Palomar Mountain Ride 11/9

[shaynej]

Palomar Mtn ride Nov 9th. Lunch in Julian, then off to Borrego Springs (Montezuma Grade)

MEETUP LOCATION: Park-n-ride just west of I-15 on Pala Rd

WEATHER PERMITTING OF COURSE

Ride Roster

shaynej
wheatie
Spike
VFR Capt Bob
JBAXX
L8asusul
DizzyDave
Rogue Biker
Bandit
redneck7769
itwrx
derstuka
V4Sam
Steve.ski
shakey654
NVR2L8
2fast2young
Buell guest


MEETUP TIME 8:00am
START TIME 8:30AM
LUNCH 10:30AM
DEPART 1:30PM

TOTAL MILES: 105
TOTAL RIDE TIME: 3:26

Please PM with two (2) emergency contact info.

[shaynej]

View Larger Map

Due to the various areas that the riders will be coming from, we will end this ride at Montezuma Valley road and San Felipe road. This is a short distance from both the 79 and 76 and will also lead back to I15. Maps will be provided at starting point to assist anyone unfamiliar with these ending roads, also plenty of people will be there to lead back as well.

[RVFR]

Damn, looks like a fun one, something to look forward to next year, maybe.

[Fizz]

I'd go, but I don't want to show you guys up on my FZ.... I kid I kid.

Hmmmm

[shaynej]

Not a problem, currently in the lineup is a Bandit1200s and potentially a Buell XB12R. You're more than welcome to join.

[derstuka]

I might join you for part of your ride sir, however, I may break off before the end though....yes, I would make you aware of this so you don't think that I am lying in a ditch with a cactus enema!

Would be nice to meet some folks from the "darkside"......wait, we are the darkside...

You guys hitting "Mesa Grande Rd" after Palomar, on the way to Julian?

[michael]

Did you add this to the VFRworld calendar?

VFRworld - Calendar

[shaynej]

Originally Posted by derstuka

I might join you for part of your ride sir, however, I may break off before the end though....yes, I would make you aware of this so you don't think that I am lying in a ditch with a cactus enema!

Would be nice to meet some folks from the "darkside"......wait, we are the darkside...

You guys hitting "Mesa Grande Rd" after Palomar, on the way to Julian?

Not in the scheduled route. Would you know the time difference on taking Mesa Grande to Julian vs. staying on 79? If it's within 15 minutes I'm sure it can be arranged.
I do appreciate letting me know that you'll split off. We'll be stopping at Miner's Diner in Julian for lunch, then some will split off for home while the rest tackle Borrego Springs and Montezuma Grade. Perhaps splitting off after lunch would be best, your call. Looking forward to meeting you, have read your trip reports...

[White Chocolate]

One of these days I am just going to say screw it and come all the way from South Dakota.

[shaynej]

Originally Posted by White Chocolate

One of these days I am just going to say screw it and come all the way from South Dakota.

you only live once, and if you live right, once is enough...

pay the neighbor to feed the dog, let the grass die, and saddle up!

see ya on Nov 9th!

[White Chocolate]

If I had the money, but by the time nov rolls around I don't want to try riding through snow. But someday I will go west to a meet just to be the crazy guy that rode that far.

[Scubalong]

Originally Posted by White Chocolate

If I had the money, but by the time nov rolls around I don't want to try riding through snow. But someday I will go west to a meet just to be the crazy guy that rode that far.

Gas money, Sleeping bag, Cell phone, Camera.......................You ready to roll.

[derstuka]

Originally Posted by shaynej

Not in the scheduled route. Would you know the time difference on taking Mesa Grande to Julian vs. staying on 79? If it's within 15 minutes I'm sure it can be arranged.
I do appreciate letting me know that you'll split off. We'll be stopping at Miner's Diner in Julian for lunch, then some will split off for home while the rest tackle Borrego Springs and Montezuma Grade. Perhaps splitting off after lunch would be best, your call. Looking forward to meeting you, have read your trip reports...

Your route is just fine. Just an idea is all. As you are probably aware, Mesa Grande just is a twisty road cut between the 76 and 79. Once you come down off of Palomar mtn's East Grade (Fast Side) and make a left on the 76 (Pala Rd) you ride for probably 2 miles, and there is a turn off on your right for Mesa Grande. There is a Mesa Grande sign just before the turn off. When you turn right, it is actually "Center Loop West" that you are on, and you ride less than 100 yards (if you pass it, it just takes you pass a harley bar called, "the hideaway" and back onto the 76 in about 100 yards), and take a right on Mesa Grande. All you do is stay on this all the way until it runs into the 79 about 3 miles from Santa Ysabel. Usually takes an extra 10 minutes or so, depending on the pace of the riders.

