Day 7: San Juan River to Hells Backbone, UT

Once again I was drinking coffee before sunrise. Went for a bit of a walk to get a better view of the river:



The edge of “The Goosenecks” and Monument Valley in the Background:



And then took the dirt road to Goosenecks State Park:







These two, from France, were the only campers at the park. They weren’t into football…. Were on a month long camping trip of the Southwest.



From the Goosenecks I went on over to the “Valley of the Gods”. I tell you what; the dirt road through the Valley of the Gods would make for a fantastic road race! (Maybe already done, they fly the stunt planes in Monument Valley)









From Valley of the Gods I made it to the Moki Dugway Swithbacks. Nice gain in elevation!





At the top of the Switchbacks I met these guys, they were going to head up north.



We took a bunch of pictures of each other at this overlook:



From there I took it to Natural Bridges NP.



Met this group of Frenchmen that were riding in a van and sharing a H*rley…



These two were from Hawaii as well, riding bikes, yikes! They were doing a loop from Denver, CO. Plenty of pedaling!



On the Bridges Park Rd I was able to lean the bike over a bit and scrub off some of the “Chicken Nubs”.



A picture that just didn’t come out was one that I took of some fellow 650GS riders. Two up, hard bags, top box + tent and gear, riding north just outside of the park on 95. Who were you guys? Too bad the photo didn’t turn out…..
Anyway, I turned left on Hwy 276 and headed for the ferry crossing over Lake Powell. Some rock Cathedrals along the way:





The Ferry Boat arrived and I was impressed that the Skipper wasn’t afraid to use power close in.



Cpt. Marylin did a great job driving the boat and let me ride in the wheelhouse while crossing the river. (only passenger o.b.)





Said good bye to the Ferry Boat, got gas in Bullfrog, and headed up the Burr Trail towards Boulder, Ut.



More Switchbacks, The original route was created to move cattle. Those people were nuts!








I think this is called “Narrow Canyon” on the Bur Trail:



Food, Gas, and directions from this nice little store:



And then on down Hwy 12 where I met “Tommy”. He was a college student from Japan. He’d been saving up for his three-week motor cycle trip for over 3 years. He rented the bike in San Francisco and was on his way back.



I made down to the swimming hole that the fellow in the store suggested after I had made a few wrong turns.







Cooling off in the Escalante River:



After my swim I backtracked to “Hells Backbone” and got on some dirt roads for a change:



Found this little side road and decided to take it and find a spot to camp.





Dinner consisted of smoked clams and crackers for the appetizers, main course was baked beans, and I had the pears for desert.



Tell you what; about 4 hours into my blissful sleep I was awakened by what I thought was an EARTHQUAKE! Thought the tent was going to lift off of the ground with all of the gas that I was producing! I could not stop laughing. It was incredible! If you want to impress friends and neighbors go with smoked clams, baked beans and pears for dinner!

I got back to sleep O.K. and was looking forward to the next days ride.

Dammit, JP! I swear you find the coolest routes to your destinations. How much research goes into each trip????

A lot.... for both big trips I picked an eastern destination from the west coast (Tetons/Yellowstone in '08, Monument Valley in '09) then I just look through the Benchmark books, read RR on this site and ADV and then play "connect the dots"... I like National Parks....

I have six weeks off of the tug, so I can spend some "quality time" just phucking off!

Day 8: Hells Backbone, UT - Mammoth Spring, UT. About 60% dirt


I woke up, broke camp and took off heading west on “Hells Backbone”. It was cold, I decided to pull over and pull on some more layers. I smelled gas, looked down on the ground and saw that my bike was having bladder problems:



I pulled the bike apart, saw gas puddle up in some low spots and bolt recesses. Couldn’t find any leaks or obvious broken hoses, so I figured that the gas was from the previous over-fill up…. I started putting the bike back together and this farmer shows up. “Heck, I didn’t stop to get my picture took, if you’re alright I’ll just be movin’ on”:



I hoped for the best at not having a gas leak, took a picture of these guys, and took off.



Great ride up a fairly tame dirt road. Got to this little bridge that must have been “The Backbone”.



The bridge was really just a widening up of the ridge that it was on.

Both sides from the bridge looked like this: “Box Death Hollow Wilderness”





The road continued on to views like this:



Found Posey Lake and caught a fish!





I headed a bit more west and took “North Creek Rd” back down towards Escalante.



Found the creek! Cooled off a bit in the waterfall.







Supposed to have been built and lived in by the late actress Barbara Stanwick, at least that’s what some guys in a pick up truck told me!



