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2021 Southern Challenge Sites

Irrigation canals for the farms and a water distribution system for the town were built.  The Southern Pacific Railroad constructed an eight-mile spur from its mail like to a newly constructed, elaborate depot.  In addition to the depot, the Pacific Reclamation Company built an amusement hall that features a stage and served as the town’s social center, a post office, a school, and a three story, fifty-room elaborate brick hotel complete with an electric generator, central heating and hot and cold running water in every room. 

Cycles & Scenery: A motorcycle adventure around Idaho

The pavement dissipated about 20 miles from Boise on Blacks Creek Road as we rolled toward Prairie. It was the first reel in a seemingly endless loop of postcard scenery as we dropped into the rugged black-rock canyon of the South Fork of the Boise River.

Gold Mining Ghost Towns near Boise

Gold was first discovered in the Boise Basin (centered about 24 miles north of Boise) along Grimes Creek in 1862 by George Grimes, Moses Splawn and an accompanying party of men. Within a few years the basin changed from a wilderness area inhabited mainly by Native Americans to the thriving mining towns of Idaho City, Centerville, Pioneerville, Placerville, and Quartzburg, supporting a composite population of 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants.

Winter Destination – Death Valley

For our Death Valley trip we have to give credit to Tom, aka DesertDog for the idea. Unfortunately, Tom was not able to go on the trip with us, but once we had a destination in mind, the rest was history. We did a little research before the trip which helped a lot, but once we got there, found out we still had a lot to learn.

Destination-Seeing the light

The Spook Lights typically appear at night and are usually described as orbs or discs varying from the size of a baseball to a basketball. They appear to hover or dance a few feet above the ground.

The Dempster Highway: Dawson City to Inuvik

“So are you going to get that Dempster thing out of your system or not? I don’t want you to look back and say, ‘I wish I had done that when I could have.’ You have new knees now, so get it done,” she said. I love my wife, but replied, “I don’t even have a bike.” “Well you know how to fix that!” was her retort.

Just in the Nick of Time!! My 2012 IAMC Challenge

Also, fate played a hand. On July 30th, our last day of riding for Challenge sites, we were riding the road to Sleeping Deer Mountain. On our way out, we went up to Twin Peaks LO. While there, we noticed a large fire smoke to our west in what appeared to be the Pinyon Peak LO area.

Challenge 2012

By early afternoon, I’d reached Three Creek Store and Jarbidge, and then continued on to set up camp along some unknown creek in a grassy valley. It had been a long day of wrong turns and I was ready to hit the sack. The next morning I hit nearby Rowland and on to the infamous Rd. 67 to Charleston before camping near Wells NV.

RIDING THE IDAHO CENTENNIAL TRAIL NORTH TO SOUTH

If you haven’t ridden this road, it is a must do – no traffic, good road surface and enough curves to scrub off you sidewalls. From Grangeville I went onto Highway 13, another great twisty road, down to Kooskia and then Highway 12 north along the Clearwater River through Kamiah to Highway 11 with more hairpin curves up onto the Weippe prairie and finally to the town of Pierce.