Desert OHV Riding

Desert areas are frequently used for OHV riding areas in the western United States. The remote, desolate, and often inhospitable nature of many deserts reduces the opposition to OHV use, although it doesn't eliminate it.  California's two "lady" senators finally managed to pass the so-called California Desert Protection Act, which had been stalled for more than 7 years due to opposition by just about everyone but the Sierra Club. Opponents included the US Army , US Air Force, US Navy, the Good Sam Club, and even the BLM!  The act effectively closed more than 8 million acres to any vehicular activity, making most of it totally inaccessible for any purpose.

Desert riding requires a certain amount of preparation and attention to safety.  Deserts tend to be hot and dry and often home to poisonous insects and snakes.  Don't traipse around your campground barefoot or in flip flops.  You never know what is waiting to bite you.  Keep your eyes open and watch where you step and reach.  More than once we've had rattlesnakes crawl out right under the step of our motorhome.  The hot, dry climate together with increased physical activity also tends to accelerate dehydration.  To avoid dehydration and those painful and annoying heat cramps that come with it, drink plenty of water before, during, and after a ride.  Start hydrating yourself the night before, then carry plenty of water with you.  Hydration packs such as Camelbaks are ideal for desert OHV riding.  They are carried on your back, out of the way and where the weight is easy to manage.  The tube and bite-valve allows you to get a drink without having to stop and fumble with a canteen.  I put Velcro on my bite-valve and a mating patch on the center of my chest protector to keep the bite-valve handy and prevent if from whipping in the breeze or getting caught in a bush and ripped off.  Taking frequent sips of water is better than waiting until you feel thirsty and gulping it down.  Drinking large amounts at once can cause stomach pain and distress and isn't nearly as effective at staving off dehydration as continual sipping.  By the way, you are already well on your way to being dehydrated by the time you begin to feel thirsty.  Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade will help replenish necessary electrolytes, but caffeinated drinks like coffee and colas will speed dehydration.  The best drink to carry in  your hydration pack or canteen is water.  It won't fizz, stain, or leave a sticky residue and it is what you body needs most.

Your machine will suffer from the heat too.  If you're riding a vehicle with an air cooled engine, make sure the cooling fins are clean.  Dirt and oil accumulation will restrict heat transfer.  Don't let your engine idle for long periods of time.  It needs the movement of air for cooling and it doesn't get it when you're standing still.  Don't ride for long stretches at a constant throttle setting.  The extra splash of fuel delivered by the accelerator pump when you turn on the gas actually helps cool the engine and supplies much needed lubricant.  An experienced fellow rider seized his 2-stoke dirt bike cruising across a dry lake bed.  He wasn't going unusually fast, but it was a very hot day and the heat coming off the sun-baked lake bed made it even hotter.  Without the extra cooling of raw fuel injected from from time to time during cruising at a constant speed, engine heat built up until it seized.  If your ride is liquid cooled, make sure the coolant is full and you have no signs of leaks before you begin the ride.  Make sure your radiator cap is tight and that the radiator fins are not clogged with oil, dirt, or debris.  Liquid cooled engines are a little less sensitive to idling but they still need to be moving to get a good air flow through the radiator even if they have electric fans to assist cooling.

Seat and hand grips exposed to the sun can get VERY hot!  You might want to cover them a rag or towel when your OHV or bike is parked in camp and be sure to test them before grabbing hot grips or plopping your fanny down on a hot seat.  Dark vinyl seats can get hot enough to deliver 2nd degree burns.

