Trail Rider's Dream...

From Sept. 01 to Apr. 02 members of the Lost Coyotes have been conducting a motorcycle survey of the West Mojave Plan sub regions. Kim Bennett,Bob Koch,Dan Stephens,and myself Jim Wilson where hired by Advanced Resource Solutions to help them survey roads and trails for the W.M.P. This was brought about by the public finding out the furnished maps for the plan ( Denver ) where inaccurate.Our job was to form in teams of 2,one guide and a surveyor. The surveryor would carry a backpack G.P.S. unit that recorded every 2 sec. This data was put on a disc which was later downloaded in a computer and plotted on new maps by CH2M Hill.

We where joined by Bob`s son Geoff, brother Richard, and friend Randy O Laughlin (ex.Training Wheels member ) and his son. This formed 4 motorcycle teams which joined 10 fourwheeler teams lead by Jeri Ferguson CA4WD.They covered the 2 track. The teams trained on the GPS units at the Jawbone station, and our first camp was the old mining headquaters at Atolia. Advanced Resorces besides paying us also furnished chow and Jim Branham served as cook,and did an outstanding job in some adverse weather.

We staged out of Atolia for 3 weekends,during that time the bikes covered the E. El Pasos to Morman Flat,the Ridgecrest area north of the open area from 395 to C-4 on the other side of the Navy road.Our next camp was in the Kramer Hills 1.5 miles east of 395. Since there where so many trails the motorcycle crews fell behind and we had to commute to our work in the Red Mtn. area south of the Summit Diggings.

After 2 camps at Kramer it was decided to move the motorcycles to just N. of Fremont Pk. and Bob took on the cooking chores as well. We where now able to ride to our work area covering Red Mtn. from the Trona rd. to Blackwater Well and Cuddeback dry lake. The next 3 camps at Fremont where the highlights of the job, 54 sq. miles of the Fremont contain some of the finest single tract network in the desert. Routes layed out for races in the 70`s are packed flat by time. This area should definitely be set aside for recreation. The jeeps had moved on to Dagget Airport and where staging out of a hanger doing Superior,Coyote, and Newberry-Rodman.

In our next camp,we joined with some jeeps doing pick up work.The camp was located west of the solar plant at Harpers Dry Lake. We finished some long trails in S. Fremont and started on Kramer. The last 2 camps where again back at Kramer. The jeeps did pickup and we did the Kramer sub-region. The maps that have all the trails are Red Mtn., Ridgecrest, Fremont, and Kramer. The jeeps managed to get about 9 sub-regions.

The BLM took the maps and started route designations on all 21 sub-regions from Darwin to 29 Palms. Some maps will be Denver because there wasn`t time or money to finish the survey. For an old desert rider it was as close as you get to a dream job...

Jim Wilson - Lost Coyotes MC