by Robert Scherzer
Originally Published in the IAMC Newsletter, September 2017
Hey everyone, I just wanted to take a few moments of your 5me and fill you in on all the rides I have been doing over the last few months. Since the“PavementPrincessRide”[1],I have been on many rides that I feel are worth writing about and sharing with you.
The “Friday Evening Ride” [2] was an after work ride intended to just get out of town and up into the pines! We started by the Chevron station at the bottom of the hill (Bogus Basin Road). The air temp that day was in the mid to high ninety’s so some elevation was in order. My newly made friend Alex had posted and messaged me that he was interested in going with me and had a buddy, Travis, who had recently picked up a KTM 990 Adventure. When they showed up, I was thankful to have riding friends to tag along! I threw my leg over the Tiger and headed north up the mountain. I enjoy the winding roads of Bogus Basin Road from my days of the sport bike riding–leaning into the corner ,rolling on the throttle, and feeling the bike surge with power as I exit the turn. A hand full of miles and corners later, Alex, Travis and I found what we were looking for… DIRT! We turned on NF-374, otherwise known as the Boise Ridge Road and began the second leg of our trip over to Highway 21. As I am new to the Tiger, I didn’t lower the air pressure. Looking back at this now, explains way the bike felt like it was on marbles most of the 5me. This didn’t stop us from having fun though. We followed the road around the mountain to a nice liOle area to pull over and get a few pictures of the bikes.
We stopped and had a drink to quench the thirst from a hot day and riding, taking the 5me to look around and enjoy what we had to ride that was so close to home. With the water boOles put away and cameras tucked back into their places we continued our trip. I had let Travis know that if he wanted to jump out front and run a bit, I was good with it. That KTM was like a super dirt bike on steroids. It sounded good and looked like a lot of fun to ride! I tried to pick up the pace a few times only to be reminded that I was on the stock mostly street 5res, so I dialed it back a bit to keep from dropping or wrecking the bike. As we neared the 8th Street extension (NF-231), there is a sec5on where the forest gets a liOle dark and dense. It’s one of my favorite parts of this route. I pulled over to point out to Alex and Travis a single track called Humpty Bump. There was an uphill section that didn’t go any where but was still a fun climb if you had the right bike and tire combo. Travis made easy work of it as Alex and I stood by with cameras in hand!
As we passed the 8th Street turn off and started up the small switchbacks, I no5ced Travis had disappeared from my rear-view mirrors. Next thing I saw was a black KTM roaring out of the woods from a side trail and, just like a bullet shot out of a gun, down the road he went! It was exciting to see that bike and Travis’s riding experience. I hope to one day be able to ride like that! The overall road condition was decent. It was not smooth but not rough. It was a bit on the dry side so there was a liOle dust, but that’s part of the fun I believe! We soon got to the east side of Boise Ridge Road were there is another set of small switch backs then an intersection at Aldape Summit. We turned to the east onto Rocky Canyon Road (NF-260) and continued on. The sun was starting to set behind the mountains giving that neat evening glow in the mountains, where the there is s5ll a lot of ambient light but the shadows start to grow. We rode down to Robie Creek winding around on the dirt roads at a nice leisurely pace almost trying to make the adventure last just a liOle bit longer! We pulled into the boat launch area and got off the bikes one more 5me to talk about the ride and say good-bye to each other. It was a pleasure to meet and ride with Travis, and I look forward to it again! As for Alex and me, we are still out hitting the challenge points as 5me permits.
Baumgartner Hot Springs: Alex and I wanted to get to another challenge point, but with limited 5me we had to come up with a route that was fast yet fun to ride. I have never been on Highway 20 or for that mater anywhere in that region. At 5 o’clock P.M., Alex and I set off for Baumgartner Hot Springs. We hit the interstate and set the cruise control at 85 miles per hour. We were trying to burn up the long boring stretch of pavement and beat the clock. (I wanted to be home before midnight.) When we reached Mountain Home, we stopped off at Arby’s for some of that “good mood food” to boost our spirits. Back on the road, we headed northeast, winding through the prairie looking for our next turn. The traffic was light and any cars we came across were moving at a decent pace. The heat wasn’t bad that day with temperatures in the high eighty’s to low ninety’s. On the other hand, the wind was a pain in the buO. With the winds blowing off the prairie you had to be on top of your bike. We turned north on to Louse Creek Road and found ourselves at Anderson Ranch Reservoir. Coming around the first bend and seeing the reservoir open up with the sun shimmering off the water was a beau5ful sight!
Unfortunately, I didn’t take that many pictures on this trip. To go with the shimmering waters of the reservoir was the road that runs alongside it. Its twist and turns, along with campsites and pullouts, were fantastic. With campers hanging out alongside the road and gefng stuff going for dinner, you could smell the grills going, the hot dogs sizzling, and in some places something tasty that my imagination could only picture as a big juicy steak! I thought to myself as we rode past, how lucky they are to be in the middle of the work week and hanging out here lake side grilling and having fun! Continuing on we rode into Pine, what a neat little town with a great view! Alex and I seen a few places to stop and eat instantly regrefng the fast food we had previously.
We rode through pine and continued north to Featherville then on to the dirt! As we rode NF-227 we started seeing all the closed camp grounds. The South Fork of the Boise River was that light brown color with rapids here and there. One could only assume that its color was from the turbulent waters moving soil and eating away at the banks. A liOle farther down the road there was a road barricade set to the side were the river had taken part of the road. The road was dry and dusty so Alex hung back a ways but was close enough that we could chat on the SENA intercom. Along the route I saw a few deer and a rock chuck. Between the dust and the animals we kept our speeds down. As we got to Baumgartner Campground, I saw the orange glow from a sign…Road Closed! I talked to Alex, and we decided that we would park the bikes at the roadside and walk about a mile back to the hot springs.
We walked along the road looking at all the damage that was done by the floodwater. The people in charge of fixing it had already started. They had installed a few culverts under the roadway and placed dirt to gain access to the rest of the campground. There were a few other gates across the roadway at the other end that we easily bypassed by stepping around them! We turned and headed to the back side of the campground and spotted a dear in the field.
We made our way up to the hot spring / pool area to find the pool was dirty! Not a big surprise as the campground was closed. The water was warm along with the air. We got our picture and headed home. The sun was setting and you could feel the cool mountain air starting to roll in. On our way out there was a snake of some sort crossing the road. I have hardly seen any snakes in Idaho since moving here in 2010. Arizona was a different story. Living in the Mohave Desert, snakes were a normal thing to see when it got warm. We continued back down the road debating if we had 5me to attempt Big Trinity. I figured it would be best to ask a local in Featherville before attempting such a ride. We lucked out and found someone that had a bit of info for us. The roads were s5ll closed due to snow, so we took that bit of information and headed home!
References:
1. Pavement Princess Ride: hOp://motoidaho.org/node/4110
2. Friday Evening Ride: hOp://motoidaho.org/node/4177
3. Video of Baumgatner on YouTube: hOps://youtu.be/-N4HYJwtm2I