Desert Fun! Or: how to ride an R6 off road

eisenfaust · Aug 30, 2006

So, this past weekend, Motoproponent and I decided to make a trip that I've been planning for quite some time.

While doing a bunch of that geeky internet-reading stuff, and messing around with google earth, I found information about a trio of derilect 1960s USAF bombers in the middle of the Mojave desert.

The only catch is that they're on the edge of the Muroc dry lake, AKA Edwards AFB. I had no idea if we'd even be able to get to the planes when we set out. Photo recon suggested that there were no gates or large fences, so we figured we'd manage one way or another.

Originally, Handsome Rob and Killbam were supposed to come along, but scheduling problems of mine (stupid online classes >_<) prevented us from going on a weekend when they were available. Sorry guys.

Anyway, without further ado, pictures! I'll add captions where I can. :-D

eisenfaust · Aug 30, 2006

Middle of nowhere, sir!

We had to ride about 2 miles overland to get to and from the nearest of the bombers. This is me getting stuck in sand. Yay.

Sad thing is that the dude on the bloody adventure bike crashed like, 6 times. I didnt even come close once on a 600cc supersport. :twofinger

s

eisenfaust · Aug 30, 2006

Classic shot. Note the sidestand.

This B-58 was known as "Snoopy II". It had a highly modified nose section designed to test advanced radar systems.

eisenfaust · Aug 30, 2006

Motoproponent does yet another Ninja pose for the pleasure of BARF.

eisenfaust · Aug 30, 2006

Total squid at 5mph. We left most of our gear by my R6.

We were going to try to ride the next mile or so to the other planes, two up. After this, we decided that walking was a safer bet. The road was incredibly soft sand, riding overland was about 10x easier. Whatever burrows under the sand in the desert makes any open land very treacherous.

Motoproponent decided a nap was in order.

This is the first bit of local fauna we encountered. This lizard was bloody fast, but we got a decent picture of him.

eisenfaust · Aug 31, 2006

The other two planes were B-52s given over to Edwards to test barrier arrest systems and new hi-bypass engines later used in the C-5 Galaxy.

If you look in front of the right wing, you can see an owl flying away. She made her nest in one of the bomb bays.

After some searching, we found a way into the airplane through the tail section. I then hopped up into the tail gunner's turret.

eisenfaust · Aug 31, 2006

Derilect cockpit.

"Surj was screwed here Dec. '83. A great fuck!"

The wings on this thing were huge.

This is the third airplane. It was cut up to comply with the START treaty between the US and USSR limiting the number of nuclear weapons delivery systems.

eisenfaust · Aug 31, 2006

eisenfaust · Aug 31, 2006

More fauna. These ants were huge.

Walking back to the bikes and the B-58.

Just to show how isolated we were.

This beetle was too cool not to get a picture of.

This guy was the only cooperative photo subject I had all day, at least out of the various bugs and beasts we ran into.

eisenfaust · Aug 31, 2006

With a few minutes of thought and work, we got my R6 out of the sand drift and we were rolling again.

So, the whole time we were in the desert with out gear sitting in the sun, I was telling Motoproponent to make sure to check his gear for scorpions or other nasty critters. When we geared up after digging out the R6, nothing was in any of our gear. I had the idea to take the previous picture using the camera's timer, and set my helmet down for, oh, 60 seconds. In that time, this bloody thing decided that my helmet would make an excellent home. Apparently, the sound I made when I put my helmet on and found a 2" beetle in it was quite memorable. We're lucky he didnt decide to spray us.

After-trip drinks at the Elephant Bar in bakersfield.

All total, we did about 510 miles the first day, and our total trip was 820-odd miles in two days. Certainly not an Iron Butt, but not too shabby either. Plus, how often do you ride an R6 through the desert sands? :-D

brichter · Aug 31, 2006

A B52-B! God, those were way before my time, and I'm an old fart!!

Cool ride, post or PM the GPS coordinates. Looks like a cool (off)road trip for my dual sport!

cbrf3 · Aug 31, 2006

damn, i can't believe the r6 make it out there in all that sand, cool pix, and thats a sweet r6

Critter · Aug 31, 2006

Awsome shots man!!!

I would have killed to crawl through those b-52's....First model I ever built was of a B-58 Hustler that brought back memories!

Mortifer · Aug 31, 2006

Cool pics!!!!! :cool

}Dragon{ · Aug 31, 2006

Very nice! :thumbup

Runnin' in the sand is an art :teeth

Zerox · Aug 31, 2006

Nice photos, just think about that old B-52 and then realize they are still in service 50 years later.

Gotta be careful in them old planes, I once helped restore a B-29 that was going on display for a museum, there were more snakeskins and black widders in that old plane than I care to remember.

But are those plane hulks just sitting out in the open desert, not behind any fences? That's kinda unusual.

#1Freak · Aug 31, 2006

thanks for hte write up, cool shit!

B

paroxysm · Aug 31, 2006

Damn, that looks like a sick ass trip. So now we know, the best way to win Dakkar is to use a streetbike

uhmeebuh · Aug 31, 2006

F-in awesome pics guys!

I gotta get a GS and join in the fun...

motoproponent · Aug 31, 2006

eisenfaust said:
Sad thing is that the dude on the bloody adventure bike crashed like, 6 times. I didnt even come close once on a 600cc supersport. s

Lets be fair, The dude on the adventure bike was the only one who had his feet on the pegs for more than 10 yards!! :twofinger

Desert Fun! Or: how to ride an R6 off road

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