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Desert Bar

gqchris

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I have no desire to visit there to be honest.

I did some fist time riding this weekend in an area that's "closed", and changed my mind on these overcrowded, hyped spots.
We have riding friends that all they want to do is go to Slash X.

My new thing is tight knit group of friends, having a damn good picnic sack lunch at a spot free of clowns! It so much more relaxing. LOL

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Rattle Can Lou

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It's so funny this thread popped up..My in laws really helped Kenny back in the day..and they made the wall in the steeple...and for years it was our go to spot. Now that I've been going for years...it has become more of a chore. The road in is horrible..if you don't have a long travel ride..it's no fun. We seem to go when somebody has not been there..The other irritant is the band noise. It's hard to carry on conversation around the place...OK..I'm showing my advanced age..lol
 

PlanB

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Did the first run of the year to the Desert Bar yesterday. Trail is a little rougher than usual because of the rain, but still no issues for my Jeep. The new vendor that took Niko's place sucks. $34.00 for two chicken sandwiches and a large fry. Bread was cold and crumbling apart, and the piece of chicken was small. The fries are also not as large as they used to be. You are better off getting the $4.00 burgers at the upper bar.
 

cofooter

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Did the first run of the year to the Desert Bar yesterday. Trail is a little rougher than usual because of the rain, but still no issues for my Jeep. The new vendor that took Niko's place sucks. $34.00 for two chicken sandwiches and a large fry. Bread was cold and crumbling apart, and the piece of chicken was small. The fries are also not as large as they used to be. You are better off getting the $4.00 burgers at the upper bar.
Over crowded and over hyped. Next time invoke your "Plan B"
 

TPC

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I have no desire to visit there to be honest.

I did some fist time riding this weekend in an area that's "closed", and changed my mind on these overcrowded, hyped spots.
We have riding friends that all they want to do is go to Slash X.

My new thing is tight knit group of friends, having a damn good picnic sack lunch at a spot free of clowns! It so much more relaxing. LOL

View attachment 816525

Slash X still has a good burger and the fresh cut fries. Beer and wine only.

Several of the moms that work there want Maynard to marry their daughters. That’s always a fun routine when he walks in.

RV camping is so easy around there. The trails east are fantastic SxS runs.
 

TPC

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It's so funny this thread popped up..My in laws really helped Kenny back in the day..and they made the wall in the steeple...and for years it was our go to spot. Now that I've been going for years...it has become more of a chore. The road in is horrible..if you don't have a long travel ride..it's no fun. We seem to go when somebody has not been there..The other irritant is the band noise. It's hard to carry on conversation around the place...OK..I'm showing my advanced age..lol

I took a first date there once. Back in the early days.
She later confessed the thought did cross her mind I was take taking her out to do her in.
“A bar out here? WTF?”

I had heard that the BLM was requiring a company that was doing some mining and mine reclamation in the area to maintain the road in.
They supposedly are gone now. That’s bar takes.

Lots of tales like that never know if it’s fact or not. The road in is a rough one for sure.
 

PlanB

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The main road in is rougher since the rains as well. If you are in a car with questionable ground clearance you might be in for a surprise. FYI...
 

mbrown2

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I like going to desert bar but don't go after Thanksgiving. It used to be tradition but it is too packed that day. We normally do the 5K out there in Feb. Also if you want to avoid the crowd go in the backway...longer but more remote trail then the fire road via the front way. The front way is for every type of car where the back is for offroad vehicles. Its interesting the ATM comments....I mean it is sort of like ....."I hate California but I want everyplace I go to have everything California does".....It has been that way forever(no cash) so deal with it/plan for it.... Shit Kenny has done a shit ton of improvements to the place and it looks like a castle compared to 15 yrs ago...He obviously is happy with the customer base he already has that deal with the cash only scenario.
 

2Driver

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Its interesting the ATM comments....I mean it is sort of like ....."I hate California but I want everyplace I go to have everything California does"..... .

LOL
 

RiverDave

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I like going to desert bar but don't go after Thanksgiving. It used to be tradition but it is too packed that day. We normally do the 5K out there in Feb. Also if you want to avoid the crowd go in the backway...longer but more remote trail then the fire road via the front way. The front way is for every type of car where the back is for offroad vehicles. Its interesting the ATM comments....I mean it is sort of like ....."I hate California but I want everyplace I go to have everything California does".....It has been that way forever(no cash) so deal with it/plan for it.... Shit Kenny has done a shit ton of improvements to the place and it looks like a castle compared to 15 yrs ago...He obviously is happy with the customer base he already has that deal with the cash only scenario.

The back way is pretty crowded now as well.

I still love the place as it brings back memories of my youth and good times.. We didn’t go this year (per tradition) because I didn’t want to deal with the crowds. We will definitely be going over the winter though.
 

boatnam2

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Think last time I went there I was on RD's ole quad, so its been a few years. Way to far of a drive from cali side.
 