Desert riding areas often include both designated trails and open areas.  Limited or Restricted Use Areas require riders to use existing trails.  Although you may object to those irritating "CLOSED" signs, ignoring them will only result in further loss of riding area.  In open riding areas you can ride anywhere you like.  But just because you can ride anywhere, doesn't mean you should. When riding in open areas, be careful.  There can be many obstacles out there and you might be the first one to find them, with very unpleasant consequences.  Watch for things like sand washes, rain ruts, rocks, and old fencing.  Unthinking,uncaring, or malicious people often dump household trash in the desert.  Car parts, old appliances, furniture, and broken bathroom fixtures can be found littering almost any unattended remote space.  Although I've listened to anti-OHV interests try to blame all the trash on OHV riders I've never seen anyone carrying an old TV, sofa, or toilet on a dirt bike or ATV!  You may find piles of dirt that look like attractive takeoff ramps for jumping. NEVER jump over one without checking to see what's on the other side.  That big pile of dirt had to come from somewhere and often its right on the other side of the pile.  Jumping it without looking could have you landing in a deep hole.  The teenage daughter of an acquaintance was killed when she rode her ATV over a big sand dune without checking it out.  The wind had hollowed out the back side of the dune and the drop was more than 40'.   She was killed instantly.  One of my sons jumped a tailings pile in the Mojave Desert and glanced down as he went past it to find himself staring into a deep mineshaft.  Fortunately he cleared the shaft -- just barely!  His rear wheel hit right on the far edge of the shaft and his momentum bounced him to safety.  If he'd been going a little slower he would have ended up in the bottom of the mine!  When riding open areas you may think those bushes in your way are no match for your ATV or dirt bike, and you may be right.  However, very often the reason the bush is growing there is that its seed was trapped and protected by a large rock -- and your dirt bike or ATV is NO MATCH for big rocks!  Hitting one will probably seriously damage your machine and probably send you over the bars.  While flying through the air like a bird can be a lot of fun, the sudden stop at the end is usually very painful -- and often expensive.  Mining isn't the only human activity that creates hazards.  Just digging for foundations, making a rain catch basin for livestock, or digging a well can create dangerous situations for unwary riders.  I've also encountered deteriorating fences with lots of wire to get tangled up in your wheels.  In at least one case I found wire that had been deliberately strung out along and on the trails by so-called environmentalists to sabotage OHVs.  Strange how some people will put the well being of bugs, lizards, or trees above that of human beings.

Desert obstacles.  Some riders get careless when riding in the open desert.  They think it is mostly flat and smooth.  They are wrong, sometimes dead wrong!  Deserts are often littered with rocks, gullies, and man-made debris that pose serious hazards to riders.  You can sometimes jump over narrow gullies, but wider and deeper ones may be unavoidable if you aren't riding defensively and endo-ing into one of them won't be fun.  Rocks and junk hidden in the bushes will put a quick end to a fun day if you slam into them.  Small bushes are no match for your OHV, but very often they are there because seeds were caught in the wind-shadow of rock, which can do serious damage to you and your ride!

When riding desert trails keep any eye open for other riders.  The easy terrain often encourages riders to go fast, sometimes faster than they should be going.  Stand up on the foot pegs so you can both see and be seen better, especially when approaching intersecting trails.  In addition for looking for clear images of other riders, watch for dust trails or movement through the bushes so you can estimate potential intersections and avoid collisions.  Sometimes dune buggies and ATVs have a pennant flying from the back of the vehicle to make them easier to see.  If you ride a dune buggy or ATV I strongly recommend flying a pennant.  In some places they are required by law or park rules.  No matter what you're riding, watch for those pennants.  Pennants are not usually used on dirt bikes. You just have to make YOURSELF visible to other riders.   If you have a headlight on your bike, it may be a good idea to turn it on even the the daytime to make yourself and your machine more visible to other riders.  Using your headlight is especially a good idea in times of reduced visibility, such as fog, rain, snow, or dust.

Eye protection is essential for desert riding.  You're likely to encounter a lot of dust and other stuff kicked up by other riders ahead of you.  You also need to protect your eyes against glare.  It is painful and makes it difficult to see where you're going, especially if you're riding in the dust.  Think sunburned cheeks are bad?  Imagine having a sunburned retina!  You've no doubt heard of snowblindness caused by sun reflecting off fields of snow.  The same thing can happen around areas of light colored sand or soil.  Sunglasses or tinted goggles are the order of the day.  You can even by light-sensitive goggle lenses that get darker in bright light and lighter in low light so you don't have to carry multiple pairs of goggles with you.  Those dark shaded goggles that are so useful in the bright afternoon sun quickly become a serious hazard if you're caught out after the sun goes down.  Light sensitive lenses are more expensive than plain ones, but the extra convenience and safety are more than worth the extra cost.  Note:  light sensitive glasses and goggles turn dark much quicker than they turn light again.  If you ride into a shade or into a tunnel it may take several minutes for your light sensitive eye wear to adjust.

