September 15-22, 2013 -- Pahsimeroi Valley, Fall Ride (Part 1)

 

After spending time with JD and Raydonia in Idaho City, the four of us left on Sunday the 15^th heading for the open high country of the Pahsimeroi Valley, north of Howe, Idaho. We traveled separately as we each had last minute errands to do in Boise before we left.  We tried to get a new battery for Wayne’s DRZ, but were unsuccessful. Our trip was uneventful, but interesting.  We went through the new fire area near Fairfield, past the rolling Picabo Hills and next to the Craters of the Moon National Monument.  Soon we got to Howe, and headed up the Little Lost River Rd. This road went on and on, 35 miles of pavement, then an additional 10 miles of gravel, washboard road to find that JD and Raydonia had arrived less than half an hour ahead of us at Summit Creek Recreation Area. 

The rest of the group is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

Just in time for a full moon

 

Monday arrived with very stormy weather.  Wayne and I decided to try to get a battery in Rexberg. His DRZ would not start that last day in Idaho City, his battery was dead.  Sounds just like my DRZ.  I see a pattern forming here.  With me on my Suzuki and him on my KTM 400 (with the carved down 2x4 I call a seat) we headed out in a rain and lightning storm. Maybe not the smartest thing we have ever done. But all was good.  By the time we got onto pavement we had out run the rain and settled in to nicer weather.  

It was 218 miles round trip, almost all on pavement.  Not the most scenic trip, but worth it as we got the battery and Wayne can ride his DRZ, finally! 

Linda, Tommy and ElRae arrived just in time for Happy Hour.  The gang is now all here!

Sunset across the valley

Now that everyone is here, the boys started going out on trail rides. ElRae had a senior moment when she was packing, and left all her medications at home.  This is not a good thing.  Today she and I rode north out of camp towards Ellis, ID.  We must be smack in the middle of this valley because once again we had 10 miles of gravel, and then 35 miles of pavement.

We went past the Summit Creek Reservoir and through rolling hills of cattle and hay. 

I love this farm tucked in under the hill

The weather has been rather iffy.  We got a little wet on the way, but we put on raingear in Ellis and of course it didn’t rain on the way back.  Oh well.  ElRae made her phone call to arrange to have her meds sent and then we headed back to camp. It was 96 miles, and showed me a whole different side of the Pahsimeroi Valley.  The boys went on a short trail ride, to preview the area.  It rained on them a bit, but the scariest part was when Wayne stopped on a bare saddle in the ridge, saw lightning, heard the thunder and then realized he was the tallest thing around.  He quickly headed for the tree line to wait for JD and Tommy.

 

On Wednesday we awoke to huge winds, dark, ominous clouds, on and off rain and cold, cold weather.  We all decided to put riding off until tomorrow when the rain is supposed to be gone. 

Wayne worked on bikes in his rolling shop while I worked on my blog.  Tommy and Linda drove to town, while everyone else seemed to find things to do inside their motorhomes.  It was a hot cocoa kind of day.

Thursday began with clear skies but cold.  The boys went for another trail ride and the ladies decided to go across the valley to Sawmill Canyon.  We could have gone by the regular car road, but where is the fun in that?  Instead Raydonia, ElRae and I headed across the cow pastures, paralleling fence lines, crossing through gates and over cattle guards.  Once we got over to the Sawmill Canyon Rd, we headed up the canyon to the Timber Creek Campground for lunch.  We followed some small roads to their ends, just to see the views. On the way back across the cow pastures we saw a group of antelope playing in the field. They would all run in a group then two would break off and run in a circle until the others would catch up and they would zoom around as a group again. And boy, are they fast!!!

After returning to camp, ElRae and I wanted to ride some more, so we set out to use my GPS to find our way on a short ride.  I planned it on my computer, but you never know if the roads your see on the software are actually there, or are they just faint two tracks that haven’t been used in years.  We found that my Topo 9 program did a great job. And I love my new Garmin Montana GPS!!  All I have to do is follow the purple line on the screen and we get to see great places.

Through this gate is the road we started on

We meandered through cow country, stopping to open gates when needed. A very large male Antelope jumped across the road in front of me, so I stopped to see if his harem would follow.  It turned out they were up on the hill waiting for him and then they all ran off over the hill.  Later a female came hurtling down the hill and across the road in front of me. She was really hauling.  At Dry Creek we found this very old settlement.

House built into the hill

ElRae enjoying the view

The walls of this house are about 3 feet thick; I bet it gets COLD here in the winter

The tallest peak is Mt Bell, and can also be seen from our camp

This was a very fun road

We continued up Dry Creek, coming out on a better used road, one that has cattle guards instead of gates to open.  Yeah!

