ozzy 0 Posted October 18, 2008 [started nice enough then got cold Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steepndeep 0 Posted October 18, 2008 Makes me homesick, nice pics Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted October 18, 2008 ok; that was colder than pine valley nice pics! you ever do ride reports any more or do words frighten and confuse you? how close to bryce is bills cabin? how close to Zion? planning on visiting Zion in November and wondering if I should bring a bike. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 561 Posted October 18, 2008 Looks like brrrry cold fun and it sure beats brush fires fanned by hot winds. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mctrails 38 Posted October 18, 2008 I was on the ride with Ozzy and the rest of the crew. It started out good. We had 10 riders, which is too many IMO, but it was what it was. We rode from Bill's cabin on Friday (Oct 10) to Ruby's Inn at Bryce Canyon for the night. At the bottom of the switchback trail (Paiute 01) leading into Circleville someone forgot to wait at the trail 33 turn (first violation of trail riding rules) and 4 of us got separated from the rest of the group. We waited for someone to come back for us but they never did. Second violation of trail rules. We waited quite a while, did some back tracking and tried calling Bill on cell phones. No Answer. So we decided to follow the planned route and rode over to Junction to try and find the group. We stopped at the RV park in Junction and I talked to my buddy that owns the RV park and had just arrived. He didn't see the rest of the group but they weren't supposed to go by there anyway. We decided to take the highway (borrrring) to Antimony which is where we planned to stop for lunch and gas. When we arrived 2 of the original group were there waiting. Said they separated from the group near Junction and took the highway to Antimony looking for us and the rest of the group was taking the original planned trail route there. They finally arrived and after lunch and fuel we were on our way again. A liitle ways south of Antimony we took some new trails (to me) and continued on to Ruby's Inn without incident. The last 20 or so miles was another borrrrring highway section. We did approximately 120 miles this day. I ended up riding my XCW300 because my EXC525 plated bike has a bad valve. The 300 worked great except for the highway sections where I didn't feel like pushing over 55 MPH. The next morning we took a quick ride down to the northern view point at Bryce for some quick pics before heading out. We took the Fremont ATV trail back north. Took a side trail into Casto Canyon and were rewarded with a great little single track trail and some awesome views of mini Bryce Canyon sandstone formations and Hoodoos. Further north back on the Fremont Trail we started encountering deadfall trees across the trail and had to work at making it around them in some thick brush. At one of the worst deadfall areas I was one of the first few to make it around and headed on down the trail assuming some of the group had seen me ride by. My mistake and third violation of the rules. I waited and waited and waited for the group to come and finally rode back and caught a well deserved tongue lashing from everyone. They did know where I was and had been looking all around for me... For all that I was rewarded as the trail leader the rest of the way back to Circleville for lunch and fuel stop. I have been on the Fremont ATV trail many times and knew it pretty well. Mostly a high speed wide dirt road. At Circleville we were greeted by snow flurries and ominous looking clouds over the mountains we were going to be riding into. We had luch, gassed up and headed up the swtichback trail towards Bill's cabin. The further up the mountain the harder the snow fell and the thicker buildup on the ground there was. By the top of the mountain traction was nonexistent, visibility was very poor, it was very cold and our googles were steaming up. Other than that it was great. We managed to slip and slide our way along in a tight single file group for what seemed like an eternity and finally made it back to the cabin. At times I wasn't sure we were going to make it. Conditions were about as bad as I have ever been in on a dirtbike. Throttle control was the key. Just a little too much and the rear tire would start spinning and the rear end of the bike would start sliding around. Don't even think about touching the brakes. All I could think about was DON'T STOP! We did 100 miles this day with the last 20 miles seeming like it was 50! The next morning there was about 6-8 inches of fresh snow on the bikes as you can see in the pics. With conditions like that we had to abandon our plans for 2 more days of riding there so we headed home to warmer conditions. All in all it was a good ride with many adventures and some misadventures. -Alan (aka mctrails) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mctrails 38 Posted October 18, 2008 OK, I'm going to try and add a couple of my pics from the trip. This is my first attempt so I hope it works... This is the gnarly up hill part of the trail Bill calls the ying and yang trail south of Antimony. This is some of the crew stopped in the snow storm we rode through on Saturday. My snowman picture. This is a phenomenon that happens to us bearded dudes when we try to ride through blinding snow storms. Ozzy knows what I'm talking about... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mctrails 38 Posted October 18, 2008 Wow, that actually worked. I never cease to amaze myself. Here are a couple more. Enjoy! Here Robert after taking a little trip off the side of the trail less than 3 miles into the ride. A view in Casto Canyon from the riders view point. Bill at the cabin warming up after the ride in the snow storm. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
racerbill 0 Posted October 18, 2008 Hey those are my feet, I was on that ride to. I sorta remember a riders meeting and then an hour later we lost 3 guys(temporarily). Yin and Yang, desert to Aspens, smooth and rocky. Alan, Chris post some of those pictures on my favorite MC pictures. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
