff. They are easy enough to put on and take off, so if you do need them for around town you can always put them back on after the run.
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count me in. Maybe a new date with me...
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What day are you good for Brian? I was thinking along the same lines... Up Berdoo and across the park to Pinkham/Thermal and then cut over to I-10. The day trippers can head home from there while the campers can head over to Red Canyon to camp. Sunday will be a trip down Red Canyon Road to the Bradshaw Trail. Then west for a wash run to an oasis and then the Bat Caves and finally ending up at Hwy 111 near the lovely and effervescent metropolis of Bombay Beach. These would be a stock friendly trails with an opportunity for gas and groceries Saturday afternoon at Chiriaco Summit.
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OK then, where do we meet, what time and how do I get there from the 15/10 fwy. interchage?
(Pssst: should I remove the factory step rails from my X? I haven't bought rock sliders yet. I got a lot of hell from the other guys for having them on our last run to Rattlesnake Cyn.)
They should be in the dumpster already!
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Who is thinking of camping on Saturday night?
Also, for those that only want to do a day trip, since the date has been changed from the original post, what day are you in for (Saturday or Sunday).
This will help us with planning.
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OK then, where do we meet, what time and how do I get there from the 15/10 fwy. interchage?
1st post is always updated with the latest:
Meets:
1/24 10:15am @ LOVE'S TRAVEL STOPS #207
45761 DILLON RD
Yeah Mitch the Berdoo Pink combo would work, what about the north section? see my 1st post. Have you been out there? dirt road access according to my T.harrsion topo map to bunch of mines sites such as Goat, Pinto, etc.
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Who is thinking of camping on Saturday night?
Also, for those that only want to do a day trip, since the date has been changed from the original post, what day are you in for (Saturday or Sunday).
This will help us with planning.
Saturday for me
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OK then, where do we meet, what time and how do I get there from the 15/10 fwy. interchage?
1st post is always updated with the latest:
Meets:
1/24 10:15am @ LOVE'S TRAVEL STOPS #207
45761 DILLON RD
Yeah Mitch the Berdoo Pink combo would work, what about the north section? see my 1st post. Have you been out there? dirt road access according to my T.harrsion topo map to bunch of mines sites such as Goat, Pinto, etc.
We could go north to the mining district but its going to be cold at night up there.
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Sat. only for me too.
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Sat. only for me too. Do you have a more specific address or at least a zip code? Mapquest can't seem to find it and Loves #207 doesn't show up on yellow pages. Or how do we get there from the 10 fwy?
Its here (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=45761+Dillon+Rd,+Coachella,+Riverside,+California+92236&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&cd=1&geocode=Fbt8AgIdoFwT-Q&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.875,57.630033&ll=33.716683,-116.170549&spn=0.003092,0.004973&t=h&z=18&iwloc=addr)
Directions from Ontario here (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=Ontario,+California&daddr=45761+Dillon+Rd,+Coachella,+CA&sll=33.654638,-115.999146&sspn=0.379515,0.63652&ie=UTF8&z=9)
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Ok, I found it. Thanks.
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If the weather report looks good, we will be camping. This will be our first overnight trip in the X so the last thing I need is for the wife to freeze her you know what off and have a miserable night. If we dont camp it will be Saturday only.
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If the weather report looks good, we will be camping. This will be our first overnight trip in the X so the last thing I need is for the wife to freeze her you know what off and have a miserable night. If we dont camp it will be Saturday only.
Do yourself a favor and buy a Coleman double wide airbed - they're sold at Wal-Mart for about $40. They're just about a perfect fit into the back of the X. You move the front seats forward, drop the back seats flat and that thing fits like a glove. Sleeping "indoors" is a nice way to go for a "tenderfood". You're up off the ground and away from the bugs, the airbed is comfortable and keeps you half-way warm and a medium sleeping bag does the rest. Crack a front window an inch on either side and you're good-to-go. I throw an extra blanket in the truck which if it's warm enough the dog gets it but if it's too cold she does without and we take it.
