RIDES: KTM RALLY 9/10-9/13

Byron & I attended the KTM Adventure Bike Rally in Riggins.

Fun weekend put ~ 1k miles miles on the big bike and found another location I need to explore on the 640 & 300.

THURSDAY

Boise- Riggins ~300 miles

Rocky Canyon=> Robbie Creek=> Grimes Creek=> Centerville=> Garden Valley=>Lowman => Bear Valley => Landmark=> McCall=> Bergdorf=>FSR325=> FSR318=> Salmon River Road=> Riggins

We rolled into Riggins at 8:30 ( dark thirty), had 10-11 hrs in the saddle.

FSR325 is a jeep trail that takes you from the Warren Wagon road to War Eagle Mt LO and connects to FSR318 that drops you down to the Wind River Bridge as part of the ICT. It has a dirt bike quality when riding on a fully loaded 950 ADV.

I met Byron at his house 9AM Thursday morning.

Barry -

“ This is a little known house of horrors !

Used as a safe house for a BIG CARBON & BIG INSURANCE sleeper cell.”

BIG MEADOW IN BEAR VALLEY

VIEW FROM FSR 318

VIEW INTO GOSPEL HUMP WILDERNESS

ME & BARRY

BARRY – “ YOU MAY NOT LIKE MY SPEECHES , BUT I HAVE LOTS OF THEM.”

We found the ICT marker but decided to take “the road” down to the Salmon. The “road” turned out to be for the Bear Creek Mine & we had to back track back up the ridge to the ITC.

The lower part of 318 is unmaintained FSR, wider than an ATV trail but not wide enough for a jeep . It had a few rocky rutted stretches that were a hand full with the loaded 950. It would have been easier if it was at the beginning of the day vs.. the end of the ride.

WIND RIVER BRIDGE

IT LOOKS YOU CAN RIDE ACROSS AND TAKE SOME TRACKS THAT SKIRT THE WILDERNESS UP TO FSR221.

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FRIDAY

RIGGINS MOTEL , WE HAD A GARDEN & CHICKEN COOP NEXT DOOR.

We signed in Friday morning downloaded the routes and collected the maps for the days rides. KTM had a 100 riders sign in and lots of bikes. Above is Jonahs Street’s 690 he rode last year’s “Dakar”.

Mike Lafferty , David Kamo & Paul Krause were on hand.

The routes were to skim Hells Canyon.

My TOPO data base wouldn’t work with the CITY NAVIGATOR routes. Byron had CN but we still had problems with the GPS directions. We ended up taking some loops backwards and back tracking. We still clocked 125 miles even though we missed some of the sights.

PRESCRIBED BURN IN BACKGROUND

SEVEN DEVILS OVER THE RIDGE

VIEWS OF HELLS CANYON

NEZ PERCE BATTLE GROUND FROM WHITE BIRD HILL

BATTLE GROUND SITE- START OF THE NEZ PERCE WAR .

Back in Riggins I found Bob and started working on Saturdays route.

Still couldn’t get the routes to load so I had Bob mark the route on a FS map and then wrote down the key turns & intersections on 4 X 8 sheet of paper.

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SATURDAY

SATURDAY WAS A GREAT RIDE, MORE THAN MADE UP FOR FRIDAY.

EVEN BAILING OUT EARLY WE CLOCKED 300 MILES ON WHAT BOB SAID WAS A 250 MILE LOOP.

I SPOTTED A MOOSE ALONG SLATE CREEK ON THE WAY OUT OF RIGGINS.

SF CLEARWATER RIVER ALONG HWY14.

WE HAD A 40 MINUTE DELAY ON HWY14 WAITING FOR A HELI LOGGING OPERATION DROPPING OFF LOGS. CHATTED WITH SOME COPS FROM WISCONSIN WHILE WE WAITED.

ELK CITY TO DIXIE VIA CROOKED RIVER WAS A SWEET RIDE THROUGH OLD GOLD RUSH COUNTRY.

GNOME GHOST TOWN BETWEEN ELK CITY & DIXIE

OROGRANDE ALONG CRO0KED RIVER ROAD

OVER LOOKING DIXIE FROM FSR 311.

DIXIE MAIN STREET.

ONE OF THE LOCALS ASKED IF “KTM” STOOD FOR “ KLOD THROWING MOTHER”

THEY HAD 21 FT OF SNOW LAST YEAR WITH ABOUT 7FT ON GROUND AT ANY ONE TIME.

SLIVER SPUR COWBOY.

SLIVER SPUR LODGE & CAFE

THEY DON’T CARE TOO MUCH FOR BARRY IN THESE PARTS.

VIEW FROM ELK CITY WAGON ROAD.

WE HAD TO BAIL EARLY AND MISSED SOME GOOD JEEP SECTIONS

MIKE LAFFERTY AND BARRY

BARRY AND FRIENDS

John Dayton Freedom Czar !

Big Fork , MT

BOB CAT ( BOB CAT INN OREGON)

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SUNDAY

STARTED THE MORNING WITH A SMALL MECHANICAL PROBLEM.

BECAUSE OF ACOUSTICAL ACTIVITY I WAS USING EAR PLUGS AT NIGHT, BUT WHEN I GOT UP SUNDAY ONE OF THEM WAS STUCK IN MY EAR. BYRON WAS ABLE TO TO RECOVER IT WITH A SMALL PAIR OF SCISSORS.

RIGGINS – BOISE 265 MILES

WE TOOK FRENCH CREEK UP TO BERGDORF. STOPPED IN AT THE TVTMA CAMP AND SAID HIGH. SOUNDS LIKE THEY GOT OVER 200 MILES OF RIDING PLUS MOUNTAIN BIKING !