When I first saw Neil's email about a ride for Sunday (his wife honey-do'd him into working Saturday at her business), I thought that he was planning a re-run of a ride we had done two weeks before on the Discovery trail from Lake Elizabeth to Gorman. I was soon to find out that he had a brand new adventure in mind.

Our Latest Ride Is In Red Marker; Yellow Marker Shows Beginning Of Discovery Trail

I was the first to arrive at the agreed upon rendezvous spot, the intersection of Spunky Canyon and Bouquet Canyon roads. I had the good fortune to meet up with one of the local rangers, Terry, and we chatted for a while about the forest and motorcycles. He had his government issue ATV in the back of his truck and indicated that he would be patrolling Rowher Flats on this particular day. Come to find out, he had talked to Neil several times that week about our route, and was the one who had suggested several of the trails. He indicated that he felt the dual-sport riders were generally law abiding and that he had the least problems with them. He noted that most of the compliance problems seemed to be caused by the motorcycle shops willing to sell closed-course racing bikes as trail machines, and noted that he usually had one or two encounters with this type of un-informed rider each week. Before he left, he handed me three California Offroad Adventure maps showing all the riding spots in the State of California. If all rangers were this pleasant and helpful, I think riding in the forest would be much better, indeed.

Jeremy was the next to appear, and we discussed his recent Christmas vacation in his native South Africa. Apparently, he injured his ankle in a friendly game of Frisbee on his second day there. This was his first outing on the XR-650 since Christmas. Running true to the old axiom that the person who lives closest is the last to show, Neil arrived a few minutes later. As we talked, he explained that he had quite a different route from our last ride in mind, one that would take us off the mountain and west toward Lake Castaic. We followed Neil about three miles east down Bouquet Canyon road to the area where we would stage. As it turned out, this was the beginning of 6N04, and was just inside the National Forest boundary.

Our Staging Area Just inside the Forest

Neil Starts His Trusty XR-250

After we unloaded the bikes and topped off our gas tanks and camelbacks, we started up 6N04, which briefly climbed through some of the burned chaparral, and headed northwest towards Bouquet Reservoir. The road (I hesitate to call it a trail) basically follows the ridgeline that separates the Bouquet Valley from the Leona Valley, and gave us a glorious view of the Antelope Valley all the way from Lancaster to the windmills of Tehachapi.

Bouquet Reservoir From 6N04

Looking Over Leona Valley toward Lancaster

The trail continued to climb, giving us ever more incredible vistas, and leading us toward the spot where it crosses San Francisquito Canyon Road. We noticed a number of single-track trails that crisscrossed the road, but these seemed to be illegal routes. I am assuming this to be the case because we noticed several spots where fences had been cut and pulled back. A trail to tempt the lawless was the Pacific Crest trail, which crisscrossed much of 6N04.

Typical Vista As 6N04 Heads Northwest

Pacific Crest Trail crisscrosses much of 6N04

We were able to resist the temptations and eventually came to the crossing where 6N04 and San Francisquito roads meet. This appeared to be a popular family hiking spot as well, and we noticed a number of cars parked there. Several SUVs disgorged parents and infants, who were soon pushing them down the road in three-wheel jogging strollers. This part of our ride wasn't exactly an escape into the wilds, but is probably typical of what one sees in the recreational lands around Los Angeles.

I was actually kind of glad to see that the area and the forest management were amenable to multiple uses of the same area and trails. All too often, there seems to be this exclusionary mindset, with the perception and the policy that dirt riders can't mix with hikers or other users of the forest, and have to be excluded in little enclaves like Rowher Flats. The more I experience dual sport riding, the more I appreciate the freedom and access it affords.

The 6N04/San Francisquito Road Crossing

And Still the Trail Climbs Ever Higher

Eventually, we came to the crest of the mountain and the intersection of three different trails that we were to take on this ride. The plan was to drop down the west face of the mountain on 7N01, take 6N24 north until we hit the intersection with Lake Elizabeth Road, and then continue on 6N32 until we had Lake Castaic in sight, or until we ran out of time. We would then return on 6N24 but continue past 7N01 until we found 7N02, and take that trail back up the hill. As it turned out, 6N32 was closed beyond the intersection, but we still had plenty to see and do. The trip down the hill was uneventful until we reached 6N24. This was a major intersection, and we were to run into all sorts of interesting people there.