I bought supplies and had lunch at yuppie camping store in Escalante. The prices were a bit high, but the food (chicken salad san) was good! My first “Polygamy Porter” as well!



I took Hwy 12 west over to Cannonville.





When I got gas in Cannonville I asked this nice lady about the “Skutumpah Road”. Well, you can tell by the look on her face that she didn’t think that it was such a great idea. “No tow truck is going to go back in there and get you if you get stuck” is what she said!



Well, I get to Skutumpah rd (that’s right, pronounced skutumpah!) and meet this nice NFS sign painter named Lary. “No problem, I’ve seen Pinto’s take that road! Just go fast through the sandy parts!”



It was a great ride, I got carried away and didn’t take any pictures though. Cottonwood Canyon was strongly suggested by the ADV group. No one had heard of Skutumpah. What the hell, the road was headed west and so was I. Had a blast…





There was an “uncontrolled, controlled burn” up north of me:



More of this:



Met these guys playing hooky:



I made it up to Mammoth Lake, saw these guys, asked them for a Margarita, but they were unprepared… Poor display…



Mammoth Spring, UT, and my nights lodgings:







Tomorrow I think I’ll go fishin’!

Day 9: Mammoth Spring, UT – Great Basin NP, NV. Plenty dirt!

I woke up, packed the bike, found this moth and decided to try and catch a fish w/ it.



No such luck…..

This crew from St. George was kind enough to give me some coffee and bacon before I took off:



I took 14 to Cedar Breaks:













And then took the 3 mile road to the top of Brian Head:





Met Mike, a Physical Education Instructor at UCSB, at the top of the mountain:







Looking west to the desert that I would cross later today:



Kinda’ makes one want to put his gum boots on!



Got down to this store in Brian Head. There is quite extensive OHV trail system around those parts, and they suggested the most scenic route to get me down to Parowan:

















I passed these two a few times, Michele and Delores, “from outside of Vegas…”



Got down off of the mountain and took this route under I-15 to get to the town of Parowan for lunch and gas:



Great French Onion Soup and a Cheeseburger!



The Parowan Gap and Petroglyphs:





I high tailed it down “Horse Hollow Rd” and the “Lund Hwy” to Lund, UT. The roads were half asphalt at times and the rest was dirt and potholes….



The town of Lund:





I had many choices to get up and over to the Great Basin NP…. I decided to just Haul ass as straight as I could and get there, plenty of dirt riding to come…. Took the Pine Valley Rd up to 21 and then over to Baker, NV.













From Baker I turned left into the Mountain and GBNP, I was lazy, didn’t let the air out of my tires, and yes, it was a rocky rd! Felt every bump!





Crossed Baker Creek:





And made it to Baker Creek CG. Only paid camping for me the entire trip! My brother, Steve, is going to meet me here tomorrow and we’ll finish the journey together.

To be continued…

Great ride and report. Looks like a good time..

JP - you are REALLY doing it right. Wonderful trip report and wonderful trip. The 5 Frenchmen on a H*rley cracked me up.

Lee

Day 10: Great Basin NP, and brother Steve shows up.



It had been drizzling off and on through the night but I slept well. Woke up and see this guy just outside my tent.



Walk up a little hill and spy this beauty as well!



Walk up to the local facilities (no need for the orange shovel here!) and when I’m walking back to my camp, just behind the tree on the left, I’m wondering why I must walk all of the way around the loop to get to my tent!



Well, I get things sorted out and take off for a ride to look at the some of the sites of GBNP.



I little swampy area where I had several of these:



I followed the jeep trail to some interesting formations:







And then followed the roads back down the mountain.



Late August is monsoon weather in NV. This storm didn’t make it over the Mt. Range, but I was thinking of my brother on his 1200 making his way east from Minden…





I made it to the site of the Lehman caves in GBNP and met some interesting folks as I was waiting for the tour.

Ever been given the bird by a bird?



I met Randy as well. Turns out that their rig is just down a bit from my campsite and he invites me over for beers tonight after dinner. Sounds good!



Some Lehman Cave shots:









After the tour I hauled ass up to the top of Wheeler Peak to get a look at the “Glacier”. During the ride up cloud shadows were doing over 60mph! I inform these two at the top of the wind, but they say that there just a couple of “Crazy Cajuns” and were going to see just how far they could go.





Wheeler Peak Rd.



I took this little hike because a route that I have planned for tomorrow goes rite through the Osceola Mine.





I make it back to camp at about 1530 and decide it’s time for a little fishing on Baker Creek.