These guys obviously did not come up the road we used; they would not have made it

As we got to the west end of our route, we found wonderful views

Once we turned and worked our way back east we could see Mt bell from a different angle

This ridge is located east of the Pahsimeroi Road that we are camped on

With both parts of our ride we rode 70 miles and had a marvelous day.

Friday found us going back to the post office in Ellis to pick up ElRae’s package. We headed to Ellis the same way as last time but this time we went back to camp on the western road, with a small detour up into the hills.

We started off through farm lands, past small creeks and pastures.

I think ElRae was thinking twice about our route when I took a right onto Lawson Creek Rd, a small obscure two track through the cow fields.  This time we didn’t have any gates, just rolling hills on roads that have no tire tracks on them. 

We kept climbing up the hills, this is looking back at the valley

We turned right onto a Forest Service RD 111.  It was a really fun road, twisting and turning through the sagebrush covered hills.  We even got into some trees, for about a minute before we popped back out into the sagebrush and headed up to Grouse Peak.  As we got to the top a small herd of antelope stopped long enough to check us out and then zoomed away over the hill.  They are always too fast for me to get my camera out….

This very scenic overlook is 8432’ in elevation.

ElRae with the Pahsimeroi Valley in the background

 This gate was too tight for us to get open so we went under the fence with our lunches

Lunch spot with a view

That is the Salmon River and Highway 93 in the distance 

Highway 93 east of Challis

Grouse Peak

The Pahsimeroi Valley from Grouse Peak

The way we came

Challis in the distance

Once we got back down to the main road we continue through the forest and hills to this ridgeback road. Notice this microwave tower in the distance, we stopped there to talk to the inspector who declared “It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.” Yeah, must be rough to drive to locations like this for a living!!

After following the ridge for a while we took Forest Road 109 down Blind Fork Trail Creek

One last look to the east

The road down Blind Fork

The White Hills

Once down on the main road again we headed south toward camp.  We eventually merged with the same road we started on.  This took us past the Summit Creek Reservoir again.  This ranch is located there and in amongst the cows is the largest heard of antelope that we have seen this trip.

Think they know that it’s hunting season??

We finished the day with 104 miles and were home by 4 PM.  It was another wonderful ride!

Saturday brought more clouds and wind; we must be due a change in weather.  The boys went in search of more single track fun while ElRae and I went to Mackay by way of Dry Creek and Pass Creek.

Fish and Game has been busy putting in bird bins at all the major intersections.  Bird hunters have to cut one wing off each bird and deposit it in the barrel.  Yuck…

A small bit of fall color, and a road we did not take!

After rolling along through miles of flat brush land we headed into the hills.  Up we went to the summit at 7641’. 

 

Then it was down the other side and through this tight little canyon.

We followed Pass Creek down toward Highway 93, but soon turned west and paralleled the highway along the edge of the hills until we got to Mackay.

We stopped at the Centennial Rest Area.  I needed a table to sit at while I got out my computer and returned some email.  We finally got our start date for working in Fernley, we have to be ready to start work on 10/12/2013 and our RV site will be ready for us on the 10^th.  That gives us a target departure date of either the 7^th or 8^th from Idaho City.   Once I was done, and we finished lunch we headed north on Highway 93.

 

Only in Idaho, gotta love it here!  This is the Technology Park??

 ElRae’s little bike doesn’t really like to go 65 so we took as many parallel toads as possible as we headed to Double Springs Rd.

Mt Borah, the highest peak in Idaho

We turned off Double Springs Rd to go through Horseheaven Pass

Headed up to the pass, check out the sky!

 

More open spaces on the other side, and rolling hills

We went out across more sage brush flats, and out in the middle of nowhere we found this

We headed out Burnt Creek Rd and joined with Dry Creek Rd and headed home.  It was another fantastic ride, 120 miles of heaven.

Sunday was a travel day.  I really enjoyed our time at the Pahsimeroi, the area is just so huge!  I can't wait to come back again, there are so many more roads for me to explore!!!!

August 23-28, 2013 St Joe River, ID

In the middle of all the work on the trailer we did take a few days off to ride with Jim (Doc) and Cindy at their place on the St. Joe River. What a beautiful place! 

Our yard

From across the river

 

It is a little hard to get into their place.  Jim had to pull the trailer in with his truck and Wayne drove the Beast.  The turn in their road is so tight Wayne had to do a 3 point turn.  I sat in the passenger chair holding Andy and the grab bar with my eyes closed at the apex.  I plan to walk behind the coach on the way back up!

