socaljeeper
Adventurer
A motorcycle rider went down in a rocky section of the trail. We stayed to help out any way we could and to see the chopper land. There were two fire engines, one ambulance, one scout plane, and one chopper. The rider seemed to be in stable condition when they left, hopefully nothing too serious.
jdholder
Explorer
Thanks to all for the great time! Great group of people! My son had an absolute BLAST!
I have definitely discovered some things I need to improve on my setup - including locking hubs that actually lock (took my front right hub apart today and it was shattered) - and leaf springs on the trailer that have a double wrap on the eyes (in case I ever break one again - a little safer).
I am also going to work on a single vehicle setup, where I can leave the trailer at home when it's only two of us camping (I bought the trailer when I thought it would be more like 3 to 5 of us camping - but it seems that it's usually one or the other of my kids and me).
All in all this is an area I would LOVE to go back to and explore some more. Perhaps next time we should start on the north end of Red Valley Road and head in southbound, then over to the east some more to explore the "geode" area - looked like amazing country!
I have some video's and some pics of early in the trip, before I decided to torture test my camera. I'll post up ASAP.
I have definitely discovered some things I need to improve on my setup - including locking hubs that actually lock (took my front right hub apart today and it was shattered) - and leaf springs on the trailer that have a double wrap on the eyes (in case I ever break one again - a little safer).
I am also going to work on a single vehicle setup, where I can leave the trailer at home when it's only two of us camping (I bought the trailer when I thought it would be more like 3 to 5 of us camping - but it seems that it's usually one or the other of my kids and me).
All in all this is an area I would LOVE to go back to and explore some more. Perhaps next time we should start on the north end of Red Valley Road and head in southbound, then over to the east some more to explore the "geode" area - looked like amazing country!
I have some video's and some pics of early in the trip, before I decided to torture test my camera. I'll post up ASAP.
M
modelbuilder
Guest
It was a great trip.
Here are some pics. Too tired to put them in order....
http://picasaweb.google.com/caprica75/BradshawTrailFebruary7th9th2009#
I learned a lot from everyone.
Lessons learned:
Fire wood is a must for any expo members tool box.
At least one other person I know likes Battlestar Galactica
My Jeep can make it up that hill.
Wiley's Well Campground is the new geode hot spot...we ended up finding Geode's laying around and dug a few holes in the wash. The whole area where Mr. Kim had his store is good for geode hunting...they are everywhere.
The book Gold Road to La Paz needs to be updated.
Here is a list of events in order of occurrence. Let me know if I have anything wrong.
SATURDAY
Hit the trail head with great weather
Assisted the injured dirt biker and watched the rescue
Took pictures at the Eagle Mountain railway trestle
Ran the east and west trail of Red Canyon
Played with the bombs
Set up camp for Saturday night here (big rain storm around 10pm)...
SUNDAY
Woke up Sunday to clear skies and explored area east of our campsite
Stopped to repair trailer with fire wood (wait until you see the pictures)
Attempted to find Hauser Geode Beds...stopped at the "gift shop" instead (still fun though)
Night Run to see the Kiln (just the foundation remains)
MONDAY
Woke up Monday to clear skies and the sound of bombs exploding in the distance
Drove to Hodge Mine
Went to La Paz, Arizona. The Bradshaw ended (and started) from here. We snapped a few pics of the old mine and what remains of the town. Gold was shipped from La Paz to Los Angeles via the Bradshaw.
=)
Here are some pics. Too tired to put them in order....
http://picasaweb.google.com/caprica75/BradshawTrailFebruary7th9th2009#
I learned a lot from everyone.
Lessons learned:
Fire wood is a must for any expo members tool box.
At least one other person I know likes Battlestar Galactica
My Jeep can make it up that hill.
Wiley's Well Campground is the new geode hot spot...we ended up finding Geode's laying around and dug a few holes in the wash. The whole area where Mr. Kim had his store is good for geode hunting...they are everywhere.