Not having much luck, the fish are small, skiterish, and, I lack talent… But the place is beautiful!

I hear a MC in the distance and figure it’s Steve, Hike on out and meet him, help him unpack, and talk about the days events. He got SOAKED! Rained on him most of the way on his 450m ride out. His GS has computer and everything, even calculates gas mileage! For anyone who wants to know: A mildly loaded GS with TKC’s (air: 16 front/ 18 rear) doing 97mph in the rain gets 27 miles to the gallon.

Oh, and one other thing, A SPEEDING TICKET TOO!!!! Doh…



However, he caught the only fish of the day!



Remember this guy Randy?



It turns out that Randy is from Kelseyville, CA. We start talking about Kelseyville and parts of CA near Lake County. My Grandfather built a small church and house in Kelseyville. Randy and his wife are familiar with that church! That small church is now used for children’s day care. Randy’s 5 year old son had attended day care in the church that my grandfather built! Holly $hit!!!! (sorry…) Here we are, middle of the NV desert, I’m on a MC trip all of the way from HI, happens to be the day that my brother meets up with me (much more up to speed on the fam history than myself), and we’re sharing a beer with this guy that has a kid that spent time in my grandfathers church! Small and amazing world…

Tomorrow my brother and I will head off to points north and west together.

Good times. Great report brother. Can't wait to see the rest.
Brother Steve

Here ya go!

Day 11: GBNP to Ruby Mts, NV. Mostly dirt.

There was a bit of rain through the night but I was able to restart the fire from the embers and get some coffee going. After that we packed the bikes and I took Steve on a little dirt ride out of the GBNP.





We found some water to play in:





Then left the park, proper, near the sign:



I sent that last picture, along with some others, to the people at Giant Loop. It took me a few days to get used to my new “saddle bag”, the “Great Basin” by Giant Loop, but the bag really made my trip worthwhile. I know that I would have knocked any other bag/case off of the bike on two of my get offs on previous days. The people at Giant Loop put allot of thought into the “Great Basin” bag with plenty of compartmentalization built in. I could carry everything I needed, and after I had gotten used to the bag, everything was easy to get to! For me, changing out to this soft bag was the ticket.

We went to Baker for gas, and met this traveler. He was playing “connect the dots” with all of our National Parks. Note the “HI” sticker on his bike! (He rented over here)


From GBNP we took Hwy 50 to the Ward Charcoal Ovens for a look-see. There is a little short cut over a bit of mountains to the Osceola Mine that we took to bypass some of 50:





The Mine. (I had been to the origins of the 18-mile flume that took water to the mines in days gone past. You can hike the old flume path from GBNP to Osceola)



A look back at the mountains we just crossed:



A look back while riding to the Ward Ovens:



Italian Immigrants built these things. The sign says that they are the finest built Charcoal ovens in the US!





From the Ward we high tailed it to Ely, and the Hotel Nevada for lunch.





This is the very first elevator put in use in NV.



The Hotel had quite a collection of interesting stuff. My favorite pic:



From Ely we went north on some dirt roads to a town called Cherry Creek.





We crossed the Pony Express Trail on our way up, not to worry though; we’d get back on it later….





Made it to the Saloon at Cherry Creek and had a beer with the Bartender, Sue.



Sue was great! She was finishing a beer when we arrived, opened another one for herself when she got us ours, and was going for another one when we left!



Our dollar is up there… Cherry Creek, NV.



We rode up Cherry Creek pass on our way back over to the PXT.



Heading west on the PX!



The previous days rains had done a good job to keep the lower sections of the trail nice and packed! No “Bull Dust” to speak of, and only a few deep mud spots. The riding was fantastic fun!





There was one section over a small mountain range that had just been graded. I think it was a good thing for us because the fairly steep hill climb was very loose and deep dust and rocks. I could tell that the grader took out a lot of extreamly deep ruts.



We finally made it to the Ruby Valley. The marker for the Ruby Valley Pony Express Station:



We went up a little side road on the western edge of the valley and made camp. While we were setting up our tents there were several huge thunder claps right over our heads! Then very heavy rain, and then, hail! We got soaked and pelted! Not to worry though, it didn’t last too long, and by nightfall the clouds had gone and we were looking at the stars while drying out by the fire.





Tomorrow we head up to Jarbidge.

Great - ride report. Thanks for taking the time to post. . . I know that's not the easiest thing to do on trips like this. But then again, you do get the most colorful memories and moments for others to share.

Thanks, here's some more!

Day 12 Ruby Valley to Jarbidge, mostly dirt.