The weather doesn't get any better - the day time highs will be in the 70's and the evening lows will be in the mid-40's. Nice campfire and snuggling weather. This is one of the best trails every year. Last year we went into Augustine Pass and camped there before coming back to the Bradshaw Trail. We saw three or four rare desert tortoises which I haven't seen before or since.
My pictures from 2008 are here: http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y215/paul1960/Xterra/Bradshaw%20Trail%203-2008/
And 2007 here: http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y215/paul1960/Xterra/Bradshaw%20Trail%203-2007/
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Thanks Paul, I got that exact mattress that you recommended. I have 2 rubbermaid containers that fit on the floorboard and I cut a piece of plywood that sits on top of them and fills in the gaps. I went out and bought 6 lb Coleman sleeping bags that zip together for a warm and cozy night ;)
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Do yourself a favor and buy a Coleman double wide airbed
Do your self a favor and buy a different brand, Me and Emily have had two Coleman air mattresses, both leaked air after 2 or 3 uses, horrible IMO.
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Do yourself a favor and buy a Coleman double wide airbed
Do your self a favor and buy a different brand, Me and Emily have had two Coleman air mattresses, both leaked air after 2 or 3 uses, horrible IMO.
I have the Coleman and I like it. I've been using it for a while now.
Back on topic. I am still in but for Saturday only.
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Are we going to encounter any dificulties with the coming rain? I'm worried 'cause I still got reg. 265/70-r15 tires. I mean, they have good thread but they're not quite mud tires. I'm getting a tow strap just in case I need someone else to pull me out.
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I can not make this one and will be in Mexico :P Have fun hope to see everyone soon and will try to make Mitch's Mod day. Hasta la vista .
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Is anyone still going?
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Just to let you know...
The weater report calls for snow on Thursday in Big Bear. This may cause a problem for anyone trying to run trails on the side of a hill...
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Unfortunately for me, I can't make this one.
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Don't worry be happy ;D Some rain thrusday should be good to cut down the dust and maybe create some fun spots to play around in if they don't dry up by the weekend. Remember this is desert terrain, mostly sand with some possible spots to find mud if it rains enough & we look hard enough, not the kind of stuff where you need mud tires or anything other than stock.
Forecast looks great for the weekend clear & 74/45 :) Most likely 8-12 truck turnout from what I've seen. I'm planning on both days as of now.
Brian
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I'm getting a tow strap just in case I need someone else to pull me out.
Nice to have but I'll have mine if you can't find one before hand.
After getting high centered (twice) up in Big Bear and seeing John (Sturndog's) I got one to match. The stock tires ought to be just fine along the Bradshaw trail portion of the trip.
+1 on the rain. Thursday's rain will be long forgotten by Saturday. We might see a mud puddle or two if we're lucky in the low spots.
We're still good for both days. I'll bring something to barbecue on Saturday and share a bit with the group. We're thinking Korean BBQ or Santa Maria style tri-tip (like always).
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I'm still going. I finally got a complete PML and the tow strap. Will a reg 2-way walkie-talkie radio work on the trail to communicate?
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So far, no rain. I doubt we will get any tonight or tomorrow. Someone at work said they heard we are suppose to get rain on Saturday. He's working on Saturday now. I'm sure all will be good for the run.
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Figures I gotta work on Saturday now. :-[ I really didn't want to miss this run.
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I'm a maybe. I'll know by tomorrow. I could only go for Saturday though and would have to be back on the 10 by 3 o'clock 4 at the latest. Is that possible with this run? Also depending on how many people need to bail on Saturday we could caravan out like me and chris did at Mecca.
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I'm still going. I finally got a complete PML and the tow strap. Will a reg 2-way walkie-talkie radio work on the trail to communicate?
What kind of walkie talkie?
We use FRS but there are also ham radio and CB walkie talkies too. You can pick up an FRS radio for about $25.
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Still no rain.
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Looks like I'm going to miss this one. It also looks like you're going to have great weather.
Have a great time everyone, stay safe, and get lots of pics.
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Pictures posted here: http://www.sccxterra.com/smf/index.php/topic,190.0.html (http://www.sccxterra.com/smf/index.php/topic,190.0.html)
No Bradshaw Trail :'(
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Great run!
Thanks Brian for leading!