The book Gold Road to La Paz needs to be updated.
Here is a list of events in order of occurrence. Let me know if I have anything wrong.
SATURDAY
Hit the trail head with great weather
Assisted the injured dirt biker and watched the rescue
Took pictures at the Eagle Mountain railway trestle
Ran the east and west trail of Red Canyon
Played with the bombs
Set up camp for Saturday night here (big rain storm around 10pm)...
SUNDAY
Woke up Sunday to clear skies and explored area east of our campsite
Stopped to repair trailer with fire wood (wait until you see the pictures)
Attempted to find Hauser Geode Beds...stopped at the "gift shop" instead (still fun though)
Night Run to see the Kiln (just the foundation remains)
MONDAY
Woke up Monday to clear skies and the sound of bombs exploding in the distance
Drove to Hodge Mine
Went to La Paz, Arizona. The Bradshaw ended (and started) from here. We snapped a few pics of the old mine and what remains of the town. Gold was shipped from La Paz to Los Angeles via the Bradshaw.
=)
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nwoods
Expedition Leader
I posted my photos here:
http://nwoods.smugmug.com/gallery/7319544_6Q3bT#470882851_erVMU
Still haven't seen my wife's images.
Here is my write-up:
-----------------------------
Bradshaw Trail Trip Report
The first weekend of February 2009, six hardy adventurers and their friends and family set out on the historic Bradshaw Trail. The trail was created in 1862 by William Bradshaw following an old Chumash Indian route through the southern desertland of the Chuckwalla Mountains. The Bradshaw Trail was established as a “shortcut” for miners and prospectors from Los Angles who were racing to La Paz, Arizona upon the discovery of gold. Around 1877, the gold in La Paz panned out, and the trail fell into disuse, but for reasons unknown, the BLM maintains it to this day and it is in excellent shape.
The members of Expedition Portal came from far and wide, braving the local rains and threatening forecast, and met at the truck stop in Mecca, CA along the northern shoreline of the Salton Sea. The trail started out a bit damp and under heavy clouds as we followed along Coachella Canal, but we enjoyed the unique vistas and experience of driving along the aquaduct. We all felt a bit like Hugh Hauser. We soon reached the actual trailhead, and started heading east. A few miles into the trail, we came across a few motorcyclists standing a short distance off the trail. As I rolled up, I asked my typical, “Everything okay?” and got a very non-typical, “No. A rider took a bad fall. We think he’s hurt pretty bad.”
We jumped out and I went through my memory trying hard to recall all that I learned in my recent Wilderness First Aid class. Two the riders in particular, Jake and Henry, were really on top of things and in control. Henry appeared to have had the same training and was able to answer knowledgeably and clearly to my questions and quickly satisfied me that he knew what he was doing. We contributed ice and stabilizing collars from our kits, and after a short conference, we all agreed that the fallen rider was going to need to ride a backboard out. Fortunately, the fallen rider was equipped with his own SPOT tracker, which was called into action. About 90 minutes later, a Sheriff’s plane started circling the area, acting as a radio relay to an incoming helicopter, two fire trucks, a 4wd police truck and an ambulance, which all arrived about the same time (under 2 hours). Jake was able to get cell connection and was in contact with the fallen rider’s wife, and was doing an awesome job relaying critical info to the rescue team and to the wife. Henry maintained involvement with the patient until he was secured onboard the helio and flown out. I was really impressed with their actions. I didn’t find out until a little later that weren’t even with the group of riders that had the injured rider. Way cool. And everyone involved was convinced that they needed a SPOT tracker for their own kit.