We woke up to a cold and crisp morning and everything was damp. After coffee we decided to ride down to the lake and see if we could get some fishing in while our stuff dried out.

Down at Ruby Lake,



There are a couple of little boats at the boat ramp, a Gazebo with some life jackets in it, so we decide to “borrow” some stuff for an hour or so.



Brother Steve at the helm:



First fish –o- the day! HUGE!!!



Steve says that he caught the biggest fish. I don’t know decide for yourselves…





After a bit of futzing around we packed up our now dry stuff and headed out over Harrison Pass.



We saw this sign and decided, “why not?”





What a great ride! Started off like a roller coaster through the hills, got a bit steeper, then, down through rock strewn, slippery boulder land! Don’t think that I would have done it if we were going the other way!







Way steeper than the picture looks…



Finally got out of the rocks and ride a lot of this:



I have to admit, again, that the 21” wheel up front is the schnizzle! I would have had a very difficult ride on the stock 19”. I came to this mud puddle, I was lucky that I didn’t go down; the back edge was fairly deep, square and slippery. I made it through though and then heard a horn beeping behind me. I go back to see what’s up…







DOH!





He kept saying, “but I did catch the biggest fish, Jon!” I picked that 1200 up all by myself! I gave the two of them a little time together though; it looked like they were trying to get intimate!

Well, anyway, we make it to Lamoille and then head on up Hidden Canyon.

















When we get back down and have lunch at this nice little place in Spring Creek the waitress, who rides horses, says that one can make it from the Ruby Crest Trail down into Lamoille Canyon on horse back. She didn’t think it was doable on our bikes though, so good thing we didn’t try! The beer was good:



We took some dirt roads up to Deeth and then the Charleston Rd up to Jarbidge:

Had to wait a spell for these guys…





More wildlife:









We took a little 10-mile lower jeep trail to the top of the pass on our way to Jarbidge. It’s the same trail that I had to take last year to get around the snowdrifts at the top of the mountain and into town.

Steve took this picture while I was taking the next one:






Near the top!





We finally made it to Jarbidge, dinner, and a bed to sleep in. Brother Steve ponied up for the rooms!







Tomorrow we’ll head west on some of the immigrant trails…

Day 13. Jarbidge, NV – The South Fork of the Little Humboldt River, almost all dirt!

We woke up and went for a little ride before we had breakfast and packed up the bikes.

Picked up a little traveler yesterday!



I really enjoy the early morning…



We found a crossing to the Jarbidge River, so we took it!





And rode the trail up to the “Bluster Mine”.





Not the Bluster…



A view of the Charleston Rd down into Jarbidge. Pretty steep in places, tell you what, The Teamsters and Bullwhackers of yesteryear really earned their money!



Bluster Mine. The miners used an aerial tram to get the ore down the Mountain because it was just too steep for horse and wagon.







The year before some guy was climbing the hill that is just above our bikes in the next picture. He had no helmet on and plenty of beers in him. He flipped the Quad backwards and it landed on his head. He died. The Sheriff found him 3 days after the accident…



The trail back down.



Found the river again!



We went back to the Red Barn and packed up. Then we went and had a great breakfast at the “Outdoor Inn” before leaving Jarbidge.

Some views of the road out. I neglected to take a pic of the rock that marks the NV/ID border… Great ride though!







We got on to the Bruneau River Loop, we had ridden the same road last year. Just beautiful place…











We took some roads that were a more direct route. Pre planned on the GPS and it worked!!! Except for the flat of course!







We made it down to Dunns resort for gas and a beer. Funny thing. Last year when we were there the old man had some prospective buyers at the place looking around. Again, this year, a young couple was looking to buy the place from old man Dunn. Perpetual…



The next bit of road we took was pavement (225) up along the Owyhee river from the Wild Horse Reservoir. I think this is the best piece of tarmac that I’ve ever ridden on. I held a constant 75-85 all the way through until we got to Maggie Summit Rd. I had a blast! It looks like this:



Then on to Maggie Summit where we met this fine troop!









And then more of this:





After Maggie Summit we took some dirt roads west into the desert.





It was about here that brother Steve says something about that he was down to his last liter of water, and when did I think that we’d be coming to a town or something?

WTF??? We had provisioned up in Jarbidge, I had only drunk about ½ liter, and why didn’t he “tank up” at Dunns? My bad, a failed to explain to my brother that we were going to the middle of the least populated place in the lower 48, and that it was desert, in August, the driest month of the year! Again, my bad, but I was prepared…

Anyway, we look at the map and see that there’s a ranch up ahead… “Winters Ranch”

Yep… No water here…



We continue on, I’m a bit stressed, but brother Steve don’t seem to mind though.







