Southern California Backcountry Discovery Route Documentary Film (CABDR-South)

About The Route and Film:
A spectacular, yet challenging 820-mile ride across the south-eastern region of California. Rugged two-track and remote dirt roads lead riders through majestic canyons, rocky riverbeds, and sandy washes of California’s famous deserts and national preserves, including a dream ride in the Mojave Preserve. This is the first Wintertime BDR.

About Backcountry Discovery Routes:
Backcountry Discovery Routes® (BDR®) is a non-profit organization that creates off-highway routes for dual-sport and adventure motorcycle travel. We have introduced a new route with free GPS tracks for the community every year since 2010.

Our work includes rider education, safety campaigns and promoting responsible travel for motorcyclists traveling in the backcountry.

Our volunteer-powered organization works with agencies and land managers to keep trails and remote roads open for motorcycling.

Each route generates new tourism that delivers sustainable economic relief to less-advantaged rural communities. This creates local stakeholders who will help fight to keep access for dual-sport and adventure motorcycles in these incredible backcountry areas.

[PapaDougsAdventures]

“I’m not where my mind thinks I am” Best quote ever and how I feel every time I ride off road.

[ridicule]

Hello folks. ADV/GT touring here depending on if I use my 1250GSA or 1200RT. Based in Brittany, France, doing Europe and started the TET(Trans Euro Trail). I am thrilled to see Americans on adventure bikes or using tarmac in the back country roads, close to nature, meandering rivers, mountains. This is what we love as motorcyclists in Europe. Even on my GT, you will NEVER find me on a highway or toll road. Boring, no curves to truly lean the bike and very far from the places that make you stop, take out the reflex camera or gas heat water, make coffee, appreciate the view….. this series makes me want to come over and do this tour… truly appreciating this series. Good video production as well. 😎✌️👍👍

[magargal]

I’m currently sitting on the CABDR in a Death Valley Hotel rewatching this vid to enjoy the memories of sections along the AZ and NV borders. Camped on the Colorado River and stumbled upon a R&B concert in Primm. I’m on a 1200gsa and absolutely loving it. Temps ranging from 95-106F and going thru 2+ gallons of electrolyte added water daily. First day went off route and took 6hr to get thru 4mi of river rocks and lots of repairs were made and some rib and toe injuries addressed haha. The scenery coming into Death Valley is astonishing specifically Dante’s View. About to travel Badwater and then up to Lone Pine/Sierra Nevadas. This trip is Challenging ! But I wouldn’t hesitate to doing it again. The people you meet along the way are true characters.

[Richard.Cabeza]

Props to Dan Schoo for riding a GS successfully on this route. Rides what he sells. Well done.

[davechavis]

Quinn is a great addition to this crew ! great rider and humble dude.

[americandirtrider]

So crazy! Ive also run into the older gentlemen you met at the 52 minute mark. It was in Death Valley about 7 years ago. So cool to see he's still out there adding weird things to his van.

[wine_country_moto]

I’ve tooled around on section 7 once but only alone so I called it. Can’t wait to do the entire thing with a group. Thank you for making these available on YouTube. Great work on this film. Professional grade.

[frankwurdock]

Was good to hear Sterling Noren in this trailer. Haven't seen anything on The Motorcycle Travel Channel four plus months, and have been concerned about his well-being.

[xxxYYZxxx]

The diversity of So Cal landscapes makes them hard to describe, but for the diversity. There are so many unique looking landscapes in this video which could be conflated for another state or a different country altogether. The quality of these BDR videos can't be praised enough.

I propose 2 more CA BDR routes, Northern and Coastal, with the latter looping to and from where the N & S CABDRs connect.

[newenglandscrambler]

2 minutes in and this is already a million times better than the NVBDR video.

[mhilde]

You can't beat ROTTWEILER! GR8 company and unbelievable service and products!

[commonsense]

Well done video. Filming, production, and narration. Thank you. This is a great route, I did it in 2019.

[chuckmcinnish]

Awesome video. You got quite the treat meeting Robert at Cerro Gordo. Super great guy.

[davidbones]

I just watched this looks fun im up in Oregon ride a bmw gs alot off road we dont have much sand in the mountains sand sucks i did 500 miles off road in death valley now that was on a honda 650 l great ride i normally ride solo as im retired and camp and take my time y'all ride way to fast you miss alot of cool stuff im 70 and still at it ride safe

[walrus]

Great film, very well produced. This will be an excellent winter ride when there is snow in my state. 👍

[SailingCorina]

This is one BDR I enjoyed watching but not riding. Sand is not fun and I enjoy forests more. Probably because I'm from Tucson Arizona. I was excited about the SCBDR at first because I thought they made the route West of the mountains where everything is green. I've had enough desert for a lifetime. 😆

[RFortyFive]

Nicely done ladies and gentleman. Inspiring video. I really appreciate the work you've put in to make this route available. I look forward to riding it next month. We'll take the Idaho BDR down from the Canadian Boarder, then the Nevada BDR, then hop onto the SoCal BDR and ride it to Benton.

[andreasschmidt]

Ron West's narration and historical insight bring a depth to this BDR movie which is lacking from some of the others. (Watching the UTBDR made me cringe when they speculated that the rock art of Nine Mile Canyon is Anasazi; it's Fremont.) I wish I'd watched this before doing some riding through Mojave Preserve recently just to have some more historical perspective and know about those cool cabins just off the route. I've ridden much of this route before the CABDR was released and it's spectacular. If you have a smaller bike (I prefer a WR250R for this sort of riding) and the skills, the road from Cerro Gordo to the Salt Tram and Swansea grade is a fantastic trail that blows the rest of this route away in terms of scenery and difficulty. My other recommendation for those looking for extra challenge (and don't mind sand) is staying north on the old Vidal road and riding through the Whipple mountains to the Sunflower Springs road, which squeezes between several wilderness areas and rejoins the BDR in Essex. It feels like they jumped on the boring Cadiz RR siding road because they were tired of sand and needed to make up some time. Though described as a wintertime route, you are likely to encounter winter snow on the expert variation going over Papoose Flat and the White Mountains. That said, hats off to the route planners and film makers for doing the hard work so the rest of us can enjoy it. The old guy in the VW van really made my day with his words of wisdom... time to quit my job and pack in more adventure before it's too late.

[johnclark]

I used to ride these bigger ADV bikes, now I am on a 690 Enduro with a rally raid kit. It sure is a lot nicer picking it up and going through sand and technical stuff. I can't imagine going back to one of those overweight monsters!

[joeybobbie]

Great Ride, Great Video, Great everything. I really enjoyed this Video. Got lots of Pictures also.👍❤️