Tag: Idaho

After making my stop at the Wagon Town historical marker …. the road begins to climb in elevation towards the 7700′ Vanity Summit …. as I climb up this section of road it is hard to not imagine the fully loaded wagons crossing this pass in support of the mines …

Vanity Summit does not disappoint as it presents breathtaking ridgeline views all around … what is amazing is the evidence of how hot the previous fire was by the presence of the black stumps, but then to have a totally healthy tree right next to it.

South

North

East

West

I notice a two track running off the west side of the summit …. I know that the wilderness boundary exists some distance from the main road, but this track has recent ATV tracks and is not signed to be closed. I check my map and it does exist as a dotted line …. the map indicates that this track runs up towards Langer Peak passing some small lakes. The decision is made to explore!

First lake about a 1/4 mile from the summit ….

The track starts off smooth and easy, then starts to get a bit rockier ….

The track continues for what seems like 3-4 miles and concludes at an old mine… the mine has obviously been blasted closed, but the tailing pile is still evident.

View off the tailing pile …. maybe Ruffneck Peak?

Passing by a higher lake on my way back down ….

I descend back down towards Vanity Summit … I stop at a view point just above the summit that provides a nice perspective up the valley I’m going to travel next …

Time to get going …. lots more country to still see ……

(Luggage by OBR ADV Gear)

For years I have driven past Seafoam Rd as I made my way around Cape Horn to Stanley….every time making a mental note that I needed to put this road on my “to ride” list. I have made my way up and around Beaver Creek/Pinyon Peak, which offers nothing short of amazing views as you ride along 8000ft ridge roads… I expect the country over Vanity Summit to offer much of the same!

(Note – somewhere along my ride I inadvertently switched the setting dial on my camera so that most of my days pics seem slightly over exposed …. so being that these are my only pics of the ride they will have to do) 

This being one of those day rides a few hrs from home … I’ve chosen to trailer the bike to the Bear Valley Rd cutoff as my staging point. Arriving at approx. 10:00 am, the air is still crisp and refreshing, but starting to warm, so the bike is unloaded and gear adorned for the days adventure! All required items to survive the day are tucked away nicely in my OBR ADV Gear luggage.

As I’m prepping for my ride … a USFS truck pulls up with an older gentleman and his dog stepping out. We chatted for a bit and regrettably I do not recall his name, but this guy and his dog were outstanding representatives for the USFS, Challis RD. He drives shuttle for the River Rangers who patrol the many tributaries of the Salmon.

After saying a goodbye … the first few miles will be on hardtop.

Hwy 21

Within minutes I arrive at Seafoam Rd, turning north …. I’ve noticed over the years that the USFS needs to spend a few $$ on sign replacement. Most are weathered and peeling … some even falling over.

Lower Seafoam Rd runs fast through open meadows …. most of the area is heavily scarred from the Halstead Burn a few years back.

The uniqueness of the area I’m riding today is that it is surrounded by the Frank Church Wilderness via an easement for the many historical mines in the area, some with still open claims, although probably not much actual activity.

I pass the Beaver Creek cutoff that will take you up and over Pinyon Peak and head north towards Vanity Summit. Along the way I notice a board sign along the road explaining the area as a stop over point for supply wagons carrying supplies up to the mines.

Same sign pre-burn … evidently there was still some structure left, which is now all but burned leaving only a charred spot to reference it’s once existence!

Pre-burn photo from www.usdirtbiker.com

To be continued …..

The day is still young making my choice clear …. right, along Anderson Ranch towards Fall Creek. This will extend my ride a few miles with fuel reserves looking satisfactory ….

Being  that this is Memorial Day weekend …. the South Fork Boise has just opened up to fly fishing. Traffic on the road is moderate with cars parked along its edge every 1/4 mile (+/-) …. I blast through straight to the dam.

Anderson Ranch Reservoir

The water release is from the bottom portion of the reservoir making the water below very cold …. glacial Oregon Coast type cold!

I make my way past the spillway and then start my traverse along the northern shore of Anderson Ranch Reservoir towards Fall Creek.