We were kinda driving by feel until we made it to a gate in a fence. YES!



Downing his last bit of H2O.



The road was a blast! Then we came across these guys:



And then the South Fork of the Little Humboldt:







Posers…



This is where I originally wanted to camp, but we decided to get a little closer to Winnemucca before we set up the tents. What a wonderful place though!

I seem to remember a pretty famous painting about these bluffs. Where we were was a staging and rest point for the weary travelers on the California trail coming west. A big re-provisioning spot after coming across alot of desert, and preparing to go across some more on there way to Oregon and California back in the day.







We continued on until we found this little spot right along the River. New fence had been run recently so we had a great fire using up a lot of old fence posts!





Tomorrow we’ll ride some more Immigrant Trails and the Black Rock Desert.

Day 14: South Fork of the Little Humboldt to Smoke Creek Station.


After coffee and packing up it took us about 45 minutes to ride to Winnemucca. It was cold…



We ate breakfast at this guys place:



I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, but the parking lot was full of Pickups and workingman vehicles. Great breakfast! After turning right on Winnemucca drive from 95 the place is a few blocks down on the right….
Great meal!

After breakfast we wasted some time looking for the BLM Office and then gassing up and getting supplies.

The California Trail passes right through Winnemucca and we found it.







The trail had plenty of overgrowth in spots:



“Callahan Bridge Historical Marker” Rye Patch, NV:




We were now on the Applegate-Lassen Route of the California Trail. I was stoked!



The trail was pretty deep sand in places, but we were climbing out of the river bottom all of the time and the trail was getting better and better.



I think this place is called Mauds Well. This fish were huge! I had a couple on, but they kept throwing the hook… Oh well, a good place to cool off…



From there we kept climbing up in the desert on gravel roads. I was going kinda fast, went over some ruts, bottomed out several times and busted my license plate holder. Tied it up w/ some straps….



Thousands upon thousands of wagons and settlers went over this road in the 1800’s…







Rabbit Hole Spring and the view down to the Black Rock Desert Playa:





We went through this small Playa on the way and decided it was a good place for some photo’s…











Burning Man was in a few days, plenty of activity on the main Playa, we weren’t interested though… (Non conformists, ya know…)



Made it into Gerlach, had to take this picture of Steve for his son Tim who goes by “ATIMATIK”. Tim’s a DJ that plays at Burning Man every year.



Lunch here:





Then it’s west along Noble’s Cutoff across the Smoke Creek Desert to the Smoke Creek Station to camp.





That fire was started with a shotgun shell found laying in the dirt and earned me a free breakfast the next morning!

Tomorrow we head into California.

Day 15. Smoke Creek, NV to Clear Lake, CA.

A burro was braying and got me up early. It was too dark to get a picture of him, but I did get a picture of this:



The 1200 has an 18” TKC, the sixfiddy’s got a 17” 606. I like the 606…



On our way out of Smoke Creek Station on Nobles Cutoff:





Found this small cave along the way:





A portion of the original Trail:



I guess that Steve’s bike had a hard time transitioning from dirt to tarmac!
(gotta hate that pea gravel underfoot.)




We had breakfast in Susanville. Steve owed me Eggs Benedict for last nights fire; only problem was that the people at the restaurant didn’t know what Eggs Benedict were!!! Saw these bikes though. Nice long distance tank.





From Susanville we headed to Lake Almanor and took some time looking for the dirt road that goes down the Feather River…



We finally found Caribou Road. Steve passed me when I was checking out this “town” of Seneca. Back in the gold mining days the miners here were Chinese Immigrants that were paid 10 cents/day and then were provided with an opium den so they could spend their wages in the evening…



What a great ride!







From last years fire:



Art:





After having lunch in Marysville we decided to take tarmac, Hwy 20, to Steve’s Cabin at Clear Lake. Steve’s idea to keep his tire pressure low all of the time finally caught up with him. (14 psi front) I have to say though that his tire was evenly worn with no cupping… We were doing about 80 when he felt his tire going down and pulled over. Good thing it was a slow leak…



Make it to Steve’s Cabin. Steve and Hanny.



I’d been thinking about this hot tub for about three days…









After a great Salmon Dinner served up by Hanny I rode over to the cabin that my father built and now share w/ my brothers and sisters. First wild Rattle Snake that I’ve seen in my life.



Pretty nice view:



I got to our cabin and parked my bike in the lake.



For the next few days I’ll hang with family and friends and basically just relax.