We sat huddled for warmth with our backs to freezing cold (literally)...
when Bernie announced that he was opening his 5 acre plot in Mariposa for Memorial Day Weekend to our group of F650 riders.
Here is Bernie's place.
So Bernie and I posted on F650 (the definitive website for the BMW F650).
Now Bernie warned me he wasn't internet savvy....nor has he done a windows update in years but we finally managed to get the photos uploaded and the details for anyone interested in joining.
My riding group from the Bay Area was Paul and Jeff, semi-famous on ADV for a post called
And Paul, well Paul is my personal mobile mechanic and he makes some darned good ribs too!
We stopped off at a place off mines road where I had the worlds nastiest chicken nuggets. 
Wild pigs roam the prairie...well not this one anymore.
By the look of glee on Jeff's face, I should have ordered the heart stopper burger
Arrived at Bernie's after some stinky crisscross riding through the valley (by lots and lots of cattle yards) and met a familiar (and talkative) face Jay - let me also add that Jay was the only one to help me get my Big Red back up out of a good mud pit. Thanks Jay!
Now camping in a large group of guys can be challenging. Er rather, lumberjacks with all the heavy snoring. Paul was considerate enough to camp off to the side by himself.
No motorcycle off road weekend would be complete without a little roadside wrenching. This was a busted chain. Thanks to Eddie and a spare Doug was riding again the next day.
So there's this group of guys all watching the repair work....and I see this double rainbow (which became a triple for a few minutes) and they couldn't have cared less.
One of the best parts about weekend rides like this is the food.
Always meat (lots and lots of meat)
Usually cooked on a grill by an expert
And as you can tell by our empty plates just delicious
And it would not be complete without a little monkeying around...I asked Bernie (said computer whiz) to take a photo of our table and voila!
Now most of us have been through Boy Scouts, or Girl Scouts and learned to build a fire.
Then there are those kids that well somehow just never made it and only know how to poke a perfectly great fire and send smoke and ash over everyone. 'Nuff said (you know who you are)
Now like I said sleeping around a bunch of lumberjacks can be tough, even with 28 db ranked ear plugs I can still faintly hear the rumbling around me, but what is really funny is I didn't hear all the bikes start up in the morning for breakfast at Pop's and they all left me behind. That's OK though, I got revenge.....my breakfast came out first.
Our first trail took us by an abandoned gold mine
Note to self: show Manish how to take a photo with me and the scenery...course I didn't want to step back!Next a mountain top stop
So no one got my mud encounter on film but here's some proof.
And more good food!
And then more food....Paul making ribs.
I'm starting to get excited about Turkey...only 6 weeks away!