It might seem weird to start with a logo, but let me just say this: The best logo design shows you what you're about to get into if you use, visit, or do the thing pictured. And in that regard, in my opinion, the brand-new Rip and Dip Ranch experience in the beautiful Mohave Valley, Arizona, absolutely excels.
Both the place and the logo are bright, bright, bright. You'll want sunglasses, a sun hat, and plenty of sunscreen. Also, you'll want to make even more sure than usual that you stay hydrated and that you're dressed appropriately. But if you do all that, and you visit the Rip and Dip Ranch, you're probably going to have a fantastic time.
Founded by legendary racers Sara Price and Ricky Brabec, the Rip and Dip Ranch is a four-acre desert playground for all kinds of fun off-road pursuits. And since it sits right on the Colorado River, and has its own private dock and beach, it's also the perfect place to just relax and chill all the way out after you experience the heart-pounding thrills of the excellent off-road riding and driving opportunities in the area.
After all, fun is a spectrum! You go on the roller coaster ride first, and you get the ice cream after. Right? Right. And so it was for us, as well.
Prepping For A Ride With A Legend
Our group was pleasantly small, and I had the extremely awesome experience of riding shotgun with Sara in her fully race-prepped Can-Am Maverick R Rip and Dip Ranch Edition. Yes, it's loud, but the beast sounds good, and the turbo flutter noises also kind of make your heart flutter, too, depending on the type of person you are. (If you're reading this, I'm guessing you're that type of person, so.)
If you've never experienced a race rig like this, one thing you should know is that you have to climb into it through the window. The doors are welded shut, so you have to carefully place your feet on them, pull yourself up via the bars that go over the doorframe (it's essentially a glorified rollcage with bodywork), and then climb inside.
How you climb in may, of course, impact how easy it is to situate yourself in the racing-style bucket seats, and then strap yourself in with the five-point racing harness. Climb in backward, and you'll have to turn around in a very tight space (the footwell could be a challenge, even if you have relatively small feet like me). Climb in forward, and it's a lot smoother.
Once you're in, it's time to adjust all the straps on the five-point harness, plug in the comms (helmets are wired both for in-car communication between codrivers, as well as intra-car communication among your group), and of course, securely latch the side window-panel shut.
One thing to note for Can-Am fans that you may or may not have been aware of: The same massive TFT display that's found in all of Can-Am's three-wheelers is also present in the Maverick R and Defender side-by-sides (the latter of which I drove myself later in the day).
I Rode Shotgun With Sara Price, And It Was So Much Fun
"Have you ever thought about racing?" was one of the first questions Sara asked me after we both got situated in her race rig. And I have to admit, it caught me off guard. I've loved racing for a long time, but as a spectator, never as something I pictured myself doing. There are multiple reasons for this, of course, so I responded with one of them.
"I mean, not really? Especially now, it seems like every great racer starts so young, and I didn't learn to drive or ride until I was already an adult. Meanwhile, all the greats seem to have started when they were in the single digits," I said.
"That's more true in motorcycles, but less so in cars. There are lots of people who get started racing on four wheels later in life," Sara responded as we rocketed off to start our day in the desert.
She's not wrong; increasingly, in fact, you find more two-wheeled legends making the switch to some type of racing on four-wheels later in their careers. Laia Sanz, Valentino Rossi...and of course, Sara herself, who is also working hard to train for the 2026 Dakar Rally, where she'll be sponsored by Jaguar Land Rover.
Although she's got plenty of race- and championship-winning hardware that she's won on display at the Ranch, it's Ricky who has the Dakar trophies—and Sara wants one of her own. I mean, wouldn't you?
The ride started out at a more sedate pace at first, which makes perfect sense, since we had to do a very small amount of highway driving before we got to the trails. Once we got to the trails, it was, of course, a group ride, so no one was going flat out.
"If you were out here riding by yourself, and not on a group ride, how fast would you be going?" I asked Sara at one point.
She laughed. "Much faster."
But as in other solo vs. group ride situations, it's a different vibe. This was more about having fun and yet still being able to take in all the natural beauty around us, of which I can assure you there is plenty. There are different types of sand, different types of mountains, rocks, plant life, and really cool cacti, but there are a lot of varieties of them in the world, you know? Some farmers in the area have massive tracts of alfalfa fields, which of course require irrigation, and which make the air noticeably more humid than in the sandier areas as you roll by.
All the Can-Am vehicles we rode in were equipped with a variety of BF Goodrich off-road tires, and all performed well, even in some of the more challenging conditions we rode through later. Additionally, all the vehicles had your choice of 2WD or 4WD, switchable to meet the moment.
