Getting Schooled by Jimmy Lewis

With more and more off road riding and trips to Baja it was time to stop relying on my more experienced friends for advice and get some professional help. So who better than Jimmy Lewis, right!? There are a few schools out there that teach skills on the big ADV bikes but Jimmy takes everything to another level. Just being around him makes you feel more confident in your 800-1200cc dirt bike.

So I packed up my gear and headed out to the Nevada desert. As I rolled up I noticed I was one of the only ones on a big big bike. A lot of new F800's and smaller bikes. My struggle with the GSA 1150 is sand and cornering through loose gravel. I'm not saying that I can't ride it, I just don't ride it with a ton of confidence. With that said I wasn't sure how much I'd be holding up the group in these sections.

Jimmy rolled out his GSA1200 and the pressure started to let off a bit. He makes that bike roll around like any other and seems like size isn't an issue. It's all about balance and using the bikes controls correctly. We spent quite a bit of time just working on the basics. By having the right basic tools everything else comes so much easier. Tight turns, fast stops, etc. Once broken down we had the right tools for the job. You could see the class as a whole getting more and more comfortable on their bikes.

A big help was being able to practice over and over again so you could not just do the drill once correctly but over and over again so it became hard wired into your riding. If anything happened, dropped bike, etc, help was right there and usually the whole class would come over to learn how to deal with the issue properly. Steep grades either going up or going down are not so much of an issue any more. It's incredible what a huge GSA can go up.

The second day was a day of sand, rock and navigation. Perfect! Not only were we in sand, Jimmy, Heather and crew took us out to a huge sand dune. I thought to myself, "ok, how many times am I going to get stuck and frustrated?" I remembered what Jimmy taught us and I couldn't believe that this elephant of a bike was going over the sand the way it was. Sure I had some bobbles and dropped it but the level of comfort I had was amazing. It was a small sand playground!

From there we rolled up into the local mountains where the roads/trails were pretty rocky but nothing too gnarly and after being in the sand we all zipped along nice and relaxed, smiling the whole way.

At the end of the second day I was less beat up than the day before even though we had ridden more. Funny how skills and confidence can help! There is just too much to put into a little trip report so all I can say is if even if you are a great rider, Jimmy can make you better. Thanks Jimmy and Heather, the boys and I are already planning another trip to Baja now

Epic, even. Baja in January

Epic, even

Baja has been calling me again for a while. Was going to try and make a trip a few months ago but because of a major shoulder injury due to mountain biking I was in no shape to go. Now that it's back in working order this trip was not to be missed. The standard crew plus some new guys from around the country would make for a great time. Most everyone on small bikes and three of use on ADV bikes, the pace would vary but everyone looking out for one another.

Saturday morning at crack ass I made some coffee to get going. With a sad goodbye to the Mrs. I was all bundled up, caffeinated and ready to go, I was out the door pretty quick. Met up with the two Johns in Long Beach at Starbucks for yes.. more coffee. Rolled to Tecate where we hooked up with the rest of our motley crew. Already shinanigans ensued

Just getting everyone across the boarder was hard. One guys bike wouldn't start. Got it fired and told not to shut it off for a long time.

Quickly out of Tecate to get dirty we hit the Compadre trail. Perfect conditions and amazing weather. Everyone was riding well and having a great time. Then one of the guys from the big group over punched his fun card and got caught out in a turn. Took out seven fence posts and broke his clutch lever. He was ok and with some trail side repairs was back on the bike but a little more mellow.

John B, John R, Soto and I slabbed it to Valle De Trinidad for lunch as the rest of the group trailed behind. I love the food in baja. You just can't go wrong. I just look at what everyone else/locals are eating and order that. Never been bummed. The asada tacos were a sure thing and hit the spot.

As Soto had to fix a rear brake issue and the others were still making it into town I went to the market to get a few things.

Fueled up both the belly and the bikes. We headed out to Mike's Sky Ranch. It's now becoming my home in Baja. I love this place because it's out of the way, the trails around there are beautiful and amazing, and good times are always had.

John R. on the way to Mike's

I kept waving John R past me and he didn't come. Looking back, he was stopped taking the same pic and just enjoying the amazing view. This photo doesn't capture it as well as in person but I had to pinch myself on this one.

If you like steak and salsa you will love the dinner here. For some reason, even though I know it's not the bet cut, it always is crazy good.

Time to hydrate at the bar...

With enough hydration we still weren't able to sleep though Mt. Diablo throwing a fit. Booms and bangs with the ground rumbling we weren't sure if it was rock slides, earthquakes or mining. Who would be mining at 2am? Later on we found a website that shows seismic activity in Mexico. The map looked like my SPOT tracker. Not always can you say you stayed/slept at the epicenter of a couple of 4.0 quakes! All good but not the best sleep because of it.

On to a new day, we all hit the vineyard trail going West to San Vicente. Incredible views and nothing too technical. Some pretty fast sections though will get the blood flowing.

We all regrouped at a small market on the side of the road to talk some sh#t, give each other a hard time and share a few laughs. Was able to get some cell connection amazingly and touch base with the Mrs. to say I was good. Always nice to be able to check in from time to time even with the SPOT on.

As we slabbed it up to San Vicente the big group split off to go South and John B, Soto and I grabbed lunch.

It didn't suck, ha ha ha

While they gassed up I was passed by this van. Not the typical painting you see on cars down there.

From there the three of us went to the coastal town of Erendira. Don't go there. No views, can't relax, horrible time...

Your drink Sr.

The Crows Nest at Coyote Cal's

Not a bad way to end the day...

For dinner we went to the hot spot where Baja racers always go in "town"

Our very official bill.

We went back to Coyote Cal's and started back with the hydration plan. Slept like rocks and woke up to this...

Lulu, made us some great breaky

As we got ready to go and rolled out the bikes Soto found a nail in his tire. At least we have a nice place to work and not the trail. Even had air. Beck became the spider monkey...

We rolled out and headed North once everything was fixed. This was the typical view for most of the ride up the coast...

Then dropping down to Hwy 1 to slab it North

We stopped to refuel just South of Uruapan

Blissed out on what I just rode through I didn't even notice the traffic as we went through Ensenada. From there the plan was to get lunch at Dona Lupe's which now is a standard stop for me on all trips to Baja. What can I say. I run out of hot sauce quickly. This time I picked up some other sauces, olive oil, baked goods and a bottle of honey wine that is crazy good.

And like that the trip came to a close. Across the boarder and back into the States. Having three days was the best call and will try to do a minimum of that from now on. The bombing missions are just a little too hard and even though they are amazing, they just don't give you enough time to enjoy what baja has to offer. Can't wait to go back. Thanks again to by bros Soto and Beck. You guys are the best. I'll bring what we need. Chutney chives, even