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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126303
TERRYKIT Ii'!' ! " " ' , I !'.[l[l\\li'!'.I'.(, I -, I ! I· ( ) I, I I ! 1 'I R 1t)1 ... ( (1\1 lll- : I I ( JR New Kits for '78 with Adjustable Travel Max Travel Yamaha IT 175/250 /400 '77& '78 , 10" Yamaha YZ 125'77 & '78 10" Yamaha YZ 250 /400 '77 II" Yamaha YZ 250 /400 '77 10" Yamaha YZ 250 /400 '78 12" YamahaYZ80'78 7.5" Suzuki RM 80 '78 7.5" 10" Suzuki RM 125'77 &'78 Suzuki RM 250 /400 '78 10" Kits also available for other bikes Write for free literature Out of state call toll free 800-854-4691 90 day money back guarantee Dealer or Direct -- I 520 McGLlNCY LANE. CAMPBELL . CA 95008 (408) 371-1221 38 Nearly every lava rock on the sides of Inscription Canyon has a drawing, Many are in color. (Continuedfrom page 30) place to set up base camp. The all year camp spot is also managed by the BLM. There are 31 camping sites and some trailer spaces. It's kinda' cool at night when you're at this 3000 foot elevation during the desert winter, so bring your "longies." If you decide to set up in Owl Canyon, push your bikes into and out of the campground; don't disturb the other campers. Let 's preserve, and maybe even enhance, the image of the motorcyclist, Not everyone likes the sound of a two -stroke starting up in the post -dawn hours, you know! As I said, the road makes a left handed loop for about four miles through Rainbow Basin. It 's twisty , narrow and marked for one-way traffic only. People in four -wheelers would block the road' if they stopped enroute to take pictures of the colorful stratifications on the walls of the canyon. We trailbikers don't have that problem. We require very little room for parking when we pull off to the side of the road to take our photos. When La rry , "Pete" Peterson and I left the basin road, we turned northwest on Fossil Bed Road. In the distance we could see 4,000 foot Opal Mountain , our next destination . W e set a leisurely pace and stopped severa l tim es to take phot ograph s . At breakneck speed you on ly see a fra ction of th e beaut ies of th e high desert . I followed my usual practice of buying a topographical map of the area we wanted to explore. They're inexpensive and are much more detailed than an ordinary road map . In th is case the map was the - Opal Mountain Quadrangle, California -San Bernardino County. If you happen to get lost , this type of map will prove invaluable for finding your way home. Simply look for one of the many survey markers. found throughout the desert and compare the numbers on the marker with the corresponding numbers on the map . They'll tell you exactly where you are . Easy, huh? Not only is Opal Mountain a pleasant sight standing tall in the desert , it's a fun place for gem hunters and rockhounds. According to Mary Frances Strong in Desert Gem Trails, when she writes about Opal Mountain , " W h a t to collect : Common opal (resem bles genuine precious opal but contains no 'fire') in clear red, orange and amber, plus combinations of these colors. Green common opal and very rarely , 'a precious fire opal,' with a bluish cast resemb ling some Austral ian gem material. Use care when digging as th e material fractures easil y." The wide open spaces of the desert have something for a lmost every taste. When we wound ou r way up to th e . southern base of Opal Mountain , we enc ou ntered some campers that were prospecting for gems on the mountain . We quietly slipped past them and worked our way over an obscu re track to the west and then to the north side .' "",I of the mountain, the section that IS a impassable on four wheels. Did n't bother us though: we were properly mounted. Next, a short distance to the west and north of Opal Mountain , came the best part of the whole adventure , the petroglyphs on the walls of Inscription Canyon. Even if you 're not a history buff, you 'll enjoy seeing the ancient art of the " Peop le who came before" as they were called by the Indians of the Old West. For a ' change , you can see something that modern man hasn't fouled up, a lava canyon whose sides are covered with ' drawings done by long-dead artists from desert Indian tribes. No one seems to know for sure who made the petroglyphs , or when, for ~ that matter. I've researched the subject in several libraries , but the best estimate I can make is that the artists did their work some time between 500 B.C. and 1500 A.D . Looks like I'll be devoting a few more hours in the library to finding out about the " Peop le who ca me before." The canyon itself is sha llow , and the mouth of it faces out onto Superiof Valley which is ringed by picturesque mountains . Some thoughtful person ot I . group has placed a log boom across'tl the entrance to th e canyon to prevent"''' wheeled vehicles from disturbing th e natural beauty of this historic spot. J We found inscriptions and drawings on nearly every rock in the canyon . There is more Indian a rt work in 1 Inscription Canyon than I personally