Idaho ADV – Obrianmcc Adventures

East to West – Part 5

The Magruder turns to dirt full time a short distance past Nez Perce Pass. Running alongside Deep Creek the road is a loose rock surface that kept the bike feeling a bit unsettled. Steady counter balance and light steering kept the bike tracking true and out of the ditch.

It wasn’t long before we turned south crossing the creek. At this point the road surface transitioned back to a more packed surface and we would start our climb upward out of the current drainage and onto the ridge that we would following for the next a many miles.

The early miles out of the Deep Creek drainage was in and out of a healthy stand of forest. Soon the trees give way to more open views and the trail side hilled along side a prior burn area.

Once up on the ridge we arrived at one of the most notable sites along the Magruder Road…. the Lloyd Magruder site details the tragic incident that took Lloyds life during a robbery. The robbers were eventually tracked down and paid for their crime, but the story does portray the some what lawless nature of the day.

The views along the Magruder Trail are exceptional. At the Lloyd Magruder site we were looking into vast distance of Big Sky Montana Peaks.

The Magruder isn’t overly technical. If you make it to the Magruder Site and are in relative comfortable with the road conditions you will not have any issues … barring any late season weather.

The day is running long and we are chasing the sun with the hopes that we will arrive at Red River Hot Springs before the dinner cut off.

The group spreads out to again preserve air filters and to allow each of us to enjoy our own individual experience along the trail. Stopping periodically to ensure that our group is still whole …. we make Red River HS with time to spare.

You might find some older reports of Red River HS and some bad reviews …. these were previous owners. The current owners are putting in a lot of hard work into the lodge and were a very pleasant couple. The gave us a pad alongside the pools which worked great for our tents. We had the pools to ourselves until they closed, which prepped us for a good nights sleep.

Rising the next morning we made our way into Elk City for fuel. These small communities are largely supported by tourism, so when you pass through make sure to stop for a nice meal and fuel. It will help to make sure that these resources remain in place for the next traveler or your next trip. Without these communities it would be increasingly difficult for us to complete these trips.

For the next few miles we blasted down Hwy 14 and the South Fork of the Clearwater. This section of Hwy was super fun! It’s another one of those two lane highways with endless twist and turns.

Eventually the fun of Hwy 14 came to an end and we turned south to traverse over the mountain, through Florence and eventually dropping down to the Main Salmon River.

Dropping down to the river was a stark reminder of the oppressive valley heat we were returning to. To delay this return we chose to make our way up and over the French Grade Switchbacks, through Burgdorf, and McCall.

The 2 hr ride from McCall to Boise concluded our trip. Approx 840 miles over three long days. This loop was remarkable and I feel blessed to have been invited along with such a good group of people. All bikes finished the trip with no issues and I was also pleased with the performance of my OBR ADV Gear Big Sky Tank Bag, Sherpa Tail Bag, and Crash Bar Bags. Each piece of kit did it’s job, never budged, and never interfered with me as the rider.

………Until our next adventure!

East to West – Part 3

Dropping down into Loon Creek the Pinyon Peak Loop Road connects into FR 007, Loon Creek Road. Loon Creek Road passes by the Diamond D Ranch and the Loon Creek Guard Station before continuing as a scenic stretch up towards Loon Creek Summit. I enjoy this particular stretch as the colors of the area are a mix of Reddish Orange of the rocks and the Green of the forest …. very contrasting and spectacular!

Our timing was perfect as we worked our way up to Loon Creek Summit. Rain showers had just moved through the area and it was very much like a water truck having just passed through to cut down the dust….. the road was hero!

8686 Ft

We switched backed down the south side as the road ventured down towards Custer and the Custer Motorway. Before turning towards Custer the old Yankee Fork Dredge comes into view.

The Yankee Fork dredge is a restored relic of the mining past that is most prevalent in this area. The dredge is staffed and open for daily tours. We skip the tour and head through Custer via the Custer Motorway.

Custer is a ghost town that has also been preserved and is managed by the USFS. The town is set up with self guided tours and really paints a picture of the life styles and hard ships of another time.

Now on the Custer Motorway we point our bikes east. The previous rain showers are now in front of us and have again showered down just enough to mitigate the dust.

The Custer Motorway was a 35 mile stage route used as primary access to the Custer/Bonanza area mines. It was ultimately broken up into sections with layover points to allow travelers and horse teams to rest.

The motorway flows quickly through the firs and pines as it descends towards the more open country of Challis.

Challis finally comes into view as we drop out from the mountains onto the main drag as weary motorcycle travelers look for a place to throw down a tent and end our first day.

Reconnecting with Jack and Carol who were successful in getting their 790 back on the road and beat us to the Challis Hot Springs. With the group now back together dinner and warm pools would prepare us for day two.

