Stu's First Poker Run...

When we got gas on Friday, the attendant handed us a flyer for a poker run being held by the local American Legion Riders here in Borrego Springs. We didn't know how long the route was or where it was but figured since it was for a good cause, The Warrior Foundation in San Diego, we'd head out.

We set the alarm and got up for an early breakfast at Kendall's Cafe in town. We had breakfast there earlier in the week and knew the food and service were good. Had plenty of time for a leisurely meal before heading off to find the Legion. Turns out they were south of town, just beyond the Galleta Meadows sculptures.

The route repeated part of what we had ridden on Friday but also took us through some areas we hadn't seen before. We could ride the route in any direction we wanted, half was desert (lower altitude) and the other half mountain (high altitude). We opted for riding the desert half first, saving the higher altitudes (cooler temps) for the afternoon.





Just as we got ready to head off, I noticed that my engine was leaking again. Not sure where it's coming from...previous leaks have been from the primary case (gasket replaced) and the o-ring by the shifter (also replaced). I opted to ride the first half only since we'd be riding right past the RV before heading off into the mountains. We'll look at getting it serviced in the next week or two (depending on where we end up).

Our first stop took us through Ocotillo Wells, another popular boondocking spot for ATV/quad/dirt bike riders. The stop was at the Iron Door where we had been cautioned about the sand parking lot. I managed okay...phew! Here are a couple of shots...the inside was really interesting. Dollar bills posted everywhere and on everything!





Now for those who have never been on a poker run, there are designated stops for the riders. Typically places where you can grab a drink and maybe even a bite to eat. Someone at each stop has a deck of cards and a stamp. Each participant has a sheet where, after drawing a card, the card identity is stamped. Each stop has it's own unique stamp. If you draw a card you already had, you draw another one. The best hand wins...and the worst often does as well. (No, we didn't win anything....LOL!)

From there we continued east and north along the Salton Sea - the same route we took in to our boondocking spot. The next stop was Capt'n Jim's in Salton City. We were more than ready for a drink and since we knew we had plenty of time, we rested and refreshed for a bit.





The route back to our rig from Salton City was gorgeous...amazing rock formations and blooming cacti and wildflowers everywhere. After dropping off my bike, we headed back up Montezuma Valley towards Julian. The third stop was at RD's Log Cabin...a place we had noticed the day before and had passed by too quickly to grab a snapshot.

Since it was time for lunch we grabbed a bite there...good burger & fries! A good sized group of riders left just after we got there and another arrived before we left. It appeared we were riding the route backwards from everyone else. Not a bad thing since neither of us are big on riding in groups.





We headed back towards Borrego Springs for our fourth stop, Carmelita's Restaurant where we had lunch last week. As we walked through The Mall, I noticed that the one shop where I had seen a tablecloth I liked had a 25% off everything sale going on....hmmmm,. Yup, went in and picked it up...love it!





After getting our cards stamped, we sat and I drank two tall waters (talk about parched) and Stu had a beer. We only saw two other riders getting stamped while we were there. As I said, we were definitely following a different order.

We had to have our sheet turned in before 4pm to qualify so we headed back to the American Legion. Yup, still nothing...LOL! There were still riders to check in so we grabbed our drinks and found a nice shady spot under cover. There was a band setting up (hate me, I can't remember their name but it had "Sand" in it..oops) and the food was cooking on the grill behind us. There was also a very patriotic and delicious looking pie.





As in most poker runs (which are almost always run to benefit a charity), there were raffle tickets as well as 50-50 tickets. There were t-shirts and we were lucky to be in the first 100 to register so we got run pins (very nice ones).





We stayed for several hours, enjoyed the music & chatting with folks, listening to the folks from The Warrior Foundation talk about the work they are doing (be SURE to check out their NEEDS list), enjoying our drinks & delicious food and watching all the raffle prizes being awarded. We each bought a t-shirt to help the benefit as well as 50-50 tickets and a donation to the band who were donating all their tips to the foundation as well.





We left before everything was handed out and turned over our tickets to one of the representatives of the foundation...figured someone might win something. All in all a WONDERFUL day!!!





Okay, now fast forward to today - Sunday - Easter - EARTHQUAKE!!! Yes, you read that right....we felt an earthquake this afternoon. Already under high wind warnings (and it was a blowing here), we noticed an entirely different sensation. Sort of like being in a mixing bowl... Stu looked outside and noticed a huge plume of dust coming up from one of the surrounding mountains...a rock slide. That's when we realized we had just experienced an earthquake.

It was in Baja California and initially reported at 6.9 on the Richter Scale. Since then there have been another 30 tremors measured....things are a rumbling and a shaking although we only felt the first one. Never a dull moment...





Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu