The Trip to Randsburg

(Ralph & Bill)

We were at the ranger station talking to the girl that works there getting some information and maps. In fact she gave us lots of maps and information, she was extremely helpful. She also recommended that we make the trip to Randsburg and thought we might find it interesting. The only reservation we had was that we would not have enough gas to make it, after all finding it should not be a problem.

On Friday Oct 2, 1999 we decided to do it. So after breakfast we started to get ready. We both agreed that extra gas was a must, so we devised a way to strap a 2 1/2 gallon gas can to the back of Bills XR. After several combinations of bungies, motorcycle tiedowns, and nylon straps, and a couple of test rides we found a way that it would stay.

So off we went. Heading out of Dove Canyon on SC 94 across Hwy 14 then down the dirt road to EP 15, some these trails actually have number markings, but sometimes the numbers get lost. After heading past the road to Burrow Schmidt's Tunnel, we were in an area that we had never been to before. Then we came to a couple of junctions, one was EP 15 & 26, another was EP 100. We took neither and decided to go farther and came to EP. Bill decided that was the one, I thought anything that did not have number might not be a good idea, but I said lets do it. It turned out to be quite an interesting trail, it went straight up and straight down the sides of the El Paso Mountains. We rested on the highest peak that we had climbed and had one of the best views imaginable.

Leaving that peak was like dropping straight down. At the bottom, the trail went up another hill and it looked like it also could turn left into a canyon and around the mountain. Bill asked me which way I was going to go. I said "I don't know lets see which way the bike goes when we hit bottom". It went to the canyon.

The canyon was not bad, except for a few rocks and having to go around a dead coyote. We came out by the Garlock Road and found a little well kept cemetery in the middle of nowhere. We needed to find a trail on the other side of the highway, which took a little while. We had to get on the road for about 1/4 mile but we found it. From there, it was fairly straight and flat to Randsburg.

Randsburg was worth the trip, it had a Saloon, General Store & a couple of antique shops. The saloon had food so after looking around town we went there and had a chile size. We then filled our bikes with gas from our can, since there is no gas in town, and noticed we had covered 35 miles to get there.

When we left, we headed down the straight dirt road out of town. I did not notice a generator that was in the road, it was as big as a house, and for some reason they plowed the road straight to it instead of around it. Well at about 60 mph I missed the curve in the road and had to lock them up and almost hit it.

Then we had to cross the El Paso Mountains again and decided to take a different way back. After the first set of hills we came to EP15, and I decided to go left. Not a good choice. We ended up going through a canyon full of river rock, it was like driving over bowling balls for a mile through this narrow steep canyon.

When we discovered that we were going the wrong way, we both decided to find a different route and not go back through that canyon. We followed a trail called EP21 and saw on our map that it was sending us to Ridgecrest. Our map also showed that it hooked up with EP26 which would send us back to Dove. So we took it.

After getting on EP 26 we were totally exhausted, but had about 20 more miles to go. Then the hard part came. This trail was the rockiest, hilliest, worst trail we had been on all day. These jagged rocks where tearing the knobs off our tires.

Well we finally got back after turning a 35 mile trip into a 70 mile trip, and glad that we had that gas can.