looking for someone to ride with in the bay area

[cq]

Just purchased my new KTM200 and looking for someone to go riding with. Since I am new to the sport I promised my wife I would ride with someone. She fears that I will get hurt and nobody will know. I'm almost 40 and wanted to do something exciting. I know the basics so I shouldn't slow somebody down too much. Most of my buddies are too scared to buy a bike and come riding with me.

I have done the back hills of Carnegie a few times. I haven't tried anyplace else.


My day off are every other friday and weekends.

Thanks

CQ

 

[fremontguy]

Welcome to the sport cq. It gets to be an obsession after awhile. If you don't mind driving 2 or 3 hours, a few of us in the east bay drive to the woods quite frequently. This forum occasionally has rides posted for up here. Got some links on my other computer on where to ride, can post later.

 

[The Tortoise]

Hey GQ or is it CQ:

Fremontguy and I ride alot together. We ride with a good group of people. I'd say Les (Fremontguy) is quite obsessed with riding. I'm almost as bad. I have two kids 6 and 8 that ride too. My wife rides a little. I'm 43 years old, but don't tell anyone. Here is my copy of places to ride:

I just about signed off on Carnegie-It was mad house on Sunday. I hardly road at all. Looking after everyone with all the traffic was a full-time job. At 9:30 AM the line to get in was out on the road. Too much....

This is a quote from Buddy on the list. He went to Carnegie last weekend. Carnegie has been crowded the last two times I have been there. Both times I arrived in the morning (once at 9:30am and the other 11am) and the line was out to the road and along the road to get into Carnegie. There are so many bikes that you have to watch yourself and your kids. You can't relax. Also it is not as fun to ride as all the trails we have within two to three hour drives. The trails are really fun.
The trails I know of:
Elkins Flat - Intermediate terrain. Two long loops (18 and 26 miles). Good easy woods riding with some tight woods experiences. Kid friendly (near Pioneer off 88 on way to Kirkwood) (aprox 134 miles from home)
Georgetown - Intermediate terrain. I have been on only two trails. Both were fun and easy. Nice tight woods. Kid friendly (near Auburn) (aprox 132 miles from home)
Foresthills - Beginner, Intermediate, Adv. I have been on most of the trails. Fast wide rocky with lots of jumps. Some single track. woods Kid friendly (near Auburn) (aprox 132 miles from home)
Washington - New. I need to ride. Rodney Smith rides here I hear. I have trail maps and will be exploring. I have talked to a person to guide me he runs a staging area for RV's. (near Grass Valley)
Downieville - Intermediate to Adv. I have Mtn Biked this area a lot. Lots of trails. Rocky and smooth single track in the woods. Stay off divide two. Big cliff to fall off. ( I don't think kid friendly. I will explore on motorcycle first. There are areas that are easy. Like dirt roads to lakes to swim in. The single track is full of Mtn Bikes. OHV legal area though. We can ride for miles into back country. The single track can have some nice climbs to it. I'll let you know when I go) (aprox 172 miles from home)
Moonrocks - Beginner, Intermediate, Adv. Good desert riding with mountains. I prefer Spangler Hills (Ridgecrest)a tad more. However they have fun single track out of sand and rocks with banked turns all over. Also goat type single track. Open desert too. Bolder drops also (24 miles north of Reno) (232 miles from home)
Stonyford - Beginner, Intermediate, Adv. My only experience with the place is intermediate to advanced. I'm told Davis Flat and Potatoes Hill areas are good for kids. Some of the single track is friendly. This place has a wide variety. You have hill climbs (opening climb out of Little Stony Staging area is 1.8 miles long and is just up. For an Idea Carnegie is 2 miles long. This is like you put Carnegie sideways and had to climb. The hill out of Little Stony OHV Staging will wear you out). So you got hill climbs, dirt roads that are challenging (some are adv riding), single track, smooth dirt roads and easy. Basically a salad of all kinds of riding. I haven't decided if it is kid friendly yet. I need to take my kids and explore out of Davis Flat. Woods and open areas(132 miles to Little Stony)
Penny Pines - Beginner, Intermediate. Fun and easy riding. Single track and wide single track. Lots of woods. Just fun easy riding in the woods. Kid friendly (172 miles from home by way of Ukiah) (This ride takes me 3 hours to stage)
Clear Creek - Beginner, Intermediate, Adv. I haven't been yet. Wade and Les want to take me there. It is 3 hours from my house where as Stony is 2.5 hours away. Everyone who has been to Stony says they like Stony better. I intend to check it out soon and will report to you. (south of Hollister by about 1 hour). I'm told so so woods and open areas
Spangler Hills - Beginner, Intermediate, Adv. One of my favorite riding spots. Thanks Wade. Fun desert with good ground to ride on. Hills, Flats, single track, across desert, go go go. Everyone in my family enjoys this place a winner. (near Ridgecrest, 6 hours from home). The scenery is nice too. (We will be here on March 30, 31 and April 1. The kids are off for one week. We were thinking of going to Arizona and Utah but I'm burnt on a lot of driving. This may change though. If we go here for 3 days we then go to Newport Beach for 4 days. Makes for a fun trip).
El Mirage Lake - South of Spangler Hills by about 60 miles. Same terrain except smaller and also has large flat dry lake bed. They fence this place in. However, I found some holes to go through. Nice bathrooms here.
Lucerne Valley - South of El Mirage Lake about 40 miles. Huge area with all kinds of terrrian. Lava rocks, sand, rocks, real soft sand (no fun). This place I wasn't real impressed with. Hard riding. Lots of adv terrain. There is beginner and intermediate too. This is were everyone rides desert. Spangler Hills is fun so why bother. The kids and I were challenged here. Don't get me wrong, some of the riding is easy here. But easy to get into difficult situations quick. More experience is necessary for me

