Day 34-36 - Corral Canyonero

Get up early-ish, and head on up the road to the Corral Canyon OHV Area, hoping that I don't meet anyone on their way out.  Figured people should be on the way in, not on the way out in the morning.   I don't encounter anyone coming the other way until 2 minutes into the single lane part.  Seriously?  Two big trailers were coming my way.  I stopped, got out, and made an assessment.  I could back up about 40 feet where there was just enough room for two vehicles to pass.  This was greeted warmly by the big boys.  It was tight, but they managed to squeeze by without incident.

I drive another 5 minutes and see a motor home with a tow vehicle coming.  This section was on a steep cliff-side, and weaved back and forth.  Luckily we could see each other for a long ways this time.  As the uphill vehicle, I great found a spot to pull over, and wait for him to pass.  Another thankful traveller.

The rest of the drive was clear.  Got into the camping area and found it empty.  Assessed the sites, and picked out a nice one in the trees.

Best spot in the area :)

There were two campsites, and a main parking area.  All three had detailed maps of the area. Below is a blow-up of the OHV area.  There are two moto/atv trails not on this map - the Kernan Cycle Trail, and Spur Meadow Trail.  Both were out & backs.

Map of the trails

Trail difficulty ratings.

Note the differences depending on vehicle.  Nice touch.

As you can see, most of the trails are designated 4wd.  There are only two trails (stated above) that are moto/atv, and two that are moto only.  Though quite a few ATVs staged from the campsite throughout my stay, I never saw a single one on any of the trails.

Time to suit up.  First time on the trip that I'll need my moto boots, shin pads, and motocross helmet.  Let's to rock it! 

Moto is serious business

Wind power

Started out on a short moto trail that lead back to the main parking lot, and eventually the Kernan Cycle Trail.  The connector trail (#2 - Corral on the map) was an easy green trail with some small tabletop jumps.  Fun trail indeed.  Had to take it slow in case someone was coming in the other direction.  I was also re-acquainting myself with the 400 on trails.  An entirely different experience than road riding.

One of the few trails in the area for just motorcycles & quads

Most of the trail was moderately packed sand.  It was twisty, bermy, and a heck of a lot of fun.

Typical section of trail on the Kernan

Quality vistas

There were some great views of Lake Morena

Wasn't long before the 'red mist' took over, and I was up to near racing speed.  How could you resist, on such fun trails?  Only one part of the Kernan was a technical challenge.  It switchbacked up a steep hill, mostly on babyhead rocks for about 5 minutes of 2nd & 3rd gear climbing.  The rest of the trail was 3rd & a little 4th.  Descending this section was a blast.

A 4th gear section

And then the first breakage of the day.  Pulled over for a quick drink & snack and found my left rear signal light dangling.   It sticks out past the rack, should have know it would never survive.

First casualty.

Not street legal any more :(

Time to break out the tools

All better.  Should have taken them off BEFORE riding.

Back from the Kernan, and onto the OHV area trails.  I planned out a route that would take me through just about every trail on the map.  No big trees in the area, mostly junipers and lots of desert scrub.
 

There were also a few nice slick rock sections

These boulders appeared to have come from the sky.

There's nothing around here that's higher.

Technical section.

This was definitely a 'blue' trail move, but it was on a green trail.

...but the 400 easily climbed it

Onto some of the black diamond 4x4 trails.  These were not so fun on the bike.  The ascents weren't too bad, but I definitely lucked out on picking the right direction of travel.  Some of the downs were terrible, and may have been impossible to climb.

4x4 territory

easy peasy....riding down

Had to stop and look at this one for a few minutes.  It's about a 70 degree face, 4 feet high where the bike is.  The right line (left on picture) was far less steep, but riddled with big loose rocks.  I chose the line where the bike is.  Again, the XR was equal to the task.

More nice vistas

Fire!!!!! 

Wasn't that close, and was out by the next day.

Once I had my moto legs, I had to try one of the black diamond moto trails.

Time for something a little more challenging

This was the crux of the #9 trail.  A chunky rock face with a difficult entry - tight uphill corner with loose sand.  I made a couple of lame attempts, but eventually gave up.  Just wasn't worth the risk of injury or bike damage.

On the third day, I rode the trail in the downhill direction.  The rock face wasn't hard at all.  I ended up riding this trail about 5 times while I was at Corral Canyon - all in the downhill direction.  It also had a steep 8 foot uphill rock face that was a real confidence booster.  This was definitely one of the best trails in the area.  I never found the other black diamond moto trail - #7 on the map.

More to come on Corral.