2026 ADV n00bs Rally …

[SFMCjohn]

I’ve been doing the ADVrider.com n00bs Rally at Panamint Springs Resort every year in March the last few years, and this year was no different … it starts on 03/25/26, so I started making my way there on 03/20 so I’d have lots of time to make what Google Maps tells me is a nine hour ride from San Francisco …

the nice thing about leaving the weekend before is you can maybe get your friends to join you somewhere …

on Friday, the somewhere was Tumey Hills BLM in western Fresno County … but we had to get caffeinated first at my favorite SF coffee shop, the Mercury Cafe at Octavia and Page:



the mighty 1988 Honda NX 650, and BARFers Mr @Cabrito and Mr @kalle …

 

[SFMCjohn]

then Mr @Cabrito and myself headed off to Tumey Hills via Browns Valley Road, J1 and Jackass Pass:



Mr @Cabrito, in action on the dirt road through the green hills on Browns Valley Road, San Benito County, 03/20/2026 at 12:07 pm …

 

[SFMCjohn]

we straffed J1 and were soon enough confronted by the deep water crossing on Little Panoche Road on the way to Jackass Pass …

me, contemplating my fears, and the seemingly bottomless water crossing … Mr Cabrito made me go first, since it was my idea:



and going for it:



managed not to embarrass myself, so Mr Cabrito had to follow me:



fun, fun …

 

[SFMCjohn]

we navigated Jackass Pass and were then quickly negotiating the cattle gates at Tumey Hills BLM:

 

[SFMCjohn]

we set up camp on “Hoffman Hill,” and Mr Kalle set about feeding us:



preparing the pork belly … yum.

 

[SFMCjohn]

and some pics of camp:



Hoffman Hill (Mr Kalle’s last name is Hoffman, and we went for alliteration when naming it in his honor, cuz he feeds us. )



and a view of “Hesitation Hill” (moar alliteration, w00t!)



we did some plinking, cuz it’s BLM, and why not?

and then ate some dinner … Italian sausage and grilled veggies and pork belly:



Mr @bananachunks and Mr Vince, ready to dig in …



and the feast … thanks, Kalle!

 

[SFMCjohn]

Mr Cabrito and Mr Kalle, enjoying coffee, our campfire and the sunrise, this morning (03/21/2026):





the mighty BMW of Mr @bananachunks … he sez he has 20,000 miles on it already, and I believe him:

 

[SFMCjohn]

we said our goodbyes, and it was back to the Bay Area for them, and a four-hour slog for me through the Central Vally to the pain of another four hours through the glory of SR 155, Walker Pass and Indian Wells BLM in eastern Kern County … sunset, there, this evening:



ok, one moar, cuz it was pretty:



gonna try to head north tomorrow on 395, so I can try to approach Saline Valley Warm Springs from the north … we’ll see how the daylight holds out.

 

[greenmonster]

Good stuff!!
More please (or moar).

 

[Cabrito]

Glad to tag along on the first leg. SFMC camping in Toumey was super fun.

@SFMCjohn snoozing..


John's video of me in full pucker mode.

 

[Eric B]

Great stuff! Amazing pictures.
I’ve gone through that water crossing when there was hardly any water, but it was slippery from the algae. Went down rather promptly.

 

[dravnx]

John never fails to deliver. Great stuff.
I've been to a few Noobs Rallies. A great event.
Still have a bunch of stuff that I won from the raffles.

 

[augustiron]

I aspire to be as moto adventurous as @SFMCjohn

but there's no way, even in my wildest dreams.

Your motomotivation is on another level sir.

A tip of the helmet to you

 

[augustiron]

I would love to see how you do what you do @SFMCjohn

The few times I have motocamped I wound up with a massive packed load. Just for a few nights.

IF you have time in between adventures, would you be so kind as to do thread detailing your moto camping setup?

- racks/luggage system
- camp/sleep gear
- kitchen, water and food
- tools, spares and safety
- navigation
- ????

You are overnighting so often and seemingly effortlessly, it amazes me

 

[SFMCjohn]

IF you have time in between adventures, would you be so kind as to do thread detailing your moto camping setup?

- racks/luggage system
- camp/sleep gear
- kitchen, water and food
- tools, spares and safety
- navigation
- ????

I think if you saw me irl you’d say “boy, that’s a ton of stuff on that KLR!”

here’s a pic of the pre-gen KLR set up on Walker Pass:



1. KLRs come with an awesome and bomb-proof tail rack … luggage system is Dirt Bagz. Clothes go in the low side, food in the high side, big Tusk waterproof bag on the luggage rack hold tent, sleeping bag, 2 air mattresses, a Big Agnes camp chair, and an inflatable pillow (thanks @two wheel tramp !)
2. camp gear is a three person Big Agnes tent, and two Therm-a-Rest style air mattresses and folding camp chair, cuz ima grey-beard;
3. two or three 1.5 liter water bottles go in a plastic reusable grocery bag that sits on the seat under two cheap cargo nets, in front of the Tusk bag and at least a couple half-liter bottles get tucked somewhere (I ride with a LOT of water), a Jet-Boil goes in the food Dirt Bagz (when I ride with a stove. I’ve been leaving the Jet-Boil at home, recently, and just drinking my coffee cold in the AM);
4. I ride with a 21” and a 17” spare tubes and two large tire-irons that go in the clothes Dirt Bagz, and use the stock tool kit to remove the wheels. small Leatherman in the small Wolfman tank bag, along with smart phone charging cables, Aerostich three finger rain gloves, assorted spare fasteners and patch kit;
5. I never adopted GPS, but just stop and look at my phone’s Google Maps, or just get lost following my nose.

you wouldn’t be impressed with how long it takes me to pack, either. certainly @kalle and @bananachunks always win the pack-yer-bike race.

(the big Tusk bag and Big Agnes tent are former Mr @bananachunks gear, and a big “thank you!” to him. )

I’m probably going to start riding with a smaller tent and only one air mattress, someday. and buy a brand-new Kawasaki KLE. I’ll keep moto camping as long as I can, cuz California dispersed camping is awesome. practice/repetition makes perfect or at least better. you strike me as someone who has a full life and interests beyond motorcycles, and moto-camping is super time-consuming.

anyway … fun to think about. thanks for asking, and for the kind words. the real trick is to just post a lot of pictures—I don’t ride/camp as much as some here, and wish I did it moar.

 

[Eric B]

Be sure to get a picture of the gas prices at the Panamint Springs station.

 

[SFMCjohn]

Be sure to get a picture of the gas prices at the Panamint Springs station.

Will do … on my way there today, after spending two nights at Saline Valley Warm Springs:



the bat sign, on the way to Saline Valley Warm Springs, Inyo County, California, 03/24/2026, 7:26 am … I came in on South Pass, yesterday, and it was much harder than I remembered.

took North Pass to escape this morning, and that was much easier … thank goodness.

 

[ThumperX]

I always found the South Pass to be looooong and arduous. McGhee prefer the north pass.Steel pass is a pass for me lol

 

[Cupid's Arrow]

This looks like so much fun, thanks for sharing so I can ride vicariously through you

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Looks like an awesome trip, I'll grow up and be like this someday!