Day Ten - back home
Well, here's a look at tracks I covered in the dark yesterday.
It get's a little narrow as you approach the rim, large rigs may need to watch out for low hanging branches.
And some spots get muddy or rutted.
Outside of the trees, wide views where I saw a huge elk last night.
Cool little cabin near the boundary between National Park and Reservation. Nothing of interest inside, except a warning about hanta virus. I had considered sleeping on the porch last night.
Watch out for this one. The “gate” consists of a single strand of wire that could spell disaster for an inattentive rider.
The pay station can't be missed, though you might be hard pressed to find a ranger.
Palace of the Missing Ranger
I couldn't take my planned route south through the reservation due to the tribal elk hunt. Once I crossed back onto the national forest, I used the latest forest service TMP map to head south. Lots of fun double track out that way, which I forget to photograph. I venture west into cattle country after passing the southern boundary of the reservation.
This track follows a wide drainage in the otherwise flat surroundings.
At some point, I link up with a wider and improved dirt road.
And then get to one of the big cattle outfits.
I get off the county road and take a lesser one south again. The road appears to end at a large tank with a bunch of cattle. I poke around for a while trying to pick up the trail, but the southern route just seems to vanish.
Just past the cattle, I find this shack and trace a fenceline trail west. Nothing is appearing on my maps or GPS from what I can tell and a decision has to be made. Head west a bit and try to pick up a dirt route south to Williams or backtrack a little to the east and see what I find. It has been many miles since the last fill up, so I take a look in the tank to see if it helps in the decision. It's pretty low, but I can't be sure exactly how far it will take me. So, I regretfully decide to head east on the county road to Valle, figuring I know I can make it there.
Turns out, this was a good decision, because I had to switch to reserve about 5 miles out. I probably would have run out exploring some of the lesser tracks back to Williams. Oh well, it's a good excuse to head back up and show my wife that sweet campsite sometime. Thinking of her, I decide to call it a day and head back home.
I take highway 180 to lumberjack country. Grab a bite at Bun Huggers since I know they don't mind a dirty biker in the joint. It's going to be a cold ride home, so I add the insulated liners to my gear. It's the first time I've used them for their intended purpose.
The journey home is only noteworthy because it is my first time riding the interstate in the dark. I hope the elk prefer pasture to pavement, drop the highway pegs, and head home. My only stop is at sunset point to stretch.
Pollo and the Tacoma have a lot of catching up to do.
It has been an excellent adventure. Thanks coming along for the ride.
Odometer - date
1790 – 10/20/11 pick up my bike from the previous owner
1814 – 11/1/11 get my motorcycle endorsement
2007 – 11/17/11 perform my first oil change
2020 – 11/19/11 depart on this trip
2157 - 11/19/11 hit dirt for the first time
3230 – 11/28/11 arrive home
My first trip, 1210 miles (616 dirt / 594 paved)
AZ Traverse, 561 miles* (447 dirt /114 paved)
*Point to point distances, excluding repeated sections/backtracking.
Get out there and help reduced that pavement! 45 miles can be trimmed around Williams and 33 miles west of Wickenburg.
Weights and Measures
30 gallons of gas, 40 MPG
Payload = 397.15 (that's 3.85lbs below max allowable)
72.18 lbs were motorcycle specific (riding gear, luggage, repair gear, farkle)
49.86 lbs of personal gear (winter camping, 2.5gallons water, 7 days food, cloths, etc)
275 lbs of agavelvr (best place to shave pounds for next ride)
Total Trip Expense = $376
$29 Food
$78 Eating out
$130 Hotel (3 nights)
$101Gas
$ 13 misc supplies
$ 25 entry fee
The completed trek
