Wagon Train

 

We spent Saturday with our friends Paul and Linda at their office camping trip at Ocotillo Wells SVRA. More than 80,000 acres of the California desert are open for off-highway exploration near the Salton Sea. I always pictured these areas as drunken parties, but was pleased to learn that, like the wagon trains of the old west, they are largely a self-policing, family-friendly rendezvous.

Almost all of the riders we saw, whether they were on motorcycles, quads, side-by-sides or buggies, were demonstrating the concepts of the Tread Lightly program. While we were sitting in our campsite, we saw one rider climbing a steep hill, flip over and tumble down the hill. Within seconds, riders were at the accident scene helping him get his OHV back on all four tires and back on his way (there wasn't much they could do for his pride). Of course Andy wants to buy a quad of his own, but "Pops" is content to go with friends a couple times a year. Andy will just have to find a job if he wants to buy his own. Of course you should always ride with a buddy, so he'll need to buy one for me too.