Middle Fork Boise River – Obrianmcc Adventures

Chased by the frost …. Part Two

Topping off with fuel in Idaho City is a necessary stop for the Z as we have a few more miles to consider as we plan the next leg of our ride over Trinity Ridge and back to Boise. The mighty 690 Super Tanker is good to go …. no splashing needed.

A quick run up Hwy 21 and we jump of on Rd 327, Rabbit Creek Road. To let the dust settle John and I separate with a plan to meet at Rabbit Creek Summit. I recall a single track short cut from my Enduro days and decide to see if I can beat John to the top ….

The lower half was flowy and fun … the upper half was nothing but cupped out braking/acceleration bumps and sucked, just as I remembered.

John beat me …

We took this opportunity to stretch the legs and eat a quick snack.

Refreshed and refueled we point the bikes towards Barber Flat.

Rd 327 drops down the East side of Rabbit Creek Summit and follows a drainage down towards the North Fork of the Boise River.

The North Fork of the Boise River originates within the western edge of the Sawtooth Wilderness. A popular stretch for fishing and in some case floating, the N Fork Boise deposits into the Middle Fork of the Boise before dropping into Arrowrock Reservoir.

376 going right …

50″ …. (word on the street is that the bridge has since been repaired and reopened to full size traffic)

There is an unmaintained track that runs over the ridge from Barber Flat to Alexander Flat. Rd 376 has deteriorated to a large extent over the last few years with large ruts and washouts.

Looking east towards Atlanta and the beginnings of the Sawtooth Wilderness…

Down river ….

We drop down into Alexander Flat and the Middle Fork Road 268.

The Middle Fork drainage has been impacted quite heavily the last ten years with devastating wildfires as evidence of remaining burned timber is visible in all directions. A necessary natural process of rejuvenation, but sad none the less as we will never see it back to it’s past glory within our life time.

Now headed up stream without a paddle, just a twist of a throttle …..

Swanholm – Part 4

While walking the perimeter observation deck enjoying the view I take notice that someone before me has pried the lock mechanism from the door jam. My curiosity gets the better of me, so I take a quick look inside.

The interior is simple and tidy. Obviously cleaned up and organized after it’s last occupant …. which my guess was some time ago. Area maps still in place ….. although the turntable has long since been removed. The aged interior makes one take thought of decades of summers past when this lookout was staffed. What was life like on top of this peak. Did the people who staffed this lookout appreciate every sunset and sunrise, or did it turn into just another monotonous task that had to be done?

I close and re-secure the door ….

View down the roads final stretch just below the peak ….

Even in the day when the road was probably a bit more maintained I can’t imagine it being a very fun drive up …. only visited by ATV’s and Motorcycles these days.

I enjoy a bit more of the view before contemplating my accent … You notice here my full sized USFS Map. I utilize these along with the proper MVUM’s to route my days. The High Basin Tank Bag has a unique feature in that it has exchangeable top pockets. You can either run a basin zippered stash pocket or replace that with a map pocket that has been sized to actually accommodate a folded USFS map. Not all systems on the market can actually claim this.

My ride down from the peak is quick and uneventful … Right below the peak there is a trail that peels off the road on the north side. I’ve ridden up this trail once. It was super fun, but does have some exposure that would make any kind of incident while riding solo problematic, so I remain true to the road. however in terms of mechanical issues, I do carry a full assortment of tools. Those tools are kept in my OBR ADV Gear Tool Roll and Tool Pouches keeping everything organized and accessible. OBR also has an item called the Flat Mat. The Flat Mat unfolds into a 24″ x 24″ ground pad provide a clean work space for maintenance or repairs. The Flat Mat also has slip pockets, so while you are removing bolts and/or nuts you can stash them into one of these pockets to keep them from getting misplaced, which we have all done.

Bottom …

Deer Park …

I make my way past Deer Park and along the North Fork Boise to Barber Flat … from Barber Flat you can either ride back over the mountain to Alexander Flat or over Rabbit Creek Summit into Idaho City.

I point the direction of Rd 327 to Rabbit Creek Summit and Idaho City ….

Idaho City below

Reconnecting with Hwy 21 and refueling in Idaho City…. I enjoy a nice paced ride back to Robie Creek, over Rocky Canyon, and back to Boise ….. ride time was right around 6 hrs with a daily mileage at approx. 150 miles…. an easy day ride from town.

