Idaho 2002

Idaho is really a great place to ride. The trails are endless and in pristine conditions. Nobody was up there and we literally had the whole place to ourselves. Our group picked a week when no other clubs were up there. The names of some trails and riders have been changed to protect their innocence.

Day One

The main riding group was Scott, Gary, Kim, Dennis, Travis, and myself. We headed out the first day to the Beaver Lodge. This lunch stopped is located in a small town. 30 plus miles of dirt road is the only way in or out of this place. Luckily there are tons of single track for bikes also. About 70 miles round trip and mostly all single track. The trails are tight and virgin with switchbacks, but intermediate in overall challenges. The OHV map was good backup, but Scott had his radar set for cheeseburgers. He got us there without any back tracking. Always amazed at how well dirt bikers remember trails a year later.
The shot from this day would be How Steep Was It? I stopped on one of the amazing single tracks we used to climb out the valleys. Check out the trees and the slop grade. No, I was not tilting the camera.

Pictures from this day are: Food Stop #1 and #2, Fern Loamy Trails, Trail Shot 4, and How Steep was it

Day Two

Day Two had our sights on the infamous banana milk shake lunch stop. This place makes the best milks shakes ever. The only problem is that it is at least 100 miles round trip. Trail knowledge is the only way to make there and back without making any wrong turns. Luckily Dave Woods was with us to show the way. His knowledge of the trails made our ride a lot easier. All we had to do was try and keep up.
The secret trail pictures do not tell the whole the story. We all REALLY love this trail. We were shown were this trail was last year, however it was still hard to remember where to pick it up. The trail is steep with many switchbacks. These are the kind you have to pop a wheel to make the turns.
My friends from LA (Dennis and Travis) had fun keeping Travis’s Husaberg running. We all agreed that there must be some test to pass before riding those bikes. Anyway, this is one of a couple trail fixes (see Dead Husaberg picture). Actually we had very few trail problems. It is just that Travis got caught on film more than the rest of us. A bit dusty that day. Team Trail Dust picture is the result of 100 miles. Thankfully there is a hot tub at the campground.

Pictures from this day are: Secrete Trail #1, #2 and #3, Wet Feet, Hose Check, Lunch Stop, Trail Shot 1,2 and 3, Team Trail Dust, Hot Tub Time

Day Three

We were all beat after yesterday’s ride so we opted for only a 70 mile loop. Scott’s wife wanted to go on this loop the following day, so we did a recon mission to locate all the turns and check out the trail. The Lookout pictures are at +9000 feet. There is an awesome view with a fun rocky trail heading up to the summit. Kim was having so much fun he even forgot the lens to his glasses (Got Glasses?).
Travis is smiling because after the second front flat he determined that a broken spoke was the repeating culprit. The trail checked out great and the steep downhill at the end was not too steep (brake check anyone?) We scouted out the road section for the easy split also.

Pictures from this day are: Lookout 1,2,3, Trail Adjustments, Dead Husaberg (sorry Travis), Why is this man smiling?, Got Glasses

Day Four

We repeated the loop from the prior day with Scott’s wife. Yes, the trail is that much fun to ride it back to back, especially if you have a brand new CR450F to throttle with. The group cruised along at a good clip without any problems. Gary found this cherry PE 175 on the side of the trail (New ride picture). I decided that it would handle a lot better then my XR because of its lower center of gravity. I cannot believe that this bike made it out there. Really clapped out. But hey, if runs I would ride it. Gary decided to stick with his new Honda and not just swap bikes on the trail.
The view from the top of this peak was great. We could see down into a local ski area. At a great rest stop we spotted some “local misfits”. These guys looked confused and kept asking for training fluid. Luckily we found them some (Cold Drink Stop).

Picture for this day are: New bike maintenance, Gary’s new ride, Local trail misfits, Amazing view 1 and 2, Cold Drink Stop

Day Five

We decided that this would be our last day. So we plotted a trail that was only 35 miles. Well, 5 hours later we made it back to camp. Very tight and totally fantastic. This trail is a definite must do next year. Only we have to check the water level a bit more carefully. Some of the trail crossing are a bit deep (eh Gary?)
Anyway, The vista pictures are very typical trail shots. You just do not get trails this nice in California. At least none that I would put on a map (ghost trails anyone?). The rock ledge shot does not do itself justice. Scott wheelie’d with ease, but if you missed it there was a bit of a roll to the bottom of the ravine. Hopefully the video clip can be seen on the web. Kim schooled us on his trials riding technique. I of course cleared it without any dabs (yeah right!), but no witnesses so. . . .

Pictures from this day are: Rock Ledge, Vista 1 and 2, How deep was it

The Idaho adventure is not for the faint at heart. Two days of driving to get there and two days back. The trails are very steep and technical. Way too must dust and the hot tub is only a myth. So, do not tell your buddies about this fantasy riding area. It is only a figment of our imagination. Just come along next year for yourself when we become “Lost in Idaho” for our third year in a row. Then you too will not want to tell anyone about the best riding outside of Nevada County.