The original plan for this weekend was a high speed, low drag kind of run across the low Arizona desert to Lake Havasu City, AZ. Some bike swapping and maintenance issues had the participants dropping like flies! That plan was scrapped in favor of two different rides - Saturday, a 2-up return (I was just there last week) to Young, AZ and Sunday, a small bike ride to Crown King, AZ. We weren't sure if anyone else would show up at the staging area, so we waited. We were there just before 8 a.m. Still no takers by 8:10... So we put the lids back on and got moving! Over the familiar 4-Peaks road. I'm getting to know this road pretty well! We were cruising and had to make a couple of passes over the length of the road. Coming down the east side of 4-Peaks road I lost the rear brake! Too much backing it in on the loose corners, I guess. That's Roosevelt Lake in the distance.
We met up with Mil T in his badass Raptor at a gas station just south of Punkin Center. After fueling up and catching up we hit the road into Punkin Center and toward the 609 trail. As soon as we hit dirt I pulled back hard on the right grip. We were moving pretty fast up to the tee of NF-71 and the 609 trail. We waited and kept thinking we were hearing something, but no vehicles would appear. :huh We decided to go back to investigate. On our way back some people in side-by-sides motioned that Mil T was back there somewhere. :eek1 That's a bit more toe-in than you want to see on your Raptor. I guess we could have played marbles with the CV Joint balls while we waited for the tow truck. There's your problem! It seems the upper control arm bolt head let go somewhere along the trail and then switching to 4WD caused the control arm to lose connection with the spindle which then lost connection to the TRUCK! Fortunately Mil T fought the truck to the left rather than going off the edge of the road and down to the desert floor hundreds of feet below to the right.
I didn't want to leave until we were sure there was a solution to get Mil T's broken Raptor home. Eventually his roadside assistance worked something out and the rescue crew were on their way. He insisted we continue the ride, so up into the tall trees we went! And the tall ruts! I'm glad my passenger was comfortable enough to take pictures. I didn't see much of the scenery. My priority was staying out of the ruts!
One of my goals for this ride was to visit the cave we went to last week to try some light painting. First attempt. Kinda neat. Definitely more color and detail than just taking a normal flash photo down here. Farther in the cave the textures and colors get more interesting. And then we had some other fun with light. I'm amazed how well the framing on these two pictures match. I picked the camera up to inspect the result between each one and it is PITCH black in the back of that cave. There are lots of textures in the cave. This wavy one caught our eyes. There are holes and crevices everywhere too. Flash photo of a memorial to a guy from Punkin Center/Tonto Basin area who wanted his ashes placed in the cave. This is all you get with a flash photo down here. Much better to go light painting.
Back on the trail! Eventually the trail dumps out to Highway 288. Looking toward Young in the distance. There are some sharp curves on this road. Another shot into Pleasant Valley. We were already salivating with the prospect of lunch at the Antlers Grill.
Getting closer! Maybe I was excited. That's a little above the speed limit. I think I can smell it! If you're ever in the area and want some great food, stop by the Antlers Restaurant. Provided they are OPEN! I should have learned my lesson and called ahead.
After our 30 mile round trip for nothing I suggested heading to Workman Falls. That's a nice place for a picnic... of beef jerkey and dried fruit strips. It's a neat area. Apparently there are ruins close by. I imagine the water that carved those falls also carved this valley. I'm guessing a lot more water was flowing than this.
Short on food and low on water we decided to make a fast run across A-Cross road. There was only one treacherous spot I worried about. A greasy, slimy wet concrete water crossing. Last week we all made it through without incident, but it was unnerving to feel a 450+ lb bike slipping around as if riding on an ice rink. We weren't so lucky this time. We made it across the first half feeling just minor wiggles from the bike underneath. As soon as we hit the second half it was obvious this wasn't going to end well. The bike started a big slide (at ~10 mph) and I corrected the best I could, but once the steering hit the lock it was over and we both got soaked. Fortunately the big KTM crashes pretty well. A little filing should work that out. Giant, green booger algae. I think that's the scientific name. Imagine riding on greased Teflon and you might be close to how slippery this is. We almost fell again just trying to get back to our feet. Knocked some new off the muffler too. Ever wonder why it says "hydrophobic" under my name? I do not like water crossings. Still, my passenger said it was better than a good day at work. I'll take it!
Nice write up. Bummer about Antlers being closed and the water crossing. It's not an adventure without a crash though...
And that's with a fancy upgraded suspension? Crap, I was thinking that might be my next truck! I'm glad all you got from the off was wet. Could have been worse. Where is that cave? Did you follow it to its terminus? How deep is it?
I'd love to see your route for the day. Did you follow the original .gpx route? Looks like a beautiful area to ride. John
Nice report, Yardstick. Well, except for the slimy water crossing (It was dry last time I rode it) and MilT's truck failure (I guess that and worse could happen to any truck trying to keep up with a KTM).
Nice RR Yardstick! Glad to hear you and Mrs Yardstick are OK. MilT, sorry to see your new truck banged up. Hope the damage isn't too bad on the pocketbook.
Thanks guys! That was the first time that bike has been down. I try to ride conservatively enough when we're 2-up that I can recover from any wobbles. Excrement happens though, right? I think Mil's truck breaking that upper control arm bolt was a fluke. It must have been fatigued to near failure before the trip. The bolt head itself is what broke off. Failures suck but they happen. It could have happened in a better (less dangerous) spot but it could have also happened in a much worse spot. If anyone wants the track I can post a pic of the track but I don't really have a place to host it. Or just send me your e-mail by PM. Stay tuned to Day Trippin' for what Slowred and I were up to today.
Hey Yardstick, Thanks for the report, just wanted to tell you I biffed it on the same water crossing Saturday. We were eastbound, and luckily for me I had just caught up to a side by side as we approached that longer crossing. He got in there and goosed it a little and got completely sideways. Shoulda been a clue...I eased in, feet up, and next thing I knew I was laying in the water, feet on the pegs, hands on the grips! Wow, was that stuff slick! I must have looked like a keystone cop trying to pick that thing up! Glad you were both ok, that concrete underneath was a bit unforgiving!