A Widow's Ride

Whoo-hoo, Purple is back!  I’m such a happy camper now that she is back under my legs.  Now I got that silly song from the 60’s stuck in my head “My Boyfriend’s Back” by The Angels.

My boyfriend’s back and you’re gonna be in trouble
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend’s back)
He’s been gone for such a long time
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend’s back)
Now he’s back and things’ll be fine
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend’s back)  

Actually, Purple is a she and she is back just in time for the 2nd Annual Lizrdbrth Memorial Desert Ride.  Since 2009, a group of T-dubbers have been meeting up in Desert Hot Springs, CA then riding out Berdoo Canyon which takes us onto the Geology Tour Road in Joshua Tree National Park.  This is where Russ and I met Jeff, Ronnydog, Jimbo and Don and became hooked on the cult of our little bikes.  So when Russ passed away we decided to dedicate the ride to him and put up a plaque and wind chime in a secret place to honor him and cherish the camaraderie of our group.

This year, we had three new riders with us so we had a total of 10 riders all together.  The weather couldn’t be more perfect.  So first stop was to visit the memorial to pay our respect. It felt so good to be back onto Purple and she is running like a dream.

It was me who was a little rusty riding her.  On Berdoo Canyon, there are 3 technical sections on that ride with the last one being the most difficult.  This year, I almost did another “Flying Nun” on the second section but did not fall.  Whew, I was so determined to stay up.  It actually got caught on the GoPro, I was so embarrassed by it.  To tell you the truth, it was actually a good learning tool, I got see what I did wrong.  Looking for the easy way around the boulder instead of going over it is not always better.

The third section was actually a breeze this year.  In the years past, we have watched BMW GS questioning whether they can up or down it as we plow through it.  I think the landscaping is changing for a couple of reasons; one is due to mother’s nature and secondly, there are Jeep tours that travel down that canyon.  I counted five of them when we went up it as they were coming down it.

The rest of the ride was uneventful and relaxing.  We even stopped to have a mid-day snack courtesy of Ronnydog.  Summer sausages, cheeses and crackers, yummy!  Even Jimbo brought his golf umbrella for shade.

The ride is usually a two day affair where the second day is alway different every years.  Also, half of the group go home at the end of the first day and the die hard stick around for the second day.  However, almost the whole group stuck around.  This year we did a ride through the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm and into the Whitewater Reserve.

The San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm is one of the three wind farms and the oldest in California.  The area is also one of the windiest place in California as well.  We lucked out, it wasn’t that bad that day.  It was impressive being up close and personal with these giants.  The early models stand 65 feet high and have 15-foot blades that rotate between 600 and 700 times per minute.  The new ones can stand up to 299 feet high and have up to 140-foot blades.

The last stop of the day was the Whitewater Preserve.  Who knew that in the middle of the desert that we would stumbled upon a 2800 acres oasis.  The preserve is the gateway to the San Gorgonio Wilderness which is now managed by the Wildlands Conservancy.  271 acres was once a privately owned trout farms which the conservancy now maintains.  There are several ponds where you can view and feed the humongous trouts.  One of the ponds offers a catch and release program for the kids.

All in all, it was an amazing weekend with good company and a great host.  So, if you ever are looking for something to do, I would highly recommend checking out the hidden treasure, Whitewater Preserve.

Also, I can’t thank enough to Ronnydog and his friend Thomas who put many hours into re-building Purple.  I’m so ready to start my journey.  Only 37 more days!!