Phartz
Pat Thompson
So yesterday I headed out over the Ortega and had breakfast at the Douglas Burger in Elsinore. Headed from there down to Rancho California and took Glenoaks, Mesa, Sage, and Wilson Valley Road (pic #1) up to 371 through Anza to join up with Hwy 74 again. Out to the seven levels (pic#2) above Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage and down to 111 toward Coachella and the Salton Sea. Down the 86 spur . . . and this was where the trouble began. 
:
I wanted to head in to Borrego Springs from the east and rather than taking Borrego Salton Seaway I thought that Marina looked like a nice little shortcut (pic #3). I head out the paved street through the newly constructed homes and shortly thereafter the road turns to graded, hard dirt. OK. No problem, it's only a couple of miles. I top out a rise shortly after that to find the road is turning to sand. Not to bad at first, I press on. It gets thicker and deeper and I'm sayin, "no way, I'm outa here!" While trying to keep it moving enough to not sink while getting turned around I just wallowed out and ended up on my tip over wing (pic #4).
The sand was so deep I couldn't get the footing to lift the bike on my own. Luckily there was an ATVer :bow1: nearby. I walked over the slight rise to his truck and enlisted his aid in raising the bike. Now I'm not a dirt rider and the ST isn't a dirt bike so I dropped it a couple more times getting out of there with my aide there to help each time. :bow1: :bow1:
Got back to the pavement and had a great rest of the ride. The worst damage was on the second spill I went down on the right side. It knocked off the mirror cover and I discovered today that a couple of the treaded studs that hold the turnsignal in the cover broke out. My right TO wing cover was already kind of scuffed up and looked way the worse for wear and the left TO wing cover was a bit scuffed too. One scratch in the right middle cowl just below the mirror. Musta been a rock hiding in the sand. No other scratches or problems anywhere else.
Ordered up new mirror cover - $51. Two of MCL's cut out TO Wing covers -$48. Also orderd up a Throttlemeister to replace the Vista Cruise that got discombobulated somewhere during the adventure. Never liked that Vista Cruise.
As for me, I've got some sore muscles, as if I'd been lifting weights, in my upper thighs. Guess my lifting technique was correct I just couldn't get the footing. :noway
Next time I'll turn around sooner.
: I wanted to head in to Borrego Springs from the east and rather than taking Borrego Salton Seaway I thought that Marina looked like a nice little shortcut (pic #3). I head out the paved street through the newly constructed homes and shortly thereafter the road turns to graded, hard dirt. OK. No problem, it's only a couple of miles. I top out a rise shortly after that to find the road is turning to sand.
Not to bad at first, I press on. It gets thicker and deeper and I'm sayin, "no way, I'm outa here!" While trying to keep it moving enough to not sink while getting turned around I just wallowed out and ended up on my tip over wing (pic #4).The sand was so deep I couldn't get the footing to lift the bike on my own. Luckily there was an ATVer :bow1: nearby. I walked over the slight rise to his truck and enlisted his aid in raising the bike. Now I'm not a dirt rider and the ST isn't a dirt bike so I dropped it a couple more times getting out of there with my aide there to help each time. :bow1: :bow1:
Got back to the pavement and had a great rest of the ride. The worst damage was on the second spill I went down on the right side. It knocked off the mirror cover and I discovered today that a couple of the treaded studs that hold the turnsignal in the cover broke out. My right TO wing cover was already kind of scuffed up and looked way the worse for wear and the left TO wing cover was a bit scuffed too. One scratch in the right middle cowl just below the mirror. Musta been a rock hiding in the sand. No other scratches or problems anywhere else.
Ordered up new mirror cover - $51. Two of MCL's cut out TO Wing covers -$48. Also orderd up a Throttlemeister to replace the Vista Cruise that got discombobulated somewhere during the adventure. Never liked that Vista Cruise.
As for me, I've got some sore muscles, as if I'd been lifting weights, in my upper thighs. Guess my lifting technique was correct I just couldn't get the footing. :noway
Next time I'll turn around sooner.
