Conquering Sand and Doubt with Dusty Wessels

Sticking to the familiar, comfortable routes off-road—riding the same easy trails day after day, taking the path of least resistance, and repeating these habits—keeps your mind in a perpetual loop. Our brains get used to these routines, further entrenching them each time. But to improve in vexing terrain like sand, I needed to alter my mindset, and I needed to work on my confidence as much as my technique. Suffice it to say, my self-belief has taken a sand-blasting recently.

The time came to shift my energy and change my mental state from static to soaring. To make any real, lasting changes, I had to think differently about my riding. This meant pushing past my comfort zone, so I decided to seek expert guidance.

• Shifting Gears

I stood amid the boundless possibilities of adventure in California’s Anza Borrego Desert, taking in a pink-streaked dawn. Alongside Jason, my seasoned partner in off-road exploration, I embarked on a journey that promised to test my riding skills and resolve. Despite 80,000 paved and dirt miles under my belt, a sense of apprehension lingered.

After a five-year hiatus from riding a BMW F650 GS, the prospect of maneuvering my more capable KTM 500 EXC-F through tricky sand was daunting. Off-road riding is a perishable skill, after all. A recent wrong turn on Arizona’s Devil Road resulted in difficulty stopping in a never-ending sandpit; it underpinned the urgent need for improvement.

The tide began to turn during a serendipitous encounter with Dusty Wessels of West38Moto (West38Moto.com) in Borrego Springs, California. Mr. Wessels, a master of the off-road domain, extended an invitation for a day of personalized instruction—a chance to revisit the fundamentals and become acquainted with the art of sand riding. Eager to conquer the devilish sandscape, I jumped at the opportunity to confront the challenge, hell-bent on transforming my perception of sand from adversary to ally.

A moment of surpassing my own expectations, fueled by Dusty’s gratifying blend of fist-pumping encouragement and guidance. | Photo Credit: Jason Spafford

• Paving the Fundamental Pathway

When you’re off-roading, slow speed control reigns supreme. Alas, my own style was more akin to a raccoon on meth than Dakar-ready in anything loose. My mind teemed with questions and uncertainties about the day ahead. However, Dusty’s charismatic teaching style helped me concentrate on the basics of off-road riding fundamentals with eagerness and commitment, starting with the cornerstone of our training: the “Triple Threat.” This pivotal principle, encompassing clutch, brake, and throttle control, was the foundation upon which all other skills would be built. 

Some tips are to steer with throttle and your feet on the pegs. Try to avoid using the handlebars to steer. Also, you should be fluid when standing on the pegs. The better balance you have the easier it will be to ride in the sand.

• Becoming Besties with Your Bike

As I navigated the intricacies of controlling my unladen 500 at slow speeds, each movement and adjustment brought me one step closer to grasping the beguiling art of adept off-road riding. First off, the more controlled momentum you have, the easier and better riding will be. However, if you want to get better at riding in the sand, a good exercise and practice is riding really slowly in deeper sand. This will challenge you more and you'll develop a better understanding of riding in the sand at a faster pace.

Up on the pegs, I lapped up the immediate benefits of this standing posture—command over the bike’s movements, enhanced ability to absorb bumps and obstacles, and a dynamic shift in my point of influence. As I better balanced the motorcycle at slow speeds, I marveled at the heightened sense of stability and control that came with proper body positioning, particularly in a neutral stance. 

With each turn of the motorcycle with my feet, I felt more attuned to the rhythm of the bike on dirt, navigating obstacles with growing ease and the occasional sprinkling of grace. With Dusty’s intervention, knowing how far to push or praise me, I embraced each hurdle as an opportunity for growth. As I fine-tuned my lower body positioning, I experienced less fatigue and began to feel more assertive behind the handlebars.

