Colorado River Explorer SOUTH

June 8 – 10, 2024

The Colorado River Explorer South is a three day Personal Water Craft ride based out of Palo Verde CA.

Riders will explore this southern part of the Colorado River system by traveling both South and North from Palo Verde.

The evening will be camping on the banks of the river.  This will give riders a chance to practice carrying all there gear and camping and eating on the Trail

The Colorado River between Parker and Yuma is a popular spot for jet skiing and camping. There are many campgrounds along the river, so you can find one that is convenient for you.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning your trip:

Here is a possible itinerary for your trip:

I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions.


Is this route right for you?

This route is not good for beginners; you should be very experienced in backcountry travel and prepared for any difficulty or failures.  This route includes options: both easier and harder routes.  As an example for those wanting to avoid river crossings, we have added workaround route options.  For those just tired and wanting to end the day early, we have added easy paved shortcuts.  And for those tough guys wanting more, we have added some challenging routes.

 Signup info:

At this point the ride is being developed.  We have chosen the dates and have developed a draft plan of the routes and places to stay.  We are working on the logistics.   We have decided it is time to start a rider's interest list so if you are interested, you should add your name and info to the list.  We will contact you when we have our plans complete.


I am interested in this ride!  Add you name to the Rider's Interest List

View the ride maps

OK since many of you like to study more detail about the ride, below are the ride maps.

I put these ride maps on the web page because I know a few of you love looking at the ride detail and dreaming about the ride.  At first glance these maps do not look so impressive, but they are way cool.  If you start zooming in, you can see the ride in incredible detail.  I have spent a ton of hours sorting through the details of the ride for each day, so for those of you that enjoy this sort of thing, well enjoy!


Ride Yoda's

Magic Yoda Roberto

Young Jedi Jeffrey

The WaveRunner Backstory:  How did we get here and where are we going

Our desire here is to do big adventures on Personal Watercrafts.  This comes from the fun we have had for years doing big motorcycle adventures.  We have our eyes focused on riding down the Gulf of California in Baja Mexico from San Felipe to Cabo San lucas. This plan will be a 2 week adventure in some very remote waters of the world. Our travels will take us over 1125 Km.  We are planning on staying partly in ports and part will be camping.  We will be running a support crew on land.  

Our plan is to invite other capable riders but we all must prove that we are capable and would be able to help each other if necessary.  So we are running several small pre-rides in order to test each other and prove our capability and readiness. Also it is important to develop trusting long term friendships

So we invite you to join us on these smaller adventure decide how it can work for you

What are these Adventures like? These trips are designed along the theme of exploring the world.  Rides are a mix of waterways and sometimes some surprises due to weather conditions.  These trips are for experienced, well seasoned riders that are capable of turning a negative experience into just part of the day's fun.  Riders should be comfortable with turning around when necessary and finding an alternative route around unexpected obstacles. These trips are not for new riders. As an experienced traveler, the tough part of having a great adventure is the routing and logistics.  What routes do I take? Where do I stay? How do I find the best routes and places?

How does the ride navigation work?

This is a self-led GPS ride; all riding is on your own.  You are responsible for your own riding.  You will be given a GPS map file and instructions on how to use your Garmin GPS unit.  People will hook up in small groups of less than 6 riders and tend to ride together.  You are not encouraged to ride alone.  You are responsible for your own riding and yourself. 

 (see my ride Navigation Video)

 

Are you right for this ride?

When something goes wrong on a ride, would your riding friends say that you are more likely to need help or more likely to give help?  You should be in the more likely to offer help camp.  This ride is filled with riders that are more likely to give help, so most of the time the riders never need help.  Additionally there is all the normal stuff, come prepared to maintain your bike, fix your bike on the trail, repair flat tires, deal with bad weather and rain and make a joke or two.


How do I make the GPS stuff so easy?

I develop very high quality ride maps custom for our ride. They come from much of what I and others have ridden.  I take the best from all my rides and make new ones. 

(See my Custom Ride Maps Video)

 

Note from me, gpsKevin

My goal for this ride is simple:  great riding.  So you can count on great routes and places to ride.

But in addition, the ride is about discovering new places, meeting new friends, seeing new parts of the country.

Thanks

gpsKevin



FAQ's

Q; What do I do if I don't have a Garmin GPS?

A: Buy one, you need it, we will show you how to use it. You can get a great one for under $200 bucks. ( See gpsKevin's gps recommendations)

Q: Is the riding really on my own?

A: Yes, but almost everyone hooks up and rides with a friend, or a new friend or me.

Warning:

Any and all riding is on you own.  Conditions change and routes may not be navigable.

Legal access can change and is not guaranteed.  Riders must assess the local conditions.

Weather can make the routes impassable.  Riders must obey all local laws

gpsKevin assumes no liability for these rides or your actions.