After the helio left, we resumed our eastward trek and quickly reached the iconic Trestle bridge, where we stopped for photos and lunch. Then we made our way towards Red Canyon. There are two canyons labeled as Red Canyon. The westernmost canyon is incredibly beautiful, but does not go through. It is only a few miles long before the canyon closes up and becomes intraversable. We then moved east and found the proper Red Canyon rim route, and drove northward 4 or 5 miles of breathtaking scenery. It looked like nothing else I could have expected in the desert. It was red and green with rolling hills and powerfully reminded me of Utah. Simply stunning area.
We returned to the Bradshaw Trail, and continued east, following the border of a military Bomb Testing range. After a miles and miles of caution signs, we found a lone bomb laying on the side of the trail. Shortly thereafter, we found a pile of them. Apparently dummy test rounds filled with concrete, air dropped a bit shy of the target is our guess. The kids thought that was super cool. “Dad, I can’t wait to tell the kids at school that I jumped up and down on a bunch of bombs!”
We then came across a side trail named Dupont Road, that looked like it headed into the nearby Chuckwalla Moutains and might offer shelter from any wind or storms. We found a great little camp site in a sandy wash that showed no recent evidence of flow despite the puddles of water we had been traversing all day long. We made this our campsite, had a nice dinner and campfire, and made a manly effort to stay awake the longest. I think by 8pm we were all in our tents!
Despite threatening clouds all around us, it rained only a little bit that night and nothing came of it. We were greeted by a spectacular sunrise, and an amazingly vibrant desert landscape. Though we had no decent maps of Dupont Road, we elected to adventure on and see where it led. What a beautiful trail! Ultimately, we determined that the trail would take us north and away from the Bradshaw trail, so we backtracked up out of the wash onto the plains of Bradshaw Trail. We then discovered that John’s leaf spring on his trailer had broken, so we came up with an organic solution that proved to be remarkably effective, allowing him to continue on with the rest of the group.
We made great time from Dupont Road towards Wiley’s Well campground. The scenery along the Bradshaw Trail is spectacular, and the road itself is amazing. It was recently graded and in fantastic shape. It was one of the more pleasurable drives I’ve ever experienced.
At Wiley’s we turned south and headed for the Hauser Geode Beds, where we met one of the desert’s colorful treasures, Mr. Kim Jensen, and explored his collection of geodes and other rare rocks and minerals while enjoying his many tales and colorful personality.
Evening was drawing near, and most of us needed to work the next day, so we said our goodbyes and headed north towards the 10 freeway, and then the long drive home. All told, it was about 130 miles off pavement in beautiful country with great weather and wonderful companions.
Thanks ExPo!
http://nwoods.smugmug.com/gallery/7319544_6Q3bT#470882851_erVMU
Still haven't seen my wife's images.
Here is my write-up:
-----------------------------
Bradshaw Trail Trip Report
The first weekend of February 2009, six hardy adventurers and their friends and family set out on the historic Bradshaw Trail. The trail was created in 1862 by William Bradshaw following an old Chumash Indian route through the southern desertland of the Chuckwalla Mountains. The Bradshaw Trail was established as a “shortcut” for miners and prospectors from Los Angles who were racing to La Paz, Arizona upon the discovery of gold. Around 1877, the gold in La Paz panned out, and the trail fell into disuse, but for reasons unknown, the BLM maintains it to this day and it is in excellent shape.
The members of Expedition Portal came from far and wide, braving the local rains and threatening forecast, and met at the truck stop in Mecca, CA along the northern shoreline of the Salton Sea. The trail started out a bit damp and under heavy clouds as we followed along Coachella Canal, but we enjoyed the unique vistas and experience of driving along the aquaduct. We all felt a bit like Hugh Hauser. We soon reached the actual trailhead, and started heading east. A few miles into the trail, we came across a few motorcyclists standing a short distance off the trail. As I rolled up, I asked my typical, “Everything okay?” and got a very non-typical, “No. A rider took a bad fall. We think he’s hurt pretty bad.”