… to be continued

East to West – Part 2

With bodies and bikes refueled we remount and continue up Hwy 21. Hwy 21 (the Ponderosa Scenic Byway) is a one of those super fun roads that you can ride over and over. It’s a paved strip that encourages aggressive lean angles as it winds along rivers edge and between steep and jagged ridge lines.

Passing through a section known as “Avalanche Alley” … duly named by the frequent avalanches that occur after winter storms, we crest Banner Summit and drop into the west side of Stanley Valley. We wont be making our way through Stanley this day, instead we will turn off Hwy 21 and onto Seafoam Rd (FR 008). This leads to Beaver Creek Rd (FR 172) in a few short miles. Beaver Creek Rd is primitive and rough … perfect for ADV bikes.

Seafoam Road

Turn off for Beaver Creek Rd

FR 172, Beaver Creek Road is a narrow 300ft easement through the southern section of the Frank Church Wilderness. It is narrow, sandy, rocky, runs tight ridge lines and has miles of views.

Following Beaver Creek the road eventually starts to climb out of the drainage and up to the eastern ridge.

Once out of the drainage and up on the saddle we are overlooking the eastern drainage down into Loon Creek. Weather has been chasing us in and it’s apparent now that the darkened skies might have little more in store for us as the distant thunder creeps closer and closer.

Frank Church Corridor

This starts our ridge run towards Pinyon Peak where the road will aptly transition to the Pinyon Peak Loop or Rd 117. You are kept high on the ridge with amazing views in all directions of the surrounding ranges.

We stop and regroup at the turn off for Pinyon Peak Lookout. We contemplate a run up to the lookout, but the active thunder that is closing in diverts that decision instead for a direct descent down into Loon Creek.

From the summit the road winds it’s way down the valley into Loon Creek. Right at the top there is a switchback that can maintain a snow drift over the road well into August on heavy snow years.

Lucky for us the drift has has almost completely melted off allowing us to pass.

…. to be continued

East to West

“Travel is not really about leaving our homes, but leaving our habits.”

– Pico Iyer

As every Summer starts to take hold, longer days start offering up extended hrs to ride whilst teasing us with seasonally pleasant weather…. or at least my mind starts to wander on potential directions that I can point my front tire. In this particular case my minds wandering was made easy by a text received by my friend Sean. Sean and a group were planning a loop around the central portion of our state (Idaho) in a few short weeks, to depart the first weekend of August. Sean and the group graciously made room for one more and extended me an invite, which I graciously excepted. The Summer heat would most likely be settling in by that time, but our route was planned to take us over some elevation and hopefully offer a reprieve to the expected valley temps.

The planned group would consist of Sean and his wife Kris riding two up on their KTM 1190, Jack and his wife Carol riding two up on their KTM 790, Steve on his KTM 1190, Larry on his KTM 1090, Brian on his 1k V-Strom (to keep the KTM’s in line), and myself also on a 1090. (Circumstances at the final hour would unfortunately have Sean and Kris have to step back from the trip, but I’m equally sure they are motivated to complete the planned loop at the next opportunity)

With the group now minus two, the rest of us maintained the original plan to meet bright and early on a cool Friday morning at a fuel stop just outside of Boise heading north. With expected daytime highs to be creeping close to triple digits we were excited to get the air flowing and town distant in our rear view mirrors. We would warm up the tires on a few miles of Hwy 55 into Horseshoe Bend where we would meet up with Larry, who was riding down from the McCall/Donnelly area on his 1090.

Friday morning … the 1090 and OBR ADV Gear bags loaded and ready!

Our first planned exit off the pavement would be onto FR 307 (Harris Creek Road). Each of us spacing out appropriately to avoid each others dust as we proceeded east over Harris Creek Summit meeting up at the junction of Placerville Road and then proceeding to New Centerville. Placerville Road is a 6-8 mile paved section that is connected by dirt on either end and is always a nice reprieve from the dust as it runs parallel alongside Granite Creek.

Arriving in New Centerville we turn the bikes north on FR 382 (Grimes Pass Rd). This portion of road is a multi layer of loose rock and sections of sand requiring us to kick up the pace through Placerville only stopping at the base of Grimes Pass. Our spacing being well maintained and controlled by the residual dust that lingers in the air as a signal to throttle back slightly. This “ying and yang” proves effective in guaranteeing each an appreciable level of clean air as we ride through soil that is otherwise devoid of moisture.