Speaking of dust, your OHV won't like breathing it any better than you do.  When you are riding in dusty conditions check and clean your air filters frequently.  Using a "pre-filter" can help your filter last longer and make it easier to keep your filter clean.  You can buy custom-made pre-filters to fit most OHV air filters.  They consist of an elasticized mesh sleeve that fits over the filter. You usually soak them in filter oil and they can be quickly rinsed out, re-oiled, and re-used. Or you can make your own from an old pair of nylons or pantyhose.  A clogged air filter will rob you of power, performance, and mileage and could lead to premature engine failure.  Pre-filters can usually be removed, rinsed out, quickly dried, and reinstalled faster than cleaning the OEM air filter.  In a pinch on the trail you could simply remove a  dirty pre-filter to get your ride going well enough to get back to camp.  If you're riding in extremely dusty conditions, sacrifice a little fuel to rinse out the pre-filter and re-install it.

Avoid riding in the hottest parts of the day.  Plan your rides for early morning and late afternoon.  It will be easier on you and on your equipment!  Then go back to camp and have a light lunch and cold drink and relax in the shade for a while.  Sometimes we even brought a plastic kiddie wading pool to cool off in.  It was pretty humorous to see big, burly bikers vying for their turn in the kiddie pool.  Plan your rides to avoid riding into a rising or setting sun.  It's really hard to see where you're going if the sun is right in front of you early in the morning or late in the afternoon.  Because we all like to sleep in, mornings are not usually much of a problem, but trying to get in as much riding time as possible in the afternoon often leaves you headed back to camp with the sun right on the horizon. It is too low to benefit from any kind of visor so you may be stuck with that blinding light square in your face for miles!  With that in mind, try to plan your route so you'll won't be riding west back to camp at the end of the day.   IT is SO much nicer if the sun is at your back on the way home!

Keep an eye on the weather.  Weather can change quickly and dramatically in the desert.  Even a distant rain storm can create flash floods that sweep down sand washes with enough force to carry away large RVs.  Smaller flows can erode stream banks and sand washes and create hazards that weren't there before the rain.  Light rain can cool things off, settle dust and improve traction.  Heavy rain makes the trails sloppy and slick.  If you get caught in the rain, you can get dangerously hypothermic from riding in wet clothes, even though the air temperature is fairly mild.  You loose heat about 25 times faster through wet clothing.  The wind chill factor of riding in wet clothes will chill you even faster!  Thunderstorms can present the threat of lightning too.  If you're riding in the open desert YOU may very well the highest point around and become, essentially, a lightning rod. And, NO, the rubber tires on your vehicle won't protect you.  Do you really think lightning arcing through 10,000 feet of air from cloud to ground is going to care about 3" of rubber between your wheel and the trail?  The protection that comes with enclosed vehicles is from the steel frame that conducts the charge around you instead of through your body,  not from the rubber tires!

Sunburn is a definite possibility in the desert.  You can get burned from sunlight reflecting off sand and light colored soil as well as from direct exposure.  Reflection isn't as much of a problem as it is on the water, but you should still be aware of it.  If you are dressed in proper riding gear, most of your body will be protected, but you'll still need some sunblock on your face and neck.  I like to wear a bandana around my neck.  It helps keep the sun off bare skin between my jersey and my helmet and, by keeping it wet, it helps keep me cooler.  You can buy neckware that contains pellets that retain water and keep cooling you longer than a wet neckerchief, but in many years of desert riding, I've found bandanas to be the most convenient and the most effective.  They're inexpensive and they can be used for bandages and slings if someone gets hurt.  I have tried passive "cooling vests" but found I was usually better off just dampening my riding jersey.  Active cooling vests may work better, but the added weight of batteries, pumps, and coolant plus the high cost, don't make them very attractive options in my opinion.  While the passive vests feel pretty good at the start of a ride, if you're out long enough for most of the water to evaporate, they soon become insulators that trap heat instead of cooling you.

Snakes and poisonous insects are often plentiful in the desert.  You probably aren't in much danger when riding, but as soon as you stop you could become a target.  I once saw a rattlesnake coiled in the middle of a desert road, striking (unsuccessfully, thankfully) toward every rider who passed it but scarier situations are having the rascals slither right through your campsite.  More than once I've seen them lying right under the step of a motorhome or trailer.  On occasion that led to rattlesnake for dinner but usually we just try to scare them away or relocate them so they're no longer a threat.  After all, it is their home that we're invading.  One snake that persisted in coming back ended up as dinner and a hatband.  Waste not, want not.  And, yes, it does taste like chicken.

Desert riding is fun!