Mesa Grande is a fun rd, but sometimes the beginning twisty section of it can have a little rock/debris on it. Need to be aware is all.


View Larger Map

[shaynej]

According to the weather forecast, the Palomar ride temperatures will range from 48F to 80F. Please dress accordingly and bring water. We will be stopping at Miner's Diner in Julian at about 10:30-11:00.

I will be leaving Hesperia for a Lake Tahoe ride on Wednesday morning. I will be returning Friday afternoon, so if anyone else wants to join us, leave me a PM and I'll add you when I get back.

If you haven't already, please PM with two emergency contacts.

Thanks

shaynej

[drewl]

There may be snow at Tahoe right now. At least there is above 7000 ft up here right now. I was in Reno this am and there was snow in the high country there too.

[shaynej]

Originally Posted by drewl

There may be snow at Tahoe right now. At least there is above 7000 ft up here right now. I was in Reno this am and there was snow in the high country there too.

Thanks, got the heads up from my parents already. By wednesday most of the road salt and slush should be cleared. Headed straight to Reno then planning on lapping Tahoe Thursday morning, plenty of ice on Mt. Rose hwy but once I'm in Incline it should be mellow all the way around. Worse case scenario I take the 50 up to South Lake and turn around. Kinda my last big run of the winter, then keeping it local till April. Either that or I could stay home and finish the landscaping...

[shaynej]

Ok, crunch time, compiling my lists and checking them twice. Still have quite a few of you that haven't sent me Emergency Contacts yet. If you are uncomfortable with sending me personal information, that is fine. Just make sure you have the info on your person. Also a quick note to let me know this would be appreciated...

Weather is holding out fine, looks like a GREAT ride is in store...

For those of you not familiar with this group, I will ask the newbies to hang back with the 2nd group until you get to see the pace of the group. The first pack will be the more experienced/faster group and unless you are familiar with this road, I don't think it's best for a first-timer to run with these guys. We'll be decided the riding order on location but please make sure to RIDE YOUR OWN PACE, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PUSH YOUR LIMITS, THIS IS A FUN EXPEDITION!

thanks, and looking forward to riding with you all...

[shaynej]

Well it started just like every other ride I've planned this year. Nice list of interested parties, weather forecast looked promising, route and food destinations were checked and confirmed, all we needed was for the day to arrive. As some of you may have already read in other posts, I had destroyed my front rim and was desperately trying to get my replacement front rim finished in time for this ride. Saturday came, all the parts were ready, jumped on and took off for a great day of canyon riding with clear skies and 70-75 degree temps. Perfect. Sunday should be just the same...
Saturday afternoon I spent updating my rider list, called the restaurant again just to make sure, and rested. But just in case... let me check the weather forecast... No problem, slight chance of rain (20%) and looks like cooler temps for Sunday. No biggie, I'll just put the liner in my jacket and all set to go...
Sunday morning, 5:45am. Gearing up, open the garage door. Uh... Even without the sun I can still see dark grey billowing clouds on the horizon. This doesn't look right. The forecasted rain was for Palomar, not San Bernardino/Victorville. Quick check of the forecast. Nice green spots on the weather radar screen... No biggie. Just a minor glitch. I wasn't thinking minor glitch when 10 miles later it was 34 degrees and light snow flurries were dotting my visor... There's the exit, no one will mind if I just turn around and go home...
So I show up at the meetup spot right at 8:00am and see redneck7769 (Greg) waving me in... Quick glance. Only one red VFR. Not looking promising. I pull into the gas station on the corner and see 3 more VFRs and a Buell. Cool. Little by little the rest trickled in, everyone was there by 8:15am. Among the attendees today:
shaynej (of course)
Wheatie
VFR Capt Bob
Redneck7769
JBAXX
DizzyDave
NVR2L8
2fast2young + guest on a buell
shakey654 (on a SUPERB looking 25th Anniversary!)
L8asusul (on time)

A special thank you to all who either called, texted, or emailed me that they weren't coming. We held out a couple extra minutes just in case, but with the weather looking gloomy I kinda figured we'd have some no-shows.





With the weather gloomy and the roads slick, we decided to take the sport out of sport-touring and just call this a leisurely tour day... Thank you to DizzyDave for leading the pack, I choose him