We brought Wayne's brother Rick with us.  In the old days (back in the early 80’s) it was always the three of us riding and camping together.  It was like old times!  It’s always nice to have someone along who thinks everything you cook is wonderful!   

On Saturday the boys went trail riding so Cindy and I went on a road ride to historic Red Ives.

Cindy rode Ruby, her BMW GS700F and I rode my Suzi up the St Joe River to Avery.

Avery was a railroad town.  It was part of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Puget Sound Railway.  The section from Montana to Avery was electric. At Avery the electric engines were swapped out for steam and then diesel engines for the relatively flat section to Othello WA where electric engines were again in place for the pull through the Cascade Mountains to Puget Sound. Work on this section began in 1906, took 5 years and cost a record $260 million.  The line reorganized many times through the years, but ultimately went bankrupt in 1977. Trucking and travel along the Interstate highways and through the air all attributed to the down fall of the railroads.

  

Cindy at the Railroad Museum in Avery

We continued up river to the historic Red Ives Ranger Station.  

St Joe River

 

Historic Red Ives Ranger Station

Here we learned more about The Great Fire of 1910 (also commonly referred to as the Big Blowup, the Big Burn, or the Devil's Broom fire) which was a wildfire that burned about three million acres (approximately the size of Connecticut) in northeast Washington, northern Idaho (the panhandle), and western Montana. The area burned included parts of the Bitterroot, Cabinet, Clearwater, Coeur d'Alene, Flathead, Kootenai, Lewis and Clark, Lolo, and St. Joe national forests. The firestorm burned over two days (August 20–21, 1910), and killed 87 people, mostly firefighters. It is believed to be the largest, although not the deadliest, fire in recorded U.S. history. There are numerous stories of heroism on the front lines and heart breaking pictures of the loss of forest and homes. We headed home by the same route, putting in 106 miles that day.

On Sunday the boys put their bikes on Doc’s trailer and took them to Red Ives.  It’s the only way they could ride that area without moving our rigs. They had a great ride.  So did we.  Cindy and I took dirt roads over to Wallace for lunch.

This time Cindy rode her little bike she calls Flower Power, because some of the roads were too eroded to take Ruby on.

We started up Slate Creek Road, stopping to look at some of the waterfalls along the way.

 
yes that's me at a waterfall

Most went into culverts under the road. 

But not all

We wandered along beside Slate Creek

 

This was once a very big tree

A trail starts here; just what I want to do, get my feet wet right off the bat.  Not!

The road climbs up high above Slate Creek

Slate Creek Meadow

Once over Slate Creek Pass we headed down to the little town of Wallace.  This is a cute little old town, with the creek running through it.  We had lunch at the far end of town

 

The City Limits Pub is the home of the North Idaho Mountain Brewery.  Wayne should have been here!

After lunch we headed home over Moon Pass

Cindy on the Moon Pass Road

When the Milwaukee Railway was operating one of the passenger trains was the Hiawatha. This was a luxury coach ride with beautiful views, high class food and service.  Now that the trains are gone, the Forest Service has been turning the rails into trails.

 

 

 
 
 

 

Cindy and I decided that we would ride our mountain bikes on the trail tomorrow, so we go to the trailhead to check on the cost of a pass and the schedule of the shuttle bus.  Yes you can take a bus up to the top and ride your bike down.  Works for me!  The only requirements? A helmet and lights.  Yep, there are tunnels on the trail and they get very dark.

We continue down the road and go through seven tunnels and 2 very long single lane bridges (used to be train trestles).

We went to Avery and then we crossed the bridge and take the dirt road home this time.

We stop to check out a swimming hole, and see these three ladies out for a float trip.  I guess it was a ladies day for everyone!

On Monday Doc and Cindy’s friend Aric arrives with his bike in his truck.  Our boy’s bikes are still loaded on the trailer so we went with them up river about 30 miles.  We dropped them off at a trail head and they headed into the woods for more single track fun and we drove both trucks back to Avery.  We then went up to the Hiawatha Trailhead with our bicycles.  Sunday night when we told the boys we were going to ride the trail they set us up with great Trail Tech lights.  They are designed as helmet lights but we put them on our handlebars. 

The current Hiawatha Trail of nearly 15 miles is open to mountain bikers, hiker and wheelchairs. No motorized, but that’s ok. It runs at about a 2% down grade the full length. You peddle that whole time, just because; not because you have to!

