My first site was on a group ride that Mike Hardy posted for April 1st. We met at Carl’s Cycles, got the photo taken and continued with a great ride through the foothills north of Eagle. We ended up riding down to the Payette River near Montour and followed the dirt road into Horseshoe Bend in the dark. (One down and only 29 more to go.)
It’s encouraging to observe how the Idaho Adventure Motorcycle Club has managed to stay alive and become reinvigorated with renewed efforts of long-time dedicated members and new talented members ready to help make motoidaho a success. There’s a need for a club like ours to encourage and educate dual sport riders and to serve as an example for adventure riders everywhere. Here is another chapter in my story of riding opportunities and incentives provided by the Idaho Adventure Motorcycle Club since my first Challenge season in 2010.
My first IAMC ride was when Bob Sims (AKA Honda Bob) posted a single-track ride in the Owyhees. Not knowing what I was in for, I contacted Bob, and he invited me to go with him. I showed up with low cut boots, Levis and a Fox coat purchased at a garage sale. Bob was very kind, and we had a wonderful day with me trying to keep up with his KTM 500exc on difficult single track. He was patient and the education began. I found other IAMC rides and have met so many great people on various rides.
2016 marked the 7th year of the IAMC Challenge. I have enjoyed the IAMC Challenge each year. It has been a good incentive for me to get out riding, and it has taken me to many places in Idaho and surrounding states that I might otherwise never have visited. It has also been the means through which I have met and ridden with many members of our club, both new and old.
The 3rd annual April Fools Ride was held, well, on April 1st. It was nice and sunny, the breeze was a bit chilly but at least it wasn’t snowing or blowing as it had the day before. The ride was scheduled to start after the Spring Kickoff Picnic, and attendance was very good. This was one of the largest groups I have ever ridden in. At least in the beginning …
2017 marked the 8th year of the IAMC Challenge in which 34 club members participate and 16 participants posted photos at one or more sites. As usual, there were some who visited sites but did not post any photos. The theme for 2017 centered around water — 15 hot springs, 4 lakes, 8 dams, 11 water falls, 1 reservoir, and 1 pond.
Baumgartner Hot Springs: Alex and I wanted to get to another challenge point, but with limited time we had to come up with a route that was fast yet fun to ride.
A large portion of my life has been spent in Eastern Oregon, so I have covered a lot of ground there and still have a lot left to explore. I’ll cover some of my favorites here to give you an idea of what can be found if you get off the beaten path.
Here are some of the reasons why this place ranks so high for me: (1) Comfortable distance away from the Treasure Valley. (2) Can be a day trip, a rest stop to other locations, an overnighter, and I have even used it as a base camp a couple of times. (3) More than one way to get in and out, which also means different ability levels. (4) Can be a comfortable level 2 ride with V-Strom friendly paved and dirt roads. (5) Can also be a level 3 or 4 on more aggressive dirt roads with rocks, ruts, inclines, and several hundred feet of exposure. (6) It can also be a full on level 5 single track, approx 25 miles worth, for the lighter more nimble dual sports.
One of my favorite riding locations in the state of Idaho is easily within reach… actually, much of it is accessible after work during long summer days. The Boise Foothills offer vastly varied riding experiences, from novice rides to incredible twisty pavement to mindboggling technical trail riding. Unfortunately, this area seems to be largely unexplored by many club members. This may be at least partially due to the reputation of difficulty of some of the trails in the area.