A quick trail break at the intersection of Grimes Pass Rd and Summit Road (FR 397) reveals the Jack and Carrol are experiencing a rear brake gremlin on their 790. The brake seemed to to have pressure at the pedal, but no reaction at the caliper. Tool kits came out and wrenches put into action, but with no resolve. It was decided that Jack and Carrol would loop back into Boise to see if they can get the issue resolved whereas they can meet back up with us at Challis Hot Springs, our intended destination for night one.

The group now minus another two (temporarily), we turn east and head up Summit Rd towards Pilot Peak. I didn’t know what to expect in this section as the 200k acre Pioneer Fire of 2016 had extensively burned this area. However I was pleasantly surprised to find this section of road otherwise unaffected by the fire. The road narrowed and the surface cleaned up making the next few files a complete pleasure. The elevation increased and the dust seemed to decrease as we carved our way up through the trees and towards Pilot Peak.

A few in our group had not visited Pilot Peak in the dry months (Pilot Peak is a popular Winter destination by Snowmobile and back country skiers), so we diverted the 1 mile extension to the top.

Pilot Peak is an old decommissioned fire lookout that sits at approx 8128 ft and has long since been reassigned as a communications platform. Views still note worthy on reasonably clear days.

A few hrs on the clock and our second stop for the day we remount and head down the hill towards Moores Creek Summit where we will again reconnect with the pavement and ride the twisty Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway, a notable section as referred by Butler Maps, to our next stop at the Sourdough Lodge along Hwy 21 for food and fuel. This section of pavement is always a treat as it allows us to scrub the tires and blow some of the dust off the bikes.

… to be continued

Farewell to the tried and true …. pt 1

“Plunge boldly into the thick of life, and seize it where you will, it is always interesting.”

– Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

My Suzuki DRZ 400E, purchased new in 2006, has by far been the best bike I’ve ever owned. It has taken me far and wide, always getting me home. In 13 yrs I have not had a single mechanical breakdown. The motor runs just as strong today as they day it was purchased with the motor only opened up for routine valve checks, which again have remained consistent.

Some will criticize the spec of the DRZ stating lack of power or excessive weight, but I’ll counter that criticism by stating that the DRZ “E” is a trail bike pushing out HP in the high 40’s and dry weight within the range of most bikes in it’s class (I will admit it carries the weight a bit high).

The DRZ suspension in stock trim is valved a bit soft, but nothing that can’t be tailored to your needs. I’ve ridden the DRZ in the desert, in the woods, on tight single track, on forest roads, and highways. The only area I would say the DRZ struggled was in the desert sand whoops. However, the weight balance of the DRZ always inspired confidence in the sense of stability. The DRZ is a very predictable bike in its straight line tracking making it a very easy bike to ride.

At the end of the day I would agree that the DRZ is not a master in any one specific area, but a jack of all trades. Either way the DRZ has proven to be a staple of reliability, which always rings high in my order of importance.

Even with all the prior praises the day has finally come that I start to consider a replacement for the trusted DRZ. Two years ago I sold a Yamaha Super Tenere’. My relationship with the Yamaha was five years long and the S10 always scratched my ADV itch when extended road mileage was in the plan. Selling the S10 created a void … I was again getting the urge for a bike that would still carve up the forest roads, but would also be well suited for extended mileage riding two up with luggage. My mind started to wander considering the available mid -point platforms spec’d with a 21/18 wheel set up. Three bikes populated my list as the Honda AT, BMW 850, and KTM’s 1090.

At the end of some long deliberation I decided to replace the Z with a KTM 1090. Best choice … IDK? … time will tell. Off the show room floor I was impressed with the fit and finish of the mid sized KTM. On the road the “Katoom” screams. Handling is a bit dirt bike’ish with the 21/18, however it handles well off the pavement, and equally as well when two up and/or with luggage. So far it checks the boxes. If it proves to be reliable we’ll have a long and wondrous relationship.

….. to be continued

Chased by the frost … Part one

“It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves”

– Andre Gide

With another riding season nearing an end and the weekend forecast calling for favorable Fall weather I decide to wake up the Z and reach out to my buddy John and his Mighty 690 …. “Hey John, good day for a ride!”

We meet at the bottom of Bogus Basin Road to once again make our way over the ridge into the Boise Mountains ….

Following 374 along the Ridge Road …

Piney flow ….

The morning is still cool …. John running heated gear off the mighty 690

Once again passing the Ponderosa giants!

Hill-N-Dale

We ride to the end of 374 to Harris Creek Summit and hang a hard right onto Ranch Road, or 307 passing by an old homestead of a harder… and in some ways simpler times.

Moving on towards Idaho City, which for me will be a stopping point for fuel … since the Z is not the super tanker, such as the might 690.

The road is nicely paved for a few miles as we ride along side what I think to be Granite Creek.

A bit more dirt before making Idaho City … I fuel up the Z as we plot our next leg.

Next …..