Mountain Bikers Pause for a Chat - Check Out the Gas Shock

Abandoned Water Cistern Shot Full of Holes

The first time we came to the intersection, we met two interesting and colorful mountain bike riders. Both had also ridden motorcycles, and looked longingly at the motors on our machinery. We had a chance to check out the machinery they were on and I was amazed at the technology. Both bikes had full suspensions, front and rear, with pressurized, accumulator-type shocks that looked like they came off the latest motorcycles. They also sported hydraulically actuated disk brakes front and rear, and 21-speed drive trains. Unfortunately, the target shooters had also discovered this intersection, and every sign and signpost was fully ventilated. Apparently, the shooters had even used a fire-fighting, water cistern for target practice and managed to breach the 3-inch thick concrete walls, making it useless for its intended purpose.

Tooling Along 6N24 Without a Care

Bucolic Little Stream Flowing Next To Trail

6N24 drops down a canyon in a headlong rush to the intersection with the Lake Elizabeth road. We parallelled a small stream that drained down the canyon and into a larger watercourse that followed the road. 6N24 ends at the road, and it requires a short hop on the road to find the next trail, 6N32, that continues to Castaic Lake. Unfortunately, the trail had the gate closed and locked, so we were forced to turn around and head back. Since it was after noon, we found a nice little meadow and stopped for lunch.

Small Meadow Where We Stopped For Lunch

XR-650 Sized Case Protection for Jeremy

As we ate lunch we chatted about Jeremy's new skid plate. He found it on the internet and it is made in Australia and designed for the rock they have on that continent. He noted that it was made from aluminum and was very well-made to conform to the frame and offer massive protection to engine cases. While I'm sure it doesn't weigh that much and is well worth the protection it offers, it definitely contributes to the overall massive looks of the motorcycle. If you are interested, it's made by a company named "Whipps" and costs around $100. Tell them Jeremy sent you and they'll let you install it yourself for absolutely no additional cost.

Riders We Met At Our Favorite Intersection

Return Trail with Mulholland Pipeline

When we reached our favorite intersection with 7N01, we met a group of riders that seemed to be dads and kids, and had come up for the day from Canyon Country. After exchanging some pleasantries, we continued on 6N24 with the Mulholland pipeline dominating the scene ahead of us. This pipeline brings water down from the Owens Valley and keeps the taps flowing in the San Fernando Valley.

Jeremy Turns the Tables on Neil

Beginning Of Single-Track Section On 7N02

6N24 eventually dead-ends into San Francisquito road. We were led to believe that we could connect with our return trail, 7N02, without having to use the highway. But we could find no way to connect the trails directly. Right after the 7N02 leaves the highway, we discovered a stretch of single track that was so much fun we opted to run it twice. While not a long stretch, it demonstrated to me the advantages of a smaller, lighter bike like Neil's 250 over my heavier DRZ400S. To put it another way, he left me in the dust on the tight twisty track.

All too soon, the single-track section gave way to more dirt-road, and 7N02 climbed back toward the summit that we had so recently left. Since we had plenty of time left, we decided to follow 7N05 down to Lake Elizabeth and check out the facilities. We soon found ourselves taking in the sights in this small town, which seemed to be dominated by Harley's Rock Inn, a biker hangout featuring a live band and tasty food and drinks.

I was astonished by the quantity and obvious cost of the machinery parked in front of the Inn. Harley's had a live band and slinky looking, young waitresses that hustled right along. A small mom and pop store across the street dispensed gasoline and supplies.

Harley's Rock Inn in Lake Elizabeth

Neil Looks For Suitable Replacement for the XR

It was interesting to note that only Harley motorcycles parked in front of the Rock Inn, while the other brands of motorcycles all cowered over at the Hair and Nail Shop next door. Neil and I joked about trucking his Honda Trail 70 (the ultimate un-Harley) there, and having he and his wife ride it right up and park in front of the Inn. I don't know if even Neil would be brave enough to pull that one off. The Harley riders seemed to be an outspoken lot, and sported stickers with colorful sayings and emblems on their helmets and motorcycles. For the rest of us, there is always Papa's country store for gas and eats.

Dirt Bikes and Other Brands in the Back

Food and Fuel for the Unwashed Dirt Rider

All too soon, it was time to start back to our staging area and the long drive back to civilization. The short stretch of single track seemed to perk us up, and we opened-er up on the trail back, picking up the pace to 30 to 50 miles an hour. It proved a bit too much for Neil who decided to take a short trip into the giggle weeds. I'll have to admit that I came close once, myself, but managed to keep it on the trail thanks to the Suzuki's handling and my newer knobby tires. Arriving back at the staging area, we loaded up the bikes, followed the road out to Palmdale, and took SR-14 home. So another ride came to an end, with no cookies but lots of good memories.