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 …

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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 …

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Arrowrock

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Water low after the Summer draw down …

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

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OBR ADV Gear 38l Saddlebags and High Basin Tank Bag

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Middle Fork/South Fork Confluence …

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

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A patch of Green within an expanse of Brown …

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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.

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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.

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No entry …

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Water access only ….

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To be continued …..

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