. 40k Acres of Redneckedness.....  

. Ocotillo Wells

Ocotillo Wells is a huge OHV park that sees its peak activity in late autumn and winter when the desert climate is bearable (on this particular January weekend it was a perfect 75 degrees with no wind). I like Britt and John-Mark not only because they invited me out there, but because they also provided three bottles of wine and entertainment in the form of a card game called "Bunghole."

On Saturday we visited a couple of different spots and then on Sunday, while my friends enjoyed themselves in a hilly play area, I took off on a solo dirt ride on my DRZ. At first it felt a little sketchy not having a riding partner to fall back on if I cratered or got lost, but after a while the solitude of the desert was so entrancing it didn't matter. In the spirit of the Dakar riders I admire, life is about adventure. 

I was riding along on Pole Line Road when I saw the Salton Sea off in the distance: I simply had to go there and put my boots in the water. Like people who pinch a firecracker between their teeth and then light it off, some of us do things for no good apparent reason; the Salton Sea was there and I simply had to go to it for no good apparent reason. So I wound my way over to the huge fetid pond, sat down on a delapidated little dock, and ate my granola bar, all the while thanking my lucky stars I was not a homeowner in this area that was once touted as the "West's Greatest Playground." What it is now is a funny smelling place littered with abandoned buildings and faced with environmental issues. And that's probably the upside.

I give Ocotillo Wells two thumbs up, but visit it on a non-holiday weekend. I've heard that on holidays it's a zoo. You know how I feel about obnoxious, drunk people: I think hundreds of them on loud offroad vehicles is just asking to have your inner Buddha tested, especially if they haven't all vomited and passed out by 2 a.m. Regardless of when you go, bring your earplugs because you'll still probably need them to sleep. There's bound to be someone who has to do a night run within 50 feet of your camp site.   

From top left to bottom right:
  1. Lone flower on the landscape. And I am talking about the DRZ.
     
  2. A few riders looking at the hill and deciding whether or not to injure themselves at sunset. 

  3. The aforementioned hill at sunset.

  4. Our camp site. No amenities, so bring it if you want it. I did see a satellite dish perched on a pole next to an RV – why stay home and watch TV when you can drive all the way out to the desert and do it?

  5. John-Mark tells the half-hidden rock that caused him to land on his head him to fukc off.

  6. To my future boyfriend: We can fit two back there if we don't have to share with a 100 lb. dog and if you don't snore. Otherwise, you can sleep underneath the truck. 
     
  7. The great wide open. "Great" mainly because it wasn't in the middle of summer at 120 degrees.
     
  8. The campsite hosted six riders and five dogs. Only a few fights broke out, none among the humans.   
     
  9. Why use up 40,000 acres when a whole bunch of you can ride on top of each other in one area?

  10. Destination: Salton Sea. 
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