Tonka Town
Tonka Town was one of four destinations on our MeetUp Camp & Ride over the May 19th, 2018 weekend. We had a great turnout with 37 SxS's, 6 dirt bikes, and 5 ATV's. We also had a rider in a Jeep Laramie. We camped just off Cooper City Rd about 3 1/2 miles North of Irwin Rd. This is just North East of Barstow CA. I posted my GPS file in the Maps & GPS Tracks section of this website. We left the staging area around 9:30am and headed out towards the XB-70 crash site. This is just a short distance away. Below is a short video as riders approach the site:
Tonka Town was one of four destinations on our MeetUp Camp & Ride over the May 19th, 2018 weekend. We had a great turnout with 37 SxS's, 6 dirt bikes, and 5 ATV's. We also had a rider in a Jeep Laramie. We camped just off Cooper City Rd about 3 1/2 miles North of Irwin Rd. This is just North East of Barstow CA. I posted my GPS file in the Maps & GPS Tracks section of this website. We left the staging area around 9:30am and headed out towards the XB-70 crash site. This is just a short distance away. Below is a short video as riders approach the site:
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 Me in my Can-Am Trail ready to lead the ride.
One of our riders "Al" was quite familiar with the details of this crash along with the F-104 crash site which is a few miles away. He provided us the background on the crash of the two planes which was very interesting. After a short stop we continued past the F-104 memorial and headed out towards Scott's Cove. Once we left the canyon with its narrow sand washes we flew across the valley floor and then up into a black lava mountain with rocky trails and a couple steep uphill climbs. |
Miner's Cave in Scout's Cove
We soon arrived at our next destination Scott's Cove and the Old Miners Cave. This is a small cave dug into the side of a hill and has several tables and chairs outside. Many of the riders used this stop to eat lunch and enjoy a cold beverage. The dirt bike and ATV riders had been riding out ahead of the pack and we met them at this stop. After our short break we mounted up and headed out onto the desert floor and over to Inscription Canyon.
The expert on the many petroglyphs was not there on the Saturday but many of the riders took a stroll up the canyon to view the many ancient images. After about 20 minutes we were ready to head out and make our way over to Tonka Town. This portion of the ride was mostly flat fast desert trails but we had a few sections of twisty double wide trails that kept it interesting.
The expert on the many petroglyphs was not there on the Saturday but many of the riders took a stroll up the canyon to view the many ancient images. After about 20 minutes we were ready to head out and make our way over to Tonka Town. This portion of the ride was mostly flat fast desert trails but we had a few sections of twisty double wide trails that kept it interesting.
We arrived at Tonka Town and everyone enjoyed walking through the town to view the many buildings and vehicles that folks have left over the years. In case you are wondering, everything is toy sized including the brothel with numerous naked barbie dolls. I brought along an addition to the town which we dedicated with a ribbon cutting (video below). I realized that we were missing several riders and since the turn-off to Tonka Town is hard to see, I headed back to the main road to find the missing riders. Wes who was the tail-boss for this ride had managed to gather them up and was sending them my way when I arrived at the main road. Soon everyone was at Tonka Town and touring the town. The dirt bike riders had left Inscription Canyon a little later than us so they soon arrived led by Mike who I had provided the GPS tracks for the entire ride.
After about 40 minutes it was time to gear-up and head out to our last destination the Wells Cabin. This was about a 30 minute ride that eventually took us down into a narrow canyon and then up to the cabin. The Wells Cabin was built in 1932 and is in very good shape. We regrouped here and spent time so that everyone had a chance to enter the cabin and see the grounds. We then headed out on our way back to camp. After a long detour because of a wrong turn that I made, we found the power line trail and everyone made it back safely. If you want more info on this area, use the contact form and drop me a note.
After about 40 minutes it was time to gear-up and head out to our last destination the Wells Cabin. This was about a 30 minute ride that eventually took us down into a narrow canyon and then up to the cabin. The Wells Cabin was built in 1932 and is in very good shape. We regrouped here and spent time so that everyone had a chance to enter the cabin and see the grounds. We then headed out on our way back to camp. After a long detour because of a wrong turn that I made, we found the power line trail and everyone made it back safely. If you want more info on this area, use the contact form and drop me a note.
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The Wells Cabin
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