The day after the rain, a few pictures, dirt bike ride.
As promised a photo of down town Los
Barrilies after a major rain. Word is the street is below high tide and the
government will not let the local townsfolk put in a storm drain
system.
We went for a dirt bike ride yesterday. The riding conditions were about perfect. NO DUST, the roads were damp, not muddy and the dirt was tacky. Made for fast turning, easy climbing and stopping. The air was clear and every thing was fresh and clean. More leaves turned have turned green (it is winter here) and flowers are popping out on everything, bushes, trees, and cactus. Jerry, Big Jim, Jake and myself left around 10:30 and didn't return until late evening about 6 p.m. Rode new country at least for me, starting the ride to the headwaters of the Buenos Aries arroyo. This is the arroyo that Terry, Colette, Andy and I went into a several of weeks ago (1/26/05). The ride is in one of the most beautiful canyons I have been to yet. Very twisty with steep drop offs and high canyon walls. The trees, cactus, grasses, wild flowers are lush and varied. This the type of ride as to why I started dirt biking, to be able to access areas that would hard if not impossible to do on a mountain bike. You could do it by 4X4 or ATV but it would feel rougher and take longer.
We did a little route finding after the Buenos Aries arroyo. The week before Big Jim a couple of other riders bush whacked an old trail heading to El Triunfo from El Rosario. The trail is on the maps but has not been used in a very long time. It took us three different tries to find the route again. I down loaded the track from my GPS onto a map and the route was right where it was suppose to be. El Triunfo is a centuries old mining town founded in 1751. It is one of those places you have to see to believe. Once a town of thousands now home to a few hundred people. The cemetery is huge, all white tombstones and very orderly. The buildings are mostly abandoned and decayed . Yet the few towns people keep every thing painted and clean. The picture is of a taco stand across the street from the local church. Two tamales and coke for 30 pesos. Very good tamales.
From El Triunfo we rode a cobble stone road to San Antonio. This road is once again something you have to check out in person. The road is about 5 miles long between the two towns. It is around 12 feet wide and all cobble stone with cobble stone curb and gutters. There are freshly painted white marker stones every twenty feet or so. It doesn't look like any local ever uses it. In El Triunfo there is tourist attraction sign with a bicycle on it pointing to the road. The only bike I would take on this road would be full suspension mountain bike. The views are great in every direction and the descent would be fun if you ride from El Triunfo to San Antonio. Out of San Antonio would be a grunt up hill. Do it on a Dirt Bike any thing else would be very bumpy.
From San Antonio we went north in the San Antonio arroyo. A very fast wet ride for about 3 miles. From the arroyo we were headed to the los Planes area to a trail that goes up and over the mountains back to San Bartolo and home. We immediately got lost in the los Planes area looking for the road. It took us a haft a dozen tries in out of several dead ends until we found the right road. The right road was magic. The is a trail that Jerry and Big Jim scouted a few years ago. It is mostly on private land and not opened to public travel. They befriended the family who control the access to the area. Jerry and Jim stop to say hello every time. Kinda not to, the road goes right through the families front yard. The last time we stopped the landlady we met gave us some wonderful tangerines. This time because we were running late our visit was very short. Still the family all came out to greet us and wave us goodbye.
The time of day, late afternoon, made for glorious riding. The light was photographic perfection. Long soft shadows with cumulus clouds in the back ground. The trail though the ranch was up and down and twisty. Again the vegetation was lush. When we came out onto the highway at San Bartolo we were all on a endorphin high. Our ride ended in the Buenos Aries arroyo out side of Los Barrilies with Jerry drag racing a modified 4 wheel off road racer. I over heard Jerry say he hit 85 mph he when he started pulling away from the racer. Not bad for a 65 year old on a stock KTM 450 EXC.
We went for a dirt bike ride yesterday. The riding conditions were about perfect. NO DUST, the roads were damp, not muddy and the dirt was tacky. Made for fast turning, easy climbing and stopping. The air was clear and every thing was fresh and clean. More leaves turned have turned green (it is winter here) and flowers are popping out on everything, bushes, trees, and cactus. Jerry, Big Jim, Jake and myself left around 10:30 and didn't return until late evening about 6 p.m. Rode new country at least for me, starting the ride to the headwaters of the Buenos Aries arroyo. This is the arroyo that Terry, Colette, Andy and I went into a several of weeks ago (1/26/05). The ride is in one of the most beautiful canyons I have been to yet. Very twisty with steep drop offs and high canyon walls. The trees, cactus, grasses, wild flowers are lush and varied. This the type of ride as to why I started dirt biking, to be able to access areas that would hard if not impossible to do on a mountain bike. You could do it by 4X4 or ATV but it would feel rougher and take longer.
We did a little route finding after the Buenos Aries arroyo. The week before Big Jim a couple of other riders bush whacked an old trail heading to El Triunfo from El Rosario. The trail is on the maps but has not been used in a very long time. It took us three different tries to find the route again. I down loaded the track from my GPS onto a map and the route was right where it was suppose to be. El Triunfo is a centuries old mining town founded in 1751. It is one of those places you have to see to believe. Once a town of thousands now home to a few hundred people. The cemetery is huge, all white tombstones and very orderly. The buildings are mostly abandoned and decayed . Yet the few towns people keep every thing painted and clean. The picture is of a taco stand across the street from the local church. Two tamales and coke for 30 pesos. Very good tamales.
From El Triunfo we rode a cobble stone road to San Antonio. This road is once again something you have to check out in person. The road is about 5 miles long between the two towns. It is around 12 feet wide and all cobble stone with cobble stone curb and gutters. There are freshly painted white marker stones every twenty feet or so. It doesn't look like any local ever uses it. In El Triunfo there is tourist attraction sign with a bicycle on it pointing to the road. The only bike I would take on this road would be full suspension mountain bike. The views are great in every direction and the descent would be fun if you ride from El Triunfo to San Antonio. Out of San Antonio would be a grunt up hill. Do it on a Dirt Bike any thing else would be very bumpy.
From San Antonio we went north in the San Antonio arroyo. A very fast wet ride for about 3 miles. From the arroyo we were headed to the los Planes area to a trail that goes up and over the mountains back to San Bartolo and home. We immediately got lost in the los Planes area looking for the road. It took us a haft a dozen tries in out of several dead ends until we found the right road. The right road was magic. The is a trail that Jerry and Big Jim scouted a few years ago. It is mostly on private land and not opened to public travel. They befriended the family who control the access to the area. Jerry and Jim stop to say hello every time. Kinda not to, the road goes right through the families front yard. The last time we stopped the landlady we met gave us some wonderful tangerines. This time because we were running late our visit was very short. Still the family all came out to greet us and wave us goodbye.
The time of day, late afternoon, made for glorious riding. The light was photographic perfection. Long soft shadows with cumulus clouds in the back ground. The trail though the ranch was up and down and twisty. Again the vegetation was lush. When we came out onto the highway at San Bartolo we were all on a endorphin high. Our ride ended in the Buenos Aries arroyo out side of Los Barrilies with Jerry drag racing a modified 4 wheel off road racer. I over heard Jerry say he hit 85 mph he when he started pulling away from the racer. Not bad for a 65 year old on a stock KTM 450 EXC.
Posted: Sun - February 13, 2005 at 11:04 AM
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Published On: Apr 16, 2005 05:32 PM
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Published On: Apr 16, 2005 05:32 PM