RiverDave

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Think last time I went there I was on RD's ole quad, so its been a few years. Way to far of a drive from cali side.

LMAO!! Getting lost and riding that bad boy back on the street with a beer in your hand.
 

sintax

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LMAO!! Getting lost and riding that bad boy back on the street with a beer in your hand.

haha sounds like my kind of adventure, except i'd be doing it at night on a bike without a headlight. Reminds me of a trip back from the Iron Door one night in Ocotillo...
 

boatnam2

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haha sounds like my kind of adventure, except i'd be doing it at night on a bike without a headlight. Reminds me of a trip back from the Iron Door one night in Ocotillo...
He left the getting dark part out lol.
 

RiverDave

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I took a first date there once. Back in the early days.
She later confessed the thought did cross her mind I was take taking her out to do her in.
“A bar out here? WTF?”

I had heard that the BLM was requiring a company that was doing some mining and mine reclamation in the area to maintain the road in.
They supposedly are gone now. That’s bar takes.

Lots of tales like that never know if it’s fact or not. The road in is a rough one for sure.

The road is county maintained now last I heard.. I believe there is even a sign at the entrance that says it is maintained, but rural or something to that effect?

RD
 
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LHC Kirby

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I only go if someone is visiting and they have never been there. Only went once with a group that everyone had already been there - it’s just not that exciting.
 
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ONE-A-DAY

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Did it on Friday, new it would suck, but it was at the request of some guests that had never been. The trail in was the worst Ive ever seen it, lots of side by sides and some of the jeeps were struggling especially that first section after you leave the cock market. From there it got worse as there were several side by sides that had sheered off wheels blocking the single wide trail. And then there are those that think they can go back while hundreds of vehicles are going to the place, its pointless. That made for more beer stops than normal. Got there had a cheeseburger and took the "road" home.
 

riverroyal

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It was a slow trail Saturday. Lots of jeeps.
Food was ridiculous expensive even for a place out in nowhere.
 

LargeOrangeFont

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It was a slow trail Saturday. Lots of jeeps.
Food was ridiculous expensive even for a place out in nowhere.

I'm glad we abandoned this idea for Saturday lol.

We did a Hangar 24 ride the long way from the far south side of town. Was pretty fun, with several challenging obstacles. Ran into one tipped over RZR on the way.

Surprisingly Hangar 24 wasn't crowded. food was just ok. Drinks were good though.
 

Outdrive1

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Friday wasn’t as crowded as years past. We took the main road in the truck in and out. Traffic wasn’t even that bad. Nothing like the year Dave took his Navigator and tried to rip the running boards off it. Then he borrowed my RZR and got chased by a Kodiak up a mountain. You can’t make this shit up I tell you. I just remember him coming back to the Keys and telling me if I’m in my RZR and a guy comes looking for me in a Kodiak don’t be surprised.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

RiverDave

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I'm glad we abandoned this idea for Saturday lol.

We did a Hangar 24 ride the long way from the far south side of town. Was pretty fun, with several challenging obstacles. Ran into one tipped over RZR on the way.

Surprisingly Hangar 24 wasn't crowded. food was just ok. Drinks were good though.

mid be interested in knowing some routes from the southside. From the middle of town you have the option of just cruising near 95, or going up bison and rubbing again near 95 but a little further east on the flats..


Honestly I’d be real interested in rubbing out behind and on those mountains that are due east
 

RiverDave

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Friday wasn’t as crowded as years past. We took the main road in the truck in and out. Traffic wasn’t even that bad. Nothing like the year Dave took his Navigator and tried to rip the running boards off it. Then he borrowed my RZR and got chased by a Kodiak up a mountain. You can’t make this shit up I tell you. I just remember him coming back to the Keys and telling me if I’m in my RZR and a guy comes looking for me in a Kodiak don’t be surprised.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

lol.. he was rubbing that thing. I can’t believe he was keeping up with that 800 back in the day. :D

that was about the end of the checkered flag in that road. :D
 

LargeOrangeFont

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mid be interested in knowing some routes from the southside. From the middle of town you have the option of just cruising near 95, or going up bison and rubbing again near 95 but a little further east on the flats..


Honestly I’d be real interested in rubbing out behind and on those mountains that are due east

Agreed, that is what we normally do. It is just a quick ride going that way so we wanted to extended it.

I have a couple verified routes on the GPS from the south side (even as far south as the cement plant) up and around to Bison. On Sat we hit the dirt off of Challenger on the south side of town, I had never hit the dirt there before, and took that up to the "verified" route.

From the south side of town there are 3-4 pretty steep climbs before you get to Bison. I'm not going to say they are treacherous, but they might make a novice or kid a little nervous. That said, 2 teenagers in a RZR 570 made it up them.

I'm trying to find a more novice/kid friendly route, I've been working on that a bit today actually.
 
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