 

We were there in time for the first shuttle. It takes about 40 minutes to ride up to the top

The bikes are hung from hooks in the back of the bus

The only drawback of starting from the bus stop is that you don’t get to ride through the ‘Big’ tunnel. The St Paul (“Taft”) tunnel is 1.7 miles long and if you start at the northern trailhead (East Portal) then you get to ride through it, but the buses do not go that far. Maybe another time.  After the bus leaves, so do we.  Right away we go through a 790’ tunnel.  It is really dark, but our lights work great so it is no big deal.

A nice couple from Iowa took our pictures at one of the many information signs. Notice we followed the rules, helmets and headlamps. The lights on the bikes worked better.

The longest trestle was at Kelly Creek, 850’ long and 230’ high

 

Cindy on the trestle 

The longest tunnel was 1516’ long

The sky was amazing

We had a great day, up to and including this. 

It meant we walked the last mile, but still we had enough fun that we decided that next time I came to visit we want to try riding up the trail, then coast down as our reward.  And we WILL do the Taft Tunnel.

On Wednesday it was time for us to leave.  Now we have to get the Beast up their road.
Pulling out of our camp spot

Doc giving directions

 

Cindy watches as Wayne backs up to the edge

And then we were off. We hitched up the trailer down by the main road and headed off to Rick’s place in Spokane and then to my Mother-in-Law’s in Pomeroy.  We had a wonderful visit with our friends and tons of great riding!  We can't wait to come back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



August, 2013 -- Work, Work, Work

We took a month off riding.  It’s not like we planned it that way, it just how it worked out. We got back to Idaho City, knowing we were going to go to Logan to pick up Wayne’s new DRZ. We also found a trailer we were interested in located just south of Salt Lake City. We have to upgrade the trailer to house the 4 bikes we currently have as well as the 2 we want to get in the future. And Wayne would like a full width trailer he can see in the mirrors of the motorhome. We have been looking for an 8X16’ but they are very hard to find.  The one in Utah is 8x20’.  As one of our friends said “What is 4 more feet once you get as long as your rig is?”  Hmmm.

We head to SLC and stop at our old neighborhood to see friends.  The old house looks good and the new owners are good neighbors to our friends, so what more can you ask for?  From there we go look at the trailer, which is not worth the money so we take a pass on that.  Instead we go up to Park City and spend the night with my cousin Cindi and her husband Hank. In the morning they go to work and we head up to Logan to pick up the new bike.

Yes, it's blue!!

We get back to Idaho City and the trailer hunt is still on.  Wayne spends the next week getting those things he wants to keep removed from the KTM 525 that we will sell, and either boxing them up or putting them onto the DRZ.  We put the KTM on line with Craig’s list and KSL.com.  The first call comes that very night and by Saturday it is sold!  

Looks a little bit different, but not bad

We had a very hard time in August.  One night all three cats went out but only 2 came back in the morning.  We have always said we’d like to be a 2 cat family but we thought that Abby our old, mean gray cat would be the one to go first. Instead our beautiful Bailey is gone.  He was the one that roamed the farthest, always walking the perimeter and checking things out.  He was probably taken by a critter, fulfilling the circle of life, but we like to think that he decided he wanted to be an only cat and moved on to a new family.

 

 

 

During this time we did find another trailer that looks like it will work.  It is 8x20’ with a round front and 3 windows.  It has the ramp door in the back that we need as well as a small one on the road side which is unusual.  It has an RV style man door on the curbside.  It came with a small work bench and a bookcase type shelve unit.  When we went to see it we realized it had the heavy duty frame and axels giving it more load capacity. It was what we were looking for and more, so we bought it.

 

It is white, so it shouldn’t be as hot inside as our gray trailer 

First thing is to remove all the stuff inside and wash the ceiling, walls, ramps and floor

Once I painted the walls and floors (with gritty floor paint) it was time to start planning out the inside.  We looked at premade cabinets, tool boxes and other ‘solutions’ and we didn’t like any of the options.  Wayne’s rollaway toolbox from when he worked at Metro Transit was living at his brother Rick’s house in Spokane so we had him measure it, found it would work; packed up all our stuff and bikes and headed to Spokane.  We arrived to find it 15 degrees cooler than Idaho City had been with the added bonus of no smoke.

The next step was to get the bench area built

 

After that was done, we took a few days off to go to our friends Jim and Cindy’s property on the ST Joe River near Saint Maries ID.  From there we went back to Rick’s to pick some things up and then headed back to Idaho City via my Mother-in-law’s place in Pomeroy WA.

The road to Pomeroy is a little freaky in the Beast

Once we got back to Idaho City we went back to work on the trailer, building shelves, adding hooks and hangers, generally making a place for everything.  We finished just in time for the Fall Ride!