LA Barstow to Vegas 2012

[SilverBullet]

Almost exactly one year from now...well they say it's never too early to plan. I really want to do this ride next year. I think it is always held Thanksgiving weekend. Anybody else want to try and make it?
http://labarstowvegas.com/

Rider rules and instructions from this years ride found here.
http://www.district37ama.org/forums/...ad.php?t=49234

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[Meriden]

Tentative. Depends on business this year.

Rman, we've talked about this.

What are you guessing for a total cost $1000 per head, travel and all?

[c_m_shooter]

I was planning on going this year, but plans fell through. Next year I'm going to try harder to make it.

[SilverBullet]

Originally Posted by Meriden

Tentative. Depends on business this year.

Rman, we've talked about this.

What are you guessing for a total cost $1000 per head, travel and all?

Less than that I think, I have family in Tucson and Orange County so we wouldn't need hotels every night. Final cost will really depend on how many are going but I'd estimate ~$700 not counting gambling money in Vegas. If I was going alone I'd probably even ride my bike there and put new tires on in OC before the ride.

Maybe do the Florence Coke Oven ride on the way back? Heck if hauling the bikes I'd even be open to putting a sand paddle on it and riding the sand dunes in Yuma on the way there. Wouldn't that be a great week?

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[Meriden]

Starting to sound more likely all the time. Broached the idea with the wife yesterday and she didn't even flinch. Florence has been on my list,too. A year is a long time away, but it's on the calendar. I'll be in Palm Springs at a conference in February, may go scout the area afterwards.

[bronco78]

I last rode B to V in 1983.. Not sure I want to do it again now that it is no longer a race. Though might be a fun DS ride, just to see the area again.

[SilverBullet]

Originally Posted by Meriden

Starting to sound more likely all the time. Broached the idea with the wife yesterday and she didn't even flinch. Florence has been on my list,too. A year is a long time away, but it's on the calendar. I'll be in Palm Springs at a conference in February, may go scout the area afterwards.

Exactly my reason for starting this thread "get it on the calendar". For most people permission negotiations and logistics need to be set more than a couple months in advance. Especially since this event happens over a family holiday. Might even involve advance plane tickets for your SO to meet you in LV. Since Thanksgiving is the busiest airport day of the year you'll need a jump on that. Who knows maybe the offer of a Lost Wages vacation might seal the approval for you.

Originally Posted by bronco78

I last rode B to V in 1983.. Not sure I want to do it again now that it is no longer a race. Though might be a fun DS ride, just to see the area again.

I think it will be more fun now since it isn't a race. A small group of friends running at our own pace and vary it whenever we want. Stop and take photos then blast off through a couple sections, rinse and repeat. You can also choose your route; easy, hard or adventure. My preference will be the hard route but if a TWT group materializes and I'm out voted I'll ride any route. I might even temporarily waive my hatred for stickers and slap on a few TWT stickers if the entire group does the same.

Only thing I will caution people on is to do a little reading and research before committing, www.advrider.com has plenty of ride reports or the AMA District37 link above. This is not a Texas dual sport ride where the dirt sections are dirt, sand and/or gravel roads. Think halfway between Baja and Texas DS and you'll be close.

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[Meriden]

If I can sort out a way to make this a bird watching trip...

I was prattling on about mods to the bike at breakfast and she seemed quite comfortable with the idea. Of course she comes from a farm family where it was not uncommon for the men to disappear into the woods for much of deer season, including Thanksgiving.

I'm good with any route just as long as I don't wreck my bike. It is also exciting to be on a ride that actually goes somewhere. I'm almost willing to ride out there. Depending on the route that would be a real dual sport adventure.

[SilverBullet]

Originally Posted by Meriden

I'm almost willing to ride out there. Depending on the route that would be a real dual sport adventure.

Now you're really speaking my language! Although I'm afraid it would severely limit who would be up to joining the group.

Imagine this...
stop in Big Bend, ride 1 day
stop somewhere in New Mexico (Truth or Consequences or ?) ride 1 day
stop in Yuma AZ, ride 1 day on the sand dunes
LA to Barstow to Vegas, ride 2 days
stay in LV 1 day
stop in AZ, Florence Coke Ovens, ride 1 day (southern route)
con't north (map out a backroads northern route)
maybe a 1 day stop somewhere in the panhandle or OK?

I think all of the above could be squeezed into a 11-12 day trip. Why not start big? We can always shave off stops and shorten number of days as required by our schedules later.

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[Meriden]

For the sake of argument... sounds like a plan. As for any other riders they can come along or truck it.

[MotoTex]

You guys are a really bad influence.

and,

I wanted to let you know just how much I appreciate that about y'all . . .

I'll be following this thread.

[Meriden]

Originally Posted by MotoTex

I'll be following

Don't follow, lead. The Katoom has the best headlights.

[GPL]

I've ridden the B2V many times and would recommend it. Its a fun ride. They have many hard way / easy way splits so you can choose the degree of difficulty you'd like. Be prepared for very cold starts, last year on Friday it was 10 degrees at the start and on Saturday plan to start in the dark as the route is long and the daylight is short. You can tape a mini mag to your helmet to be able to read your roll chart, odo & GPS. I have tentative plans to attend next year. I'll be looking for all those TX plates.

