Since someone was asking for more local color...
My buddy, Jerod came over Friday. We decided to do a little trip to the back side of Silver City to a peak called War Eagle. We were able to fit both steeds in the back of a short bed Chevy with the toolbox in place.
Unlike last time, we decided to drive a little closer and enjoy the ride a bit more.
Most of the trail would be like a really neglected gravel driveway -- narrow and rutted. There was also a good portion that is single track.
War Eagle in the distance.
It's unfortunate that the smoke and phone-grade camera really don't convey the scenery. This is at 7800' (home is 2300) so those Yamahas did some climbing.
It ended up being a pretty short day so we were back home, cleaned up, and sitting in a Mexican restaurant by 3. Perfect end to day 1.
Day 2 (today) started just a little earlier. We loaded up and headed NW this time. Trespassed through a farmer's field and unloaded a few miles above Homedale. Then we rode west toward Owyhee reservoir. This is a much more sparse region.
Saw lots of cattle in open range, a couple snakes and a Coyote. No deer or antelope though. This time of year they hang out closer to the corn and alfalfa in the valleys below. Most of our riding today was seldom-used roads interspersed with, "Hey, see that rimrock over there? Should be a road just at the base." Followed by a mile or two of cross-country.
After we ran 15-20 miles over the first range we dropped down into Tunnel Canyon. I think I mentioned in the old thread that Jerod spent his summers here because his grandfather worked at the dam. He rode these trails a lot as a youth so he took me on a tour of the irrigation canals. The water comes out of the dam and runs through a combination of pipelines and open canals. There are tunnels that bore through the mountains that were built in the '30s and he told me one is over five miles long. In the winter it is dry and you can see through to the other end.-- it's that straight and flat! This one is dated 1932.
Look close and you can see Jerod climbing the ladder on the side. He's 6'5" if that gives you an idea of scale.
A few miles of climbing beyond that put us far above the west rim of the lake. It's about 50 miles long in total. I saw one single boat. Again, too bad about the smoke. At one point in the morning we rode about 1/4 mile on the road along the river below the dam. Plenty of climbing again for team Yamaha.
It was another great day in the saddle. We got loaded up and back to town before it got too warm and were enjoying a pizza at a local spot by 2.
My buddy, Jerod came over Friday. We decided to do a little trip to the back side of Silver City to a peak called War Eagle. We were able to fit both steeds in the back of a short bed Chevy with the toolbox in place.
Unlike last time, we decided to drive a little closer and enjoy the ride a bit more.
Most of the trail would be like a really neglected gravel driveway -- narrow and rutted. There was also a good portion that is single track.
War Eagle in the distance.
It's unfortunate that the smoke and phone-grade camera really don't convey the scenery. This is at 7800' (home is 2300) so those Yamahas did some climbing.
It ended up being a pretty short day so we were back home, cleaned up, and sitting in a Mexican restaurant by 3. Perfect end to day 1.
Day 2 (today) started just a little earlier. We loaded up and headed NW this time. Trespassed through a farmer's field and unloaded a few miles above Homedale. Then we rode west toward Owyhee reservoir. This is a much more sparse region.
Saw lots of cattle in open range, a couple snakes and a Coyote. No deer or antelope though. This time of year they hang out closer to the corn and alfalfa in the valleys below. Most of our riding today was seldom-used roads interspersed with, "Hey, see that rimrock over there? Should be a road just at the base." Followed by a mile or two of cross-country.
After we ran 15-20 miles over the first range we dropped down into Tunnel Canyon. I think I mentioned in the old thread that Jerod spent his summers here because his grandfather worked at the dam. He rode these trails a lot as a youth so he took me on a tour of the irrigation canals. The water comes out of the dam and runs through a combination of pipelines and open canals. There are tunnels that bore through the mountains that were built in the '30s and he told me one is over five miles long. In the winter it is dry and you can see through to the other end.-- it's that straight and flat! This one is dated 1932.
Look close and you can see Jerod climbing the ladder on the side. He's 6'5" if that gives you an idea of scale.
A few miles of climbing beyond that put us far above the west rim of the lake. It's about 50 miles long in total. I saw one single boat. Again, too bad about the smoke. At one point in the morning we rode about 1/4 mile on the road along the river below the dam. Plenty of climbing again for team Yamaha.
It was another great day in the saddle. We got loaded up and back to town before it got too warm and were enjoying a pizza at a local spot by 2.
