Wilsons Sandbox

Another newbie here. I've got a ton of street miles under me and a fair amount of 4WD miles, but hardly any 2-wheel dirt miles. I've only had this '98 KLR650 for a few months now and I love it. Since 98% of my riding is on pavement, I put Gripsters on it and they're great on the mountain roads here in San Diego County. Last weekend I went up to Joshua Tree National Park with some sportbike friends. It was a treat blasting down hiway 243 from Idyllwild to Banning. The rough surface gave some of the sportbikes fits, but the KLR just flew over the bumps. We had a nice camp at Black Rock Canyon and in the morning when the sporties headed home, I continued on through the park. I took Berdoo Canyon Road, which is about 20 miles of 4WD track. For most of the way, the surface was a combination of washboard and soft sand. Then it turns to cobbles, dirt & boulders as it drops down to the Coachella Valley. I didn't drop the bike, but I came close a bunch of times. It's by far the most challenging road I've been on. Average speed was 15-20mph. The front tire got so squirrelly in the sand, I got a blister from holding the grips. So, what can I do to make it easier? Dirt tires would help, I'm sure, but are there real techniques for dirt riding? TIA, TomK

If one wants to reduce vibration...one could drive a car. I here they are very, very smooth. thks and rgds carl.