Swanholm – Part 3

After the bike cooled down enough to allow the expanded coolant to transfer back into its radiators …. I continued my way back up the trail, around switchbacks … and over loose rock. Having luggage that has been designed with load centralization in mind plays a big part when accessing these types of locations. When the terrain is steep and loose you need to be able to transfer from the saddle to the pegs with no interference of your luggage. OBR ADV Gear is up to this task!

The lookout comes into view ….

Big sky ….

The Middle Fork of the Boise river drainage (image center) that I rode up this day ….

I turn the corner and attack the last stretch of loose rock to the lookout …

Swanholm Peak …. originally built in 1922, is currently unmanned, but at the ready should it need to be recommissioned into service.

Deck view to the west ….

South/Southwest

Southeast towards Warrior Peak. Warrior Lakes are just beyond this point and are motorized accessible, but make sure you are comfortable as the trail becomes a bit more technical.

East towards the Sawtooth’s and Graham below

Graham Guard Station and airstrip

Panoramic sequence from Northeast to Southeast …

Spectacular country …..To be continued …..

Swanholm – Part 2

The Middle Fork Rd twists and turns always alongside the rivers edge acting as a divider between tall granite walls…..

Soft luggage by OBR ADV Gear …

Alexander Flat …..

A quick link somewhat related to the flat as it was used as a camp spot for the CCC right at the tail end of the depression ….

http://www.justinmuseum.com/oralbio/smithmmbio.html

Continuing up stream to Swanholm Rd…

The road up to Swanholm is a few miles up Swanholm Creek Rd, very unassuming, not well marked, and turning off eastward through a series of old logging roads turned ATV trails ….. right before the Barber Flat trail.

My luggage today is a mixture of OBR ADV Gear …. if you are looking for quality and made in the USA … check out OBR. The OBR guarantee!

Continuing on today with an open gate ….

Sun bleached sign warning of a not so maintained road ….

The start of the climb is as I remember, but the further I ascend I take note to how loose and rocky the track has become …. obvious in spots to be more of a creek during the Spring run off. I try my best to maintain some essence of momentum to keep cooling air flowing through my radiators in hopes to avoid any boil over.

The inevitable ….

The bike eventually starts to hiss, so I chose to stop for a cool down in hopes to avoid any actual coolant loss. This isn’t typical for the DRZ, but this climb is steep and loose. I think and 4 stroke minus a cooling fan will run hot. Just be aware and you’ll be able to manage the heat.

While the bike cools I wander about taking in the view as it starts to present itself …

Up trail …

The “rolling over loose softball sized rock” climb up thus far reminds me very much of a ride into Goat Lake taken last season with a friend of mine … Jason.

http://www.trailimage.com/switchbacks-to-goat-lake

The bike cools and the summit calls …..

Swanholm – Part 1

Rewind exactly a year back to a sunny Fall day in October 2014, I set out on a day loop with my sights on Swanholm Peak Lookout only to be denied by a seasonally locked gate …. missing access by only a few days. I told myself that this season I would make another attempt, but much earlier in the season, which brings us up to July 2015.

Denied …

My route this day begins with a few miles of tire warming pavement along Hwy 21 through East Boise to connect RD 268, the Atlanta/Middle Fork Road that runs along Lucky Peak and Arrowrock Reservoirs.

Lucky Peak …

Arrowrock

Water low after the Summer draw down …

A break in our mid summer heat wave makes for a cool morning and a nice ride along the waters edge …

OBR ADV Gear 38l Saddlebags and High Basin Tank Bag

Middle Fork/South Fork Confluence …

Rd 268 twists and winds along the lakes edge eventually making the flowing current of the Middle Fork Boise River …

A patch of Green within an expanse of Brown …

They say that one of the most critical points of feed back is your connection to the ground via your tires. All of my miles have been logged on Kenda Trackmaster II tires. You’ll find mixed reviews on-line as with most things, but I have found these tires to be both durable and reliable. I find predictability to rank higher than longevity and I like that fact that these tires, at least on the DRZ, are predictable in there feedback. In terms of longevity I’m probably getting about 3k miles out of a set.

As Rd 268 makes it’s way towards Atlanta, it works it’s way through jagged canyons, remnants of the Idaho Batholith. Within the Batholith is the presence of Gold and past sites of attempts to extract such gold.

No entry …

Water access only ….

To be continued …..