We jumped out and I went through my memory trying hard to recall all that I learned in my recent Wilderness First Aid class. Two the riders in particular, Jake and Henry, were really on top of things and in control. Henry appeared to have had the same training and was able to answer knowledgeably and clearly to my questions and quickly satisfied me that he knew what he was doing. We contributed ice and stabilizing collars from our kits, and after a short conference, we all agreed that the fallen rider was going to need to ride a backboard out. Fortunately, the fallen rider was equipped with his own SPOT tracker, which was called into action. About 90 minutes later, a Sheriff’s plane started circling the area, acting as a radio relay to an incoming helicopter, two fire trucks, a 4wd police truck and an ambulance, which all arrived about the same time (under 2 hours). Jake was able to get cell connection and was in contact with the fallen rider’s wife, and was doing an awesome job relaying critical info to the rescue team and to the wife. Henry maintained involvement with the patient until he was secured onboard the helio and flown out. I was really impressed with their actions. I didn’t find out until a little later that weren’t even with the group of riders that had the injured rider. Way cool. And everyone involved was convinced that they needed a SPOT tracker for their own kit.
After the helio left, we resumed our eastward trek and quickly reached the iconic Trestle bridge, where we stopped for photos and lunch. Then we made our way towards Red Canyon. There are two canyons labeled as Red Canyon. The westernmost canyon is incredibly beautiful, but does not go through. It is only a few miles long before the canyon closes up and becomes intraversable. We then moved east and found the proper Red Canyon rim route, and drove northward 4 or 5 miles of breathtaking scenery. It looked like nothing else I could have expected in the desert. It was red and green with rolling hills and powerfully reminded me of Utah. Simply stunning area.
We returned to the Bradshaw Trail, and continued east, following the border of a military Bomb Testing range. After a miles and miles of caution signs, we found a lone bomb laying on the side of the trail. Shortly thereafter, we found a pile of them. Apparently dummy test rounds filled with concrete, air dropped a bit shy of the target is our guess. The kids thought that was super cool. “Dad, I can’t wait to tell the kids at school that I jumped up and down on a bunch of bombs!”
We then came across a side trail named Dupont Road, that looked like it headed into the nearby Chuckwalla Moutains and might offer shelter from any wind or storms. We found a great little camp site in a sandy wash that showed no recent evidence of flow despite the puddles of water we had been traversing all day long. We made this our campsite, had a nice dinner and campfire, and made a manly effort to stay awake the longest. I think by 8pm we were all in our tents!
Despite threatening clouds all around us, it rained only a little bit that night and nothing came of it. We were greeted by a spectacular sunrise, and an amazingly vibrant desert landscape. Though we had no decent maps of Dupont Road, we elected to adventure on and see where it led. What a beautiful trail! Ultimately, we determined that the trail would take us north and away from the Bradshaw trail, so we backtracked up out of the wash onto the plains of Bradshaw Trail. We then discovered that John’s leaf spring on his trailer had broken, so we came up with an organic solution that proved to be remarkably effective, allowing him to continue on with the rest of the group.
We made great time from Dupont Road towards Wiley’s Well campground. The scenery along the Bradshaw Trail is spectacular, and the road itself is amazing. It was recently graded and in fantastic shape. It was one of the more pleasurable drives I’ve ever experienced.
At Wiley’s we turned south and headed for the Hauser Geode Beds, where we met one of the desert’s colorful treasures, Mr. Kim Jensen, and explored his collection of geodes and other rare rocks and minerals while enjoying his many tales and colorful personality.
Evening was drawing near, and most of us needed to work the next day, so we said our goodbyes and headed north towards the 10 freeway, and then the long drive home. All told, it was about 130 miles off pavement in beautiful country with great weather and wonderful companions.
Thanks ExPo!
adventureduo
Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
Looks like you guys had a great time. Someone should move this stuff to "Completed" section.
