dirt dame

I hadn't been out for a few weeks (other than to go fishing) and wanted to get one last ride in for the year. For somebody who used to ride 2 or 3 time a week, but can't do that anymore because of the rugged climate and also having to work full time, this ride meant a lot to me. I managed to get 16 rides in this last year, and that was a few more than the year before. I'd like to get a few more rides than 16 in for 2026, so hopefully there will be some mild weather in the next few months, although we really need some decent snowpack this winter. Anyway, the weather looked as though it might be dicey on Christmas day, so I was still lounging around in my tiny apartment at 11 a.m.. But the sun was still out and the temperature was above 40 degrees, so on a whim I threw on some riding duds, (including some brand new boots that I got myself for Christmas) and headed over to the storage shed to pick up Mr. 501, who was sporting a new set of sprockets and drive chain. Then I drove about 20 miles out of town and unloaded the bike. I didn't have more than about two hours to ride, as I was supposed to join friends for a nice prime rib supper, later in the afternoon. I had the whole countryside to myself and rode about 40 miles of two track, getting back to the staging area just before the weather broke. It was the best Christmas that I have had in Wyoming, so far.

Merry Christmas!🌲 Managed to squeeze one more ride in today, up on the prairie since the weather has been mild so far this winter.

I carry a light balaclava in my pack, along with insulated waterproof gloves. The lake in the background is Flaming Gorge reservoir.

I was hoping to get a ride or two after this ride, but fate said "no". I got busy and tired and this and that, and then on Thanksgiving weekend, the weather began to get wintery. So....11/09 was probably the last time for me to get a ride in for the rest of the year. It started out pretty chilly that morning....17 degrees when I went to the storage unit to pick up the 501. It warmed up to the low 40s by the time I reached my staging spot in the mountains, so that wasn't too bad. I had a short warm up loop in the forest area and then headed down to what I like to call the Utah moors....just a rocky plateau of shallow rolling hills. I had been there before, but wanted to explore further. I found a nice little pocket of sparsely spaced forest that had a good loop running through it, and a couple of other interesting trails. I was also going to hit a little pavement and head over to Dowd mountain and run the scenic loop there, but tarmac speeds were a little too chilly-willy for me, so I turned back and headed in early. Good thing too, because I hadn't been paying attention to just how worn out my drive components were getting. I bought sprockets and chain last year actually, but then forgot about doing the maintenance. Things are different when your bikes live somewhere else besides at your home. Out of sight-out of mind. Anyway, I did the work and changed out the parts the following weekend. So all is good, except for the weather.

I stay logged onto the forum, but when I tried to go to the home page, I got this warning. So I went directly to Paypal instead.

There are a lot of big wide road routes up in the Uintas, but a lot of the stuff I was riding is for vehicles that are 50 inches wide or less. And I know that there is a lot of smooth areas showing in the shots I took, but there are also a lot of steep hills, rocks and hairpin turns (sometimes all combined). There's something for everyone, except single track. I haven't found any real single track routes up there, but the two track ATV stuff is just as good. I have never encountered an ATV on any of it.

I figured that that last weekend may be the height of the full fall colors up in the Uinta mountains, so I packed up Bugz Beta and headed south for a day of frenzied shutter clicking. The mountains did not disappoint, and the weather was perfect, with a mixture of sun and storm clouds and balmy temperatures.

If they are all in one piece, with nothing missing, flip each reed over inside out. and see if they will close properly.

Had a chance to do a little poking around on the south side of the mountains. A lot more creeks over there. The only route that connects the north side and the south side is an ATV trail called Old Carter Military trail. It is rated as a black diamond route for ATVs, and there is some black diamond terrain on it. I haven't had an opportunity to hit it with a riding partner yet, so I have only delved into a mile or two of either end of the trail. The north end is the most annoying in terms of rocky stuff, while the south end starts out pretty decent. I took the 501 down the south end a little way, yesterday. The ground was nice and soft from the day before's rain storm. Temps were cool enough that I had to wear a jacket, although the sun was out for the most part. Very nice weather for the end of August for sure.

Kind of a short ride, last Sunday, but more great weather and scenery made for another great day on the trail.

Another day in the Uinta mountains, another solo ride. Sunny weather, and the temps felt like Indian Summer already. Just poking around, no map, no itinerary, just a relaxed day of exploring.

There's this place called Hole In The Rock. It was in this picture, but I enlarged a portion of the shot so that you can see where hole in the Rock is. I will take a close up shot some time when I am not so lazy.

Another weekend, another excuse to bust out a bike and stroll through the the mountainside scenery. Mr. 501 was the machine of choice this time around. It was mostly easy mountain truck trails that meandered through the forest and along the creeks and lakes. I had allergies, a cold, forgot my riding gloves and there was smoke in the air from a distant wild fire, but I still managed to put in enough miles to get me some smiles....and the Harbor Freight work gloves didn't give me any blisters...so there's that.