Let me state this. I have been to many other desert spots like Barstow, Jawbone cyn, Phelan, Sunrise motorcycle park, etc. All are fun. With Moonrocks only being 210 miles (3.5hrs) to Reno and another 25 min north for riding we should ride this spot with Dave Strick showing us the area. The intermediate trail I was on was fun. The single track through hills I took my kids on was fun. The ground is consistent in sand. Spangler Hills has sand and rocky dirt and more open terrain. Moonrocks more mountains (big mountains). We need to explore this area.

I also have maps and info on many more spots around our area. Like Bear Valley OHV Staging area near Truckee, Prosser Creek OHV Staging Area near Truckee, Eagle Lakes OHV staging area near Donner Summit, Meadow Lake OHV Staging near Eagle Lakes, Sierra Buttes OHV Area, Shasta Area and I getting tired. There are still a few more Like Ragdump (spelling). Then we can get into Oregon around Bend. I have a trail map and photos of area (7.5 hours from home). So lets ride and explore.

Carnegie is when we are bunt out and want to let kids ride around. The place is just too crowded on weekends and the riding is not all that fun. You can find similar challenges mixed in with woods and desert within 2 to 3 hours from home. And driving once in awhile is not that bad

This is a wordy piece of work


So GQ (Oh!, I mean CQ, OOPS). Come ride with us. I will give you my Email and you can Email me your Email and when I go riding or someone in group goes riding they send a group Email and you can come and join. All of us are fun to be with.

Doug Moore
mooredd@attbi.com
925 963-8451 cell

The "Riding, Wordy, Mouthy" Tortoise
Oh, I came in last at Fools Gold

 

[WILDTHANG]

Welcome cq, You made the right choice in buying a KTM for sport riding. What part of the bay area do you live in? My buddy and I are thinking of riding this Friday and I was thinking about going to Carnegie. I haven't been there in about ten years and figured I'd let loose my 250 on them hills.

BTW Doug or anyone, How has Carnegie been during the week? I see you said its been crazy on the weekends(the reason I stopped going there 10 years ago, too many yahoos in there jeans with foam rubber duct taped to the knees).

Glen

 

[fremontguy]

Glen, I only go to Carnegie or Hollister on Mondays. Very few riders there then. I have seen those duct tape riders you speak of, thought it was some kind of fashion statement. Here's a site with riding locations:
http://www.offroadrider.com/wher.html

 

[WILDTHANG]

Les, Thanks for the input and web link, I aready have that one in my arsonal. I just wanted some first hand experience.

Glen 99 250sx

 

[NVR FNSH]

A big group from the WR & DRZ forums at Thumpertalk will be at Stonyford/Davis Flats next weekend - 5/18. I'll be there Friday evening with the trailer.

Brian

 

[scandi]

Stonyford

NVR FNSH - My regular riders can't make it tomorrow and I was thinking about heading to Stonyford. I would like to join up if you don't mind so I don't have to take the chances of riding alone. I may be there around 9 so let me know if ok to join the group and what trailer to look for. I have an XR 400 and will be in a Ford 2 tone brown/white truck.

 

[NVR FNSH]

scandi,
I'll be at Stonyford NEXT weekend...... May 17 (late afternoon), 18th & 19th. You're more than welcome to join the fun.

Brian

 

[boozer502]

I am off on fridays - always looking for some body and new places to ride on fridays
I am a expert level dirt biker
and beginner trials rider