M
modelbuilder
Guest
Saturday Night Camp Panoramic
Click on the pic to magnify.
http://s3.clevr.com/5d650b/16706-5d650b-f.jpg
=)
Click on the pic to magnify.
http://s3.clevr.com/5d650b/16706-5d650b-f.jpg
=)
Last edited:
Thanks for helping
I am the downed rider you all helped this weekend.
Thanks so much for all your help (though I don't really remember it), my young brain outran my old body.
Just a few broken ribs, messed up shoulder, sewn-up face and the usual bumps and bruises.
Thanks again!
Rick Felden
p.s. Jake and Henry are my riding buddies, there were 40 plus of us out there for our third annual Bradshaw Bomb Run.
I am the downed rider you all helped this weekend.
Thanks so much for all your help (though I don't really remember it), my young brain outran my old body.
Just a few broken ribs, messed up shoulder, sewn-up face and the usual bumps and bruises.
Thanks again!
Rick Felden
p.s. Jake and Henry are my riding buddies, there were 40 plus of us out there for our third annual Bradshaw Bomb Run.
Last edited:
M
modelbuilder
Guest
Glad to see you are alright Rick. :victory:
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nwoods
Expedition Leader
Excellent to hear from you Rick! Welcome to ExPo. There is an adventure touring motorcycle chapter on this forum. Maybe something to think about in the future when you recover
I wasn't sure if Jake and Henry were part of your group or not. They didn't seem to know you, but if there were 40 people, that makes more sense. They did an awesome job working with the circumstances.
I'm really glad to hear that things worked out to less serious than they looked. Here's to a speedy recovery! (and cute nurses).
Regards,
Nathan Woods
I guess I need to check the forum more often... this is my side yard... it sounds like y'all had a good trip...
O.K. guys... no walk up to the cistern in Red Cyn. ?? Or a quick run up Pinnacle Cyn. ? I want to see some picts. of y'all driving on the dummy bombs... (I actually got stuck on them several weeks ago) no S.A.M. I would of thought it would of rained more... it POURED at the Parker race. I was out there on the 24th. of Jan. and it was GREEN so I imagine y'all were treated to the same beauty.
I'm glad you were able to get down the canal road without issue also... Imagine what it was like pre 1994... there are MILES of trails that are now closed...
There are 4 routes through the Chucks. all basically run N/S from the old Hwy. to the Bradshaw... all are quite passable a slightly lifted rig even full-sized can make Augustine (the tightest) with a little patience. It's funny cause I was talking to some of the "Bradshaw Bombers" at Chiriaco on Sunday. Nice job on the trail assist with the downed rider...
I've got a Q. it was mentioned several time about "bringing wood" I've always been under the impression that "dead & downed wood" was O.K. to use ??
Am I wrong here or what is the thought ?
ANYWAYS !!! I'm glad to hear y'all had a good time... if anyone needs info. let me know...
Curt
O.K. guys... no walk up to the cistern in Red Cyn. ?? Or a quick run up Pinnacle Cyn. ? I want to see some picts. of y'all driving on the dummy bombs... (I actually got stuck on them several weeks ago
) no S.A.M. I would of thought it would of rained more... it POURED at the Parker race. I was out there on the 24th. of Jan. and it was GREEN so I imagine y'all were treated to the same beauty.I'm glad you were able to get down the canal road without issue also... Imagine what it was like pre 1994... there are MILES of trails that are now closed...
There are 4 routes through the Chucks. all basically run N/S from the old Hwy. to the Bradshaw... all are quite passable a slightly lifted rig even full-sized can make Augustine (the tightest) with a little patience. It's funny cause I was talking to some of the "Bradshaw Bombers" at Chiriaco on Sunday. Nice job on the trail assist with the downed rider...
I've got a Q. it was mentioned several time about "bringing wood" I've always been under the impression that "dead & downed wood" was O.K. to use ??
Am I wrong here or what is the thought ?
ANYWAYS !!! I'm glad to hear y'all had a good time... if anyone needs info. let me know...
Curt