SideXSide Action - February 2008 - (Page 84)

Jon missed a turn and caught a huge rock that punctured the sidewall on his tire. This was a quick fix with the Safety Seal ATV Repair Kit and we were back on our way in no time. I would love to see our GPS tracks for the next section. I swear we must have gone back and forth over the same section of road eight times trying to find the right trail into Yermo before we hit Stateline. We finally decided to follow the highway into Yermo to meet up with the chase motorhome. We pull in, take a break, tell our stories, and laugh about the adventures of the day before we decide to get back on the horse and finish the ride across the dry lake bed and into Primm. As we get all buckled in and start to take off, the RZR that we are in won’t start. The first part of the group takes off and doesn’t realize that we weren’t behind them until we reached Primm. (Note: an important rule during trail rides is to always make sure that you can see the guy behind you in the rear view mirror.) Lucky for us, the motorhome and trailer were right next to us, so without blinking an eye we pushed it up on the trailer and headed for Primm. We got in just as the sun set again. So will our third day on the trail get us back before the sun sets? When we get to the hotel we send George and Wally in to the registration desk to chase a package we had shipped to the hotel. George’s Rhino was handling so badly the first day on stock shocks that we had OMF Performance overnight a set of Walker Evans shocks to the hotel. swap. We all had way too much fun during this project. There were multiple trips back into the bar, jokes, and just plain fun. (Look at Tim’s protective helmet when he was grinding.) We also took the time to repair one of Wally’s tires that had a slow leak in it. As for the RZR, we tried troubleshooting but where unable to locate the problem, el alone. Always take a buddy so that you can get help if there is a problem. The trail today threw all kinds of terrain at us; we had rocky ledges, graded roads, sand hills, salt beds, and gravel roads. We had no problems on the trail today other than a stop on the salt bed to let Wally’s Rhino cool down. The wind really started to blow and the dust made it very difficult to see the trail. We realize d that it doesn’t matter what time our group leaves, we are fated to be at our destination at sundown. In The End so we opted to keep it on the trailer. Fortunately, there was enough room in the other vehicles that Tim and I would still be able to ride. *Side Note: If you ever stop in Primm, make sure you visit the Tony Roma’s inside Buffalo Bills and try the handpulled pork sandwich. Day 5 Well, the guy behind the counter was a couple French fries short of a happy meal and couldn’t seem to find our box that was about the size he was. After a few calls to UPS and OMF, we found the box right where it should have been and headed to the parking lot to start the shock This was another early start day; breakfast was at 6:00 a.m. at the coffee shop. Some grub and a stop at the gas station and we were headed off down the trail. Today’s ride was a very interesting, with a lot of questions that were raised. We came across multiple mines that had been abandoned. Visiting a mine site is great because the theories that fly around about what was done and how are always so different. My favorite mine of the trip was the lava rock mine where we had lunch. I was absolutely amazed at the fact that they had shut their doors and left everything the way it was the day before. Trucks, tractors, equipment, and inventory were all sitting ready for someone to rekindle the fire. Coming down the Mojave trail just before ZZYX Road we ran across a guy in the middle of the desert in a 2wd Nissan stuck all by himself. We did the right thing: stopped and helped him get unstuck and on his way again. If you are ever out in the desert, woods, etc., please don’t trav- We covered over 350 miles in three days and it was a blast. We ate a lot of dirt, burned a lot of fuel, and had fun doing it. Out of the five Side X Sides that started, four of them made it to the finish line in Barstow. Our RZR ended up having an issue with the ignition harness plug. A new ignition switch and we were good to go when we got home. We realized that this trip was not about the destinations that we were trying to reach, but about the challenges that our group faced and overcame. We have come to find out that some of the trails we ran were not approved for green sticker vehicles but only street legal vehicles. We do not suggest that you try this ride or these trails and ask that you always ride responsibly. If you have never done an overnight trip in your Side X Side, I highly recommend you try it. We lucked out that we could find hotels to stay in during our journey, but that would not stop me from doing something like this again. Watch for an upcoming issue as we start to build the ultimate trail rig for these adventures. Have an idea for an adventure? Email me at mike@pgimedia.com. Until Next Time… WWW.SIDEXSIDEACTION.COM 83

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SideXSide Action - February 2008

SideXSide Action - February 2008 Contents Mailbox News Tips & Tricks Rhino 700 YFI Join the Club Snowbound Fun Power Upgrade Camping Buyer's Guide Overcoming the Odds Product Reviews HID Light Shoot-Out Company Spotlight: John Deere History of the SXS History & A Ride Places to Ride WPSA Round 10 Clutching 101 New Product Section Calico To Laughlin Project Race Rhino: Final Chapter On the Go Photo

SideXSide Action - February 2008

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