Demonstrating the art of weightshifting with finesse and easy-to-follow precision. | Photo Credit: David Fox

• Trusting My Motorcycle

The morning progressed into an exercise of controlled stops and skids, each further elevating my control and technique. I learned to harness the full range of the rear and front brakes, understanding their nuances and when to deploy each for maximum effect. With steady encouragement, I committed to counterbalancing, turning sharp, and sweeping corners more proficiently. Riding tight circles in a box and executing figure-eights became second nature as I transferred my weight correctly on the pegs. 

Trust the bike to a point. Try to stay with the bike (controlled momentum in a balanced neutral body position) and anticipate any corrections. Don't get behind or in front of the bike riding in the sand. If this happens recovery will be much more difficult.  Then, the moment I had been expecting and dreading arrived: learning to ride sand safely and comfortably. With Dusty’s clear guidance, I approached the summoning with an open mind.

• Embracing the Suck

An odd mix of readiness and trepidation coursed through me as the difficulty level climbed, and I headed towards deeper sand. When traversing through the soft stuff previously, I felt like a mistaken jigsaw piece that had found its way into the wrong puzzle. Mastering the lighter sand trails was a satisfying accomplishment, but as I ventured further into the sandy abyss, I encountered the most demanding test.

Yet, maneuvering through turns and staying upright in front of Dusty became an unrefined dance, with the motorcycle seemingly charting its own course at times. It was a humbling realization that micromanaging the bike in the face of sand was futile; instead, I learned to guide it gently along the trails ahead. Embracing the inherent unpredictability of the loose grains, I found myself entering a realm where discomfort intertwined with growth—a place where embracing the suck became a rite of passage. 

While mastery remained elusive, I took solace in the fact that I was becoming better acquainted with the sand’s taxing peculiarities, its fear-inducing, squirmy nature. It was still tricky, but there was a glimmer of progress—something intangible that marked an advancement. It was as if this flash of confidence I’d somehow accrued was something more than a matchstick’s brief transitory flare. Apparently, I’d found the sweet spot or was at least on my way to getting there!

Sometimes you eat sand, but you just have to laugh it off and get back on the bike! | Photo Credit: Jason Spafford

• The Art of Sand Riding

As we wrapped up the day, I reflected on the profound lesson learned: amid the unpredictable sands of off-road riding, finding acceptance amid the chaos is a journey in itself. I pondered Eleanor Roosevelt’s age-old adage: “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” And time and again, I’ve discovered that you can attain it more often than not. Each conquered skill and mile brought me closer to conquering the difficulties of sand riding.

After the bespoke tuition, I overcame my doubts, immobilizing fears and limitations—all psychological. My arms hung loose as noodles, muscles aflame. Utterly spent, I felt completely grounded. All the tension and dread that had wound me tighter than a clock unspooled in one euphoric outburst. I looked at Dusty, hugged him hard, and glowed like a small sun as I said an ecstatic thank you.

As the sun flushed the mountains with beautiful light and cast long shadows, painting the sky in honey-warm hues, I straddled my KTM proudly. My flesh remembered it was fiercely alive as the blood sparked in my veins—a testament to the growth and discovery acquired that day. Riding into the sunset, I carried a sense of purpose and triumph. With a day’s learning from West38Moto at the forefront, it felt like my heart was full of helium, lifting me skyward. Ride on, rubber down.

Witnessing Dusty’s mastery of sand riding was all kinds of awesome, even when my slow-speed skills inadvertently caused him to dab and put a foot down—a chuckle moment for me amid my ongoing skill development! | Photo Credit: David Fox

Meet Lisa Morris and Jason Spafford, the adventurous duo behind Four Wheeled Nomad. For over two decades, they’ve been on a relentless quest for remote exploration. From running liveaboard scuba diving Red Sea trips to their 80,000-mile motorcycle journey from Antarctica to Alaska, their stories have been nothing short of extraordinary. Today, they traverse the wilds of North America astride adventurized KTM 500 EXC-Fs, documenting their escapades on YouTube and beautiful cinematography on the stock footage library, Dissolve. Look for “FourWheeledNomad” on YouTube, Instagram, Dissolve, Facebook (Four-Wheeled-Nomad), and FourWheeledNomad.com.