Is this really something a guy your age should be doing?

The Kraft Brothers c. 1972

I saw the original and definitive motorcycle movie, Bruce Brown's "On Any Sunday", for the first time when I was 12 years old.  My dad took me and my two brothers to see it at the local cinema where I watched the entire movie transfixed - I don't think I blinked.  I already loved riding dirt bikes, but after watching that amazing movie, riding was all I cared about or could think about.

Since then, I have probably watched the movie at least 50 or 60 times.  Even though I know the dialogue by heart, every time I sit down to watch, it's just as spellbinding as it was almost 50 years ago.  Over those years, I've grown up, raised a family, and had several careers.  But as my hobbies and interests have waxed and waned, one sport has remained a constant: riding and racing dirt bikes.

One of my favorite parts of "On Any Sunday" is the segment about the legendary Malcolm Smith and his many adventures riding the famous Baja 1000 race down the Baja peninsula from Ensenada to La Paz.  As a kid, I wished I could join Malcolm on one of his epic adventures into the wilds of the Baja deserts, mountains, and beaches.  However, as a Florida boy, my dreams of riding the wide-open deserts of the far West would have to remain fantasies... until April of last year. That's when my friend Rick Doughty invited me out to his beautiful home in the mountains near Big Bear Lake, California.  Rick had prepped a fantastic 2-stroke Yamaha YZ250 for me to ride, so the morning after I arrived, we loaded up the bikes and set off down the mountainside to the desert about a half hour from his place.  We drove out into the desert, parked, unloaded the bikes and spent a glorious day racing around the desert and the incredible variety of terrain offered by the Lucerne Valley.  Desert riding was everything I hoped it would be - and much, much more.  I was hooked like a trout.

SoCal Desert (Lucerne Valley) 2017

As soon as I got home I began planning the ultimate "Bucket List" trip:  Riding 1,200 miles down the Baja Peninsula, starting in Ensenada, going PAST La Paz and finishing up in the resort town of Cabo San Lucas!  The whole enchilada - err - peninsula.  So, after getting glowing recommendations from friends who had ridden Baja before, I contacted the good people at Chris Haines Motorcycle Adventure Company (Chris Haines Baja Adventures) and before you know it, the trip was ON and set for early April, 2018.

I'm currently sitting in my home workshop thinking about the fact that one week from tonight, we will be having dinner in San Diego, California and preparing for the start of our epic Baja adventure.  But first, just a bit about myself.  I will be turning 60 years old about 3 weeks after we get back from Baja - and I figured if I was EVER going to make this trip, it had better be soon!  I have always raced dirt bikes - observed trials, enduros, hare scrambles, and, especially, motocross.  I still race my 1975 Yamaha MX400 in the Sunshine State Vintage MX Series and have a motocross track in my backyard for practice on my more modern big-bore YZ400F Yamaha.  Even with my worn-out knees and recently broken ankle (six weeks ago - racing motocross), I feel like I am still in decent-enough shape to make this trek.

Chris - South Florida Hare Scrambles c. 1985

But what really makes this big adventure special is that BOTH of my brothers, Chris and Peter, have agreed to join me.  Chris used to do a lot of Hare Scrambles racing back in the '80s, and a bit of vintage motocross in the '90s, but since then, he hasn't done a lot of riding on two-wheelers. No matter.  He was a pretty good rider back then, and, like the man said, "It's just like falling off a log".  You don't forget how to ride.  Chris did come over to my house a few weeks ago to make some backyard practice track laps aboard my YZ400 - and he can still ride just fine.

Peter - Lockhart Stadium c. 1983

Peter used to race stadium motocross in the '80s - and a little vintage MX stuff in the '90s.  Since then, he has done quite a bit of recreational riding on his modern Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke.  Add that to the fact that he has done some incredible long-distance mountain bicycle rides and races in the past five years and I have no qualms about Peter.  He's always been the athlete of the family.  He can also still rail a berm like nobody's business.

Peter Jr - Team FSU

Rounding out Team Kraft is Peter's oldest son, Peter Jr.  At 25 years old, he is in perfect physical condition, and has done a bunch of off-road riding and motocross racing over the years.  He is also a world-class mountain bike rider having twice conquered the 3,000-mile Tour Divide (once with Peter Sr.), a race from Banff, Alberta, Canada, down the spine of the Continental Divide to Antelope, Mexico.  Peter Jr., will probably be our "rabbit".

Team Stuiso thunders through a corner on their big BSAs

Joining us will be the father-son team of Jay and Isaac Stuiso.  Jay and I have known each other for over 25 years, riding vintage motocross together.  Jay and Isaac often race their fleet of '60s-vintage, dinosaur-sized BSAs, but they also enjoy racing  their '80s "Post-Vintage" bikes.  Both great guys, they will fit in well with the rest of the group.

That's the crew.  Our schedule starts with flights out to San Diego on Tuesday, April 3rd.  That evening we'll have a "get-acquainted" dinner for the Krafts and Stuisos and a good night's rest before the Chris Haines folks pick us up the next day for the 80-mile drive down to Ensenada.  That's where we will get all our gear sorted out, meet the two guide riders that will be keeping us from getting lost, and also the rest of the support crew who will be following along with the truck and trailer to fuel the bikes, provide mechanical support, and keep the group moving south 200 miles a day for six days of riding. Then, early on Thursday morning, we'll fire up our Chris Haines-supplied Honda CRF450X off-road racers for the first day of our Baja adventure.  Stay tuned.  It WILL be epic.