RIDES: October 2010

RIDERS – DAVID / TRAIL BOSS

JOHN

LOOP ~ 48 MILES

WE BOTH WANTED TO RIDE SOME TRAILS WE HAVEN’T DONE AT ALL OR AT LEAST THIS SEASON. WE SET OFF TO FIND TRAIL 654 (84) IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WE USUALLY TAKE.

ON THE WAY OUT WE PASSED THE RANCHER WHO LIVES IN THE ROCK HOUSE, SHOULD OF ASKED HIM FOR DIRECTIONS. GOT TO THE WELLS SUMMIT ROAD AND DAVID REALIZED WE MISSED IT.

IT TOOK US A COUPLE OF HOURS TO FINALLY FIND IT AND IT WAS WELL WORTH THE EFFORT.

ONE OF THE MANY REFERENCES TO THE MAP.

A COUPLE OF THE MORE PROMISING FALSE STARTS.

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WAS I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CHANGE THE LAT/LON UNITS ON THE GPS TO MATCH THE MAP WE HAD. ( I DO NOW !).

THE “NEW STUFF” FOLLOW A RIDGE UP TOWARD DOLLAR HIDE.

WE FINALLY FIND IT

ONE OF THE VIEWS ON THE WAY UP. I THINK WE ARE LOOKING AT SOLDIER MOUNTAIN OR MAYBE SMOKEY DOME.

LITTLE SMOKEY ROAD IS BELOW US.

DAVID JUST BEFORE THE SIDE HILL.

SCOUTING THE SIDE HILL

FUN RIDE UP TO THE TOP

SUCCESS ! WE MADE IT TO THE RIDGE TRAIL THAT CONNECTS MIDDLE FORK & MEADOW CREEK TRAILS.

WE HAD LUNCH AND SCOUTED THE TRAIL SYSTEM FROM OUR VANTAGE POINT. SAW ANOTHER PIECE OF SINGLE TRACK WE NEVER HAD RIDDEN !

SF TO MEADOW CREEK TO 654

SUMMARY

5 DAYS OF RIDING ~ 260 MILES

ATTENDEES –

SCOTT

SHELBY

DAVID

KAREN

JON

GORDON

GERALD

RANDY

BRENT

DAKOTA , MOTO, HEIDI

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GETTING READY TO ROLL !

OIL, PROOF GOD LOVES DIRT BIKING .

DAY 1 - FRIDAY 10/1/10

RIDERS : DAVID –TRAIL BOSS

SCOTT , JON , JOHN

LOOP – 65 MILES ( 32 MILES ROAD )

BIG SMOKEY, BLUFF CREEK, WEST FORK BIG PEAK, BIG PEAK, LICK CREEK

LOOP AROUND BIG PEAK

BIG SMOKEY HIGH TRAIL

BIG SMOKEY SIDE HILLS

CREEK CROSSING-SCOTT WENT FIRST. WE WATCHED AND DECIDED IT WASN’T THE BEST LINE. FOUND A BETTER LINE A FEW YARDS UP STREAM.

HE GOT THE HUSKY RUNNING AFTER ~ AN HOUR.

WE EMPTIED OUR BOOTS WHILE SCOTT WORKED ON HIS BIKE.

BLUFF CREEK WAS QUITE A CLIMB. THEN IT HAD SOME BOTTOMLESS RUTS AND LOOSE SWITCHBACKS AT THE TOP.

MID WAY UP BLUFF CREEK

BREAK AT THE TOP OF SADDLE. I WAS EXHAUSTED AND ALMOST OUT OF WATER.

WEST FORK WAS A NICE RELAXING TRAIL.

SCOTT AND JON BLEW PAST THE INTERSECTION. I WAS ABLE TO REST AN RE-HYDRATE. AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR THEY FINALLY RETURNED, BEFORE DAVID AND I DECIDED TO HEAD OUT. WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT LOOSING DAYLIGHT IF WE WAITED TOO MUCH LONGER. JON SAID IT WAS AN UPHILL CLIMB BOTH WAYS.

SCOTTS BIKE ON THE TOP OF BIG PEAK TRAIL.

BOTH THE CONNECT AND LICK CREEK WERE FUN EASY RIDES.

SCOTT NEAR THE BOTTOM OF LICK CREEK.

BRINGING IT ON HOME. THE DUAL SPORTING PART.

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DAY 2- SATURDAY 10/2/10

RIDERS – DAVID , TRAIL BOSS

SCOTT, GORDON, JON, JOHN

DECIDED TO TAKE A SHORT RIDE. LEFT CAMP ~ 11:30 AM AND GOT BACK BY 2 PM.

LOOP – 25 MILES

SKELETON & LITTLE WATER

SKELETON CREEK TRAIL-GATEWAY TO THE SAWTOOTHS, I RODE PARTS OF IT 4 TIMES DURING THE WEEK.

RIDE INTO “RED HORSE” MINE

MINING CABIN

GORDON , JON & SCOTT

SCENES FROM THE RUN DOWN LITTLE WATER. GREAT VIEWS ON THE WAY DOWN.