[Rman of 237]

Subscribed.

[IronSpadeCycles]

Alright so Gary and Silvie are definitely moving to Seattle in a couple weeks. We will miss their company and great riding abilities. But Gary has already extended an open invite to come ride the Pacific North West, which I can attest to is some of the most beautiful riding areas I've ever been to. I think Clay and I are already loosely planning a trip for late Sept/Oct right as the winter starts and the overnight temps come down a bit. I'm looking at a new ride later this year, or even a 440 kit for my trusty XR, not sure I want to do another giant DS ride on the little 400 without a rebuilt motor first. My first thought is to have the bikes delivered to Gary's place, fly up and ride back to TX.

I definitely would want to join up with a group doing the B to V and then a ride home to finish out the tour. Kill it all in 2 weeks with some really fun riding up in Washington and Oregon along the way. Hit the giant redwoods for a day or so and work our way down the PCH for a few days. That would be a riot for sure.

I'll be sure to subscribe to this thread. Talk soon, Travis

[SilverBullet]

Originally Posted by IronSpadeCycles

I definitely would want to join up with a group doing the B to V and then a ride home to finish out the tour. Kill it all in 2 weeks with some really fun riding up in Washington and Oregon along the way. Hit the giant redwoods for a day or so and work our way down the PCH for a few days. That would be a riot for sure.

Pacific Northwest most likely will be very cold (below freezing) late November and chance of snow in the higher elevations. Those higher elevations are what make the area so beautiful so you wouldn't want to bypass them. Driving down the entire PCH on a bike is absolutely breathtaking, a must do ride.

You mentioned shipping your bikes to WA which is good. Otherwise you would have a very long ride on your hands. Two weeks wouldn't be long enough if you're stopping for rides along the way. HOU to SEA to LAX to LAS to HOU would be around 6,000 miles with a few day rides added in.

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[IronSpadeCycles]

Some of you may know last year in late September I rode my XR400 from Durango CO to Portland OR and made stops in Telluride CO, Moab UT, Bonneville Speedway during speed week, Elko NV to visit relative and several nights camping while crossing the eastern Oregon desert. The first third of my trip took 9 days and covered 1545 miles. I stayed with relatives in Portland for a day to rest as that, up to then, had been the longest single trip I'd ever done let alone on a DS dirtbike through mostly dirt roads and jeep trails.

I then rode to the mouth of the Columbia river to see the Pacific ocean for a few hours before we headed South. Up to this point we had had very mild days with cold nights but no rain. The day we got to the Columbia river it was beautiful and we made our way down the coast to Haystack Rock and the campgrounds of Cannon Beach OR. That night the fog socked in and we woke up to typical Pacific NW weather, rain and cold wet air. Although we were completely prepared for it, it was not a welcome sight at 5AM. It rained that whole day and we only rode about 200 miles along the PCH which even though it rained was absolutely stunning.

The following morning we awoke to sunny skies and a beautiful sea scape just off in the distance. We continued on that day along the PCH to the giant redwood forest of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. We camped under the canopy that night and it was a surreal experience. We spent a day tooling around in the forest and a feeling of being completely lost and disconnected from society had finally calmed me. Up to that day I felt rushed to get the ride done. After that day I felt like anywhere else we rode would be one day closer to the end of my journey. It wasn't even halfway done.

Over a period of 39 days I rode a 2001 Honda XR400 5265 miles with 12 days off along the way to rest and do basic bike maintenance. I spent 4 of those 12 days in Ehrenberg AZ riding around in the Southern AZ desert with friends which was an absolute blast and a complete departure from the rain and cold of the Pacific NW.

That was a once in a lifetime trip, and I can't wait to do it again.

The timing of a Washington trip might be a little off but the B to V would be a welcome departure after riding the length of the PCH in 8-10 days. The more I think about it the more I want to do it. I definitely would have the bikes shipped up there first then ride back. Looking into a suitable shipping method now. Any suggestions?

I can't wait I think it will be cool to do the B to V with other TX riders for sure. Hopefully I will be on a different bike by then. I'm entertaining the idea of a midsized BMW DS or even a converted XR650R, two completely different animals I know but I want a bike that can still ride well off road but not cost upwards of $10K. We'll see.

Talk to yall later Travis

[Rman of 237]

Cool post Travis! ^^^

[BobbyD]

I'm interested. I rode some of the course west of Vegas this year. I went to watch the EnduroCross finals in Vegas and took the 400. I have a friend that winters in Vegas and summers in CO. He planned two great day trips in the desert, fun stuff. Might go out to watch the EnduroCross next year (17th) and stay for this ride (24th & 25th). There is some great riding around Vegas to do during the week. Oh course Vegas night life is too shabby either. Disneyland for adults.

[GPL]

This months District 37 Dual Sport Newsletter has lots of good coverage of the 2011 B2V. You can find it at www.district37ama.org/dualsport/newsletter.php . It will give you a good idea of what to expect when you ride next year.