Slash X Ranch Bar, Stoddard Wells, California
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Slash X Ranch Bar, Stoddard Wells, California
JUST SOUTH OF BARSTOW, California, in the heart of the great Mojave Desert, lies a 100,000-acre region called Stoddard Wells, listed as an open off-road vehicle recreation area by the Bureau of Land Management. Aside from its hundreds of miles of trails and its proximity to the eastern suburbs of the L.A. basin, the area also has an attraction that draws countless off-road riders as well as many street riders: The Slash X Ranch Bar.
Located on California state highway 247 about eight miles south of Barstow, the Slash X is, by most people’s standards, smack in the middle of nowhere. But due to its remote location, trail riders can motor right up to the front door with little fear of running afoul of the law.
Basically, the Slash X is a honky-tonk beer bar; but with most of its business coming from dirtbike and ATV riders, the owners have expanded the menu to include burgers and what just might be the best fries in the entire Mojave desert. Pool, shuffleboard and other games of skill await dusty riders seeking a break during a long ride. And regulars have left hats of all descriptions hanging on nails in the rafters, so that one can wear his own cap during each visit. Occasionally, a two-man band will perform some of the worst renditions of country hits you could hear anywhere.
It’s not unusual for motorcyclists to find—and feel welcome in—a place like the Slash X, but it’s unusual to find such a place packed with people wearing MX pants, boots and jerseys. That makes the Slash X more than just a bar for desert riders; it’s a made-to-order oasis.
—Jim Hansen