Riding at the front of the pack with Sara was an especially cool experience for multiple reasons. One, she's an expert driver, so there is of course that. But two, when you're riding shotgun and you're not in control of the vehicle, you have more of an opportunity to actually look around and take in the scenery. Since this was a more relaxed ride and we weren't going flat out the whole time, it was still difficult to know where to look because there's so much to see, but you do at least have plenty of time to look in multiple directions if you choose. (Having a 360 camera also helped, so I can go back and relive it later. You'll see video soon, I promise.)
True to what we'd been told, as we started to roll up the mountain toward Oatman, we were being watched. Not by people; at least, not that we could see. By donkeys.
The area is apparently known for its wild donkey population, and you can see donkeys of all ages, shapes, and sizes. Since they're a known tourist attraction, lots of people feed them, so many have become socialized to come up and actively ask you for food. And if you don't give them any, they will absolutely move on to the next person without looking back.
On the trails, it seems like they might be a little more circumspect (although not always, we were told). But if you actually enter the town of Oatman, they're everywhere. In the street, on the sidewalks, poking their heads into and out of shops, into and out of your vehicle; you name it.
Dakar Tires Can Make Even Us Mere Mortals Feel Unstoppable
As we've established, I'm not, have never been, and will probably never be a racer; just a racing fan. And I'm perfectly happy with that.
Still, if you give me the keys and say, "Hey, do you want to go drive that Can-Am Defender?" I'll probably say yes. Provided I'm not getting surprise-drafted into a racing event, that is. (Don't worry; I wasn't.)
After lunch, I switched vehicles and moved on over to a customer-specced Can-Am Defender. This had doors you could open and close, which made it much easier to climb into and out of. It also had a windshield, but normal car-style seat belts instead of racing harnesses. Also, no racing bucket seats.
It's also considerably less powerful, and so probably a lot less likely for a less experienced side-by-side driver like me to get into trouble with it. There's plenty of power, don't get me wrong; it's just not a Mav R.
But at the same time, it's worth noting that while other vehicles in our group were outfitted with the customer-level BF Goodrich Baja T/A KR2 SXS/UTV and Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 UTV tires, the Defender I was driving had the special All-Terrain T/A KDR3 SXS tires on it.
The Dakar tires, in other words, the ones that Seth Quintero drove to 12 separate 2023 Dakar Rally stage victories, those were on my Defender.
We took a different route back down the mountain to get to the Rip and Dip Ranch. While the way up the mountain was relatively gentle, there were some gnarly rocks and ruts and things that we definitely didn't experience coming in.
I slowed down, picked my lines carefully, and just kept going through. Those Dakar tires absolutely did their job, even over some pointy-looking rocks. At one point, there was a big boulder that definitely looked like it needed to be straddled, but it was taller than I'd anticipated. It scraped the bash plate underneath, and I kept waiting to hear or see any sign that it had done serious damage.
But it didn't. The bash plate did its job, the tires did their jobs, and the Defender just kept on defending, even in the hands of an off-roading amateur like myself. I felt pretty proud after I realized that we'd done it, and that the vehicle was intact!
And then, on the way back, I saw a real, live roadrunner for the first time ever. I've been to the Southwest, and even to Arizona before—but everything that had ever crossed my mind about roadrunners came from cartoons watched when I was a kid. Somewhere in my mind, I knew that guy was loosely based on an actual bird found in nature, but I'd still never seen one.
Until a week ago. So now, I'm here to tell you that they are, in fact, pretty quick little guys! Now you're ready for when you see one, if you haven't already.
After The Rip, There's Also A Dip
Breaking news: The desert is hot, you guys. Over 100F by the time we got back, in fact.
And also, water is wet.
As the relentless sun baked us all, we were very much looking forward to the calm, cool respite of that lovely little beach on the banks of the Colorado River. So we pulled into the workshop, parked our vehicles, and rehydrated before getting ready to go out in and on the water.
It's a pretty amazing downshift, going from the fun and challenge of picking your way through trails, rejoicing in your personal victory, and then appreciating some quality chill time on the water. Fun is totally a spectrum!
We floated lazily on the river for a while, with some occasionally diving off the boat into the relatively still waters of the river for a little added refreshment. It was serene, scenic, and sensational.
The relaxation spun out even further as we had a delightful dinner on the beach, cooked by the Rip and Dip Ranch's resident grillmaster, Mitch (with unforgettable pie made by his wife). We're talking about a guy who makes killer homemade croutons out of homemade bread; the kind you can eat like popcorn if you're not careful. That, plus the lovely bonfire on the beach before bedtime made the perfect end to a perfect day.
Playing in the dirt is a blast, but so is getting clean in the water. At the Rip and Dip, you can do both.