I reach Fall Creek to find it fairly quiet for a holiday weekend, but with the cool temps most of the masses must have remained at home or are recreating elsewhere …

I turn north along Fall Creek Road … Rd 129. The fires of the last few years have left a resounding impact on this area. Most of the drainages are all but scorched, but it is nice to see some new private construction and rehabilitation activities taking place …. a foreign concept to the USFS evidently?

My intention is to connect with Meadow Creek Road, which will steer me towards Prairie, but when I reach Meadow Creek Rd it is closed … option 2 is Rd 159, which is further north towards Trinity.

I reach Rd 159 and to my relief it is open ….

Some falls along Fall Creek …

159 flow ….

Rd 159 takes me over a ridge just south of Lava Mountain before dropping me down the west side into the Prairie valley.

The pass …..

The pass opens up as an old landing. I’m crossing through State Endowment Lands at this point, so this landing might be used once again in the future.

To be continued …. (luggage by OBR ADV Gear)

After a quick visit stop at Inscription Rock I continue my journey south to the Danskin Peak Rd. Cloud formations are starting to rise in the south and I want to make my destination of Danskin Peak early just in case any storms decide to blow in ….

View down from Inscription Rock …

Clouds forming to the south …. I’ll be keeping an eye on these!

There are still a few miles of riding to get to Danskin Peak Rd …. more twists and turns with random off shoots directed at I-84 and North Mountain Home …

My OBR ADV Gear 38l Adventure Bag also works great for day trips …. compression straps allow me to secure the contents when the bags are being used under their rated 38l capacity.

More interesting rock formations start to present themselves along the road …

I arrive at Danskin Peak Rd as soon as I stop taking pictures of random rocks 🙂

The road immediately starts to climb with the valley dropping quickly behind my shoulder ….

Danskin Peak in the distance ….

…. to be continued

After quickly exploring the remaining structures of Mayfield … I continue on my way down Mayfield Road.

The road twists and turns staying true to it’s path along the Danskin Foothills.

When selecting this route … it actually was not obvious to me the significant history that this road holds. Points of interest along the way help to paint a picture of what it was like for early settlers to make this journey across this high desert.

http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/nowhere-no-more/Content?oid=928854

http://americantraditionalmanac.com/oregon-trail-byway-reveals-wisdom-of-early-idaho-travelers/

One such site is that of Inscription Rock along Bowns Creek, a school bus sized rock that was a lay over location for weary travelers. To leave messages for travelers from behind, messages would be left on the rock face out of axle grease…. Some plenty visible still today.

Inscription Rock

Messages from the past ….

….. to be continued (luggage by OBR ADV Gear)

Spring this year has been rapidly passing me by with little to show for it in terms of riding. Excuses being a dime a dozen I figured it was high time to get the wheels rolling and the tires dirty.

Memorial Day is staring me down with a threat of “clear” weather most of the weekend… Most all of Idaho has been afflicted with fairly threatening thunderstorms the past few weeks … and one thing I don’t play chicken with is lightening!

Even with our reported dismal snow pack this season, most high passes are still fairly snowed in with roads being closed…. so the question is asked … where do I feel like pointing the bike today? … Danskin Peak Lookout sits along the southern edge of the …. yep … the Danskin’s …. and is a destination that I have not visited for years.

I decide to trailer the bike to a staging point along Blacks Creek Road … this will cut out some tedious commuting across the valley and extend my fuel range. From the staging point I back track to Mayfield Road and start heading south.

The pavement only lasts maybe a mile once on Mayfield Road …. hello dirt! The landscape at this point is heavy sagebrush and cool rock formations.

My OBR ADV Gear Switchback Tank Bag keeps my camera close …. and rain gear stored away in my

38l ADV Saddlebags.

The first part of todays route is a back country byway that follows the Oregon Trail …..

After a few miles some old buildings come into view. One appears to be an old hall with a stage visible through the window. Across the road are a couple of homesteads. I’m sure life was much simpler back in those days …. and complicated ….

…. to be continued