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DAY 3 – SUNDAY 10/3/10

I WANTED ANOTHER EASY DAY , SO WE RODE THE LIME CREEK LOOP

RIDERS – SCOTT , GORDON , JON, JOHN ( SWEEP & TRAIL BOSS !)

LOOP- IRON MT TRAIL=> BREMNER => SF LIME CREEK => PRESIDENT=> BLUE RIDGE=> IRON MT TRAIL

I DID 45 MILES.

GORDON & SCOTT DID A BIT MORE SINCE THEY RODE UP TO IRON MT LOOKOUT.

JON DID THE MOST SINCE HE MISSED THE TRAIL HEAD & RODE UP TO THE LOOKOUT WITH SCOTT & GORDON.

EARLY MORING SOAK BEFORE THE RIDE. POOL WAS JUST FILLING UP. IT’S NOT CALLED “THE LAZY BUTT” FOR NOTHING.

AFTER A BRIEF “RIDERS MEETING” – I RODE AROUND AND SAID WE WOULD MEET AT THE BOTTOM OF KELLY CREEK.

JON THOUGHT HE WAS LAST, BUT ACTUALLY GOT TO THE TRAIL HEAD FIRST EXCEPT HE BLEW BY AND HEADED UP THE ‘WEST FORK OF KELLY CREEK’. I TRIED TO CATCH HIM ON ‘ KELLY CREEK’. SAW SCRATCH MARKS ON THE CREEK CROSSING BUT THESE WERE ANOTHER GROUP. SCOTT CAUGHT ME ( ACTUALLY SAID I WAS RIDING FAST ). I STILL THOUGHT JON WAS ON KELLY CREEK. WE GOT TO THE CREST AND WAITED. WE GATHERED UP AND FINALLY STARTED HEADING DOWN BREMNER. AT THE COYOTE INTERSECTION JON DECIDED HE NEEDED LUNCH, IT WAS 1PM SLOW START !

SOUTH FORK LIME CREEK TO ROANHIDE. STILL SHOWS SIGNS OF SHEEP ON MANY OF THE SIDE HILLS.

THE TIGHT SECTION OF SOUTH FORK.

GORDON POINTING OUT ALL THE SEASONAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW MIDDLE FORK CROSSING. EARLY IN THE SEASON IT WAS DECEPTIVE , LOOKED SHALLOW BUT WAS DEEP DUE TO A BEAVER DAM WHICH HID THE ROCKS. BEAVER DAM WAS PULLED OUT WHEN WE CROSSED.

FUN EASY TRAIL. I DID TAKE A SPILL IN A LOOSE SECTION.

THE REST OF THE RIDE WAS UNEVENTFUL, BUT WHEN I GOT TO THE BLUE RIDGE INTERSECTION I DIDN’T SEE ANYBODY. JUST FIGURED SCOTT WAS IN A HURRY AGAIN SINCE WE ANOTHER “DISCUSSION” ABOUT WHAT WAS AHEAD A FEW MILES BACK.

I CRUISED ON BACK TO CAMP, GOT BACK BY 4PM. BY 6PM THERE WAS NO SIGN OF THEM. 2 HRS WAS WAY TOO LONG FOR THEM TO RUN UP TO THE LOOKOUT. THERE WAS 3 OF THEM AND 1 OF ME, SO I WASN’T GOING TO MOUNT A SEARCH. IF THEY WEREN’T BACK BY DARK I FIGURED I WOULD CALL SHELBY TO SEE IF SHE WANTED ME TO CALL THE SHERIFF ! THEY FINALLY ROLLED IN BY 7 PM. BOTH GORDON AND SCOTT GOT PINCH FLATS NEAR THE LOOKOUT. SOUNDED LIKE NEITHER ONE HAD GOOD TUBES OF GLUE, BUT BETWEEN THE THREE THEY HAD TWO SPARE TUBES.

GERALD , RANDY AND BRETT ROLLED INTO CAMP ABOUT 8:30 PM

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DAY 4- MONDAY 10/4/10

RIDERS- JOHN , JON, SCOTT, GERALD , RANDY, BRENT

LOOP – 68 MILES

THE PLAN WAS TO RIDE OVER ROSS PEAK THAN BACK UP BEAR CREEK ROAD TO GOAT LAKE AND BACK DOWN LITTLE WATER.

WE WOKE UP TO A LIGHT RAIN, AFTER DIDDLING AROUND, LOOKING AT SKIES, WE PUT OUR FAITH IN CADDY SHACK –“ THE HARD STUFF IS NOT GOING TO START FOR A WHILE”.

FINALLY GOT ON THE ROAD AROUND NOON.

RANDY RIDING OVER ROCK ON SKELETON.

RANDY ON COBBY SECTION OF SKELETON.

CONNECTOR TRAIL TO ROSS FORK / WILLOW CREEK

GORILLAS IN THE MIST . SADDLE BELOW ROSS PEAK. HAD A PRETTY STEADY RAIN ON THE BACK SIDE. MADE A MISTAKE OF NOT PUTTING THE SLEEVES BACK ON MY JACKET.