Ducati Monster Forum

Wanted to share some pictures of a recent two day trip through Idyllwild, the Salton Sea, the Imperial Valley, and the Anza-Borrego Desert.

You don't need an adventure bike to have an adventure. It's a state of mind, and it's what you're willing to do to get yourself there.


(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3mXNBSrslq8/T0Sv3GDBqrI/AAAAAAAAA6M/QJFSCkri96w/s1600/aDSC03639.JPG)
Bombay Beach on the Salton Sea. I'm not trying to do some artsy photo effect... it really does look like this.

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iZbcjoq4Hb0/T0Su9L_mLDI/AAAAAAAAA3w/ori15j2X0HI/s1600/DSC03556.JPG)
Ranchland near Idyllwild

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t1thyaORVyg/T0SvlbPW1GI/AAAAAAAAA5s/WvHBLp_bNlc/s1600/aDSC03528.JPG)
Bobblehead helmet in the snow.

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ka8Kap7TdwE/T0Sv3mM809I/AAAAAAAAA6Q/p4ZYZ6eXgyw/s1600/aDSC03649.JPG)
Frame sliders doubling as footpegs for blasting through the desert

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m3_pfxVtCrM/T0SvPgLsxsI/AAAAAAAAA4s/m04I4c1HLu4/s1600/IMAG2855.jpg)
Look ma, no sidestand! Second time getting the monster stuck in sand so deep it just stands up by itself. No panic, time for a snapshot before the manhandling begins.

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--R8YHft-osA/T0SwHiY5JcI/AAAAAAAAA6s/iiXOD1rzlFo/s1600/aIMAG2936.jpg)
Wildflowers in the Anza-Borrego Desert

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UXD-QidoUU8/T0SvQBIS30I/AAAAAAAAA48/mTRRR-ift44/s1600/DSC03660.JPG)
Overlooking the desert, on the way to Hellhole Palms.

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--NOipyvN1Y8/T0Sv2O-oFWI/AAAAAAAAA6E/gHMTw3DScbs/s1600/aDSC03602.JPG)
The ruins of Bombay Beach.

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1EQrl2-c8BI/T0SwF89z0ZI/AAAAAAAAA6g/69OS5g6wM6c/s1600/aIMAG2889.jpg)
John Deere versus Borgo Panigale.

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GTMZOQ8HiFE/T0SvF6Abx1I/AAAAAAAAA4Y/ZW3MOBroPEE/s1600/DSC03607.JPG)
Right before sunset at Bombay Beach. This place was supposed to be a new Palm Springs, only with water. Now, it's just faded dreams on the edge of a hypersaline lake. Beautiful in its own way though.


More pictures at http://thesunhaswings.blogspot.com/2012/02/salton-sea.html (http://thesunhaswings.blogspot.com/2012/02/salton-sea.html)

You should put these up over on ADVrider as well. You'd have an appreciative crowd there too.

Man that's some pretty country....

Great pics and great area to ride
Thanks for posting them

Thanks for posting, cool pics, fun ride. :)  [Dolph]

I wanna go ride now!

    Thanks for sharing







                                    Mmick

I was out in Borrego Springs last Monday with friends.  We rode up through Julian, down Banner Grade, up over Yaqui Pass and into Borrego Springs where we stopped to fuel up and have some lunch.  Then it was up Montezuma Grade (which is a great road) and back home to north county San Diego.

(http://s10.postimage.org/ds9cytxh1/Desert1.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/ds9cytxh1/)

Gorgeous pictures, thanks for sharing! [thumbsup]

Nice! I wish I wasn't separated from all of that goodness by two+ hours of crappy SoCal freeways...

Very cool. [thumbsup]

nice pics on your blog site, and here...


The Salton Sea has always held a strange mystique for me. I've never been there, but I hope one day to visit. So many ill conceived dreams that fell apart there...such a strange situation.

Motivation to ride...thanks for sharing the nice pics.

Great pics!

 [thumbsup]

very cool, i've always wanted to get out there, but like you said, that 2 hour ride on the superslab kills the joy of it.

do you get there by 79 - Montezuma Valley or something else?

Thanks guys!


I came back via the 79, got there via the 243 up to Idyllwild (where all the snow is), then down the 74 and 111.