Yuta North

This is a first ride of any distance at all on a street legal machine for me. Always been a dirt bike kind of guy and still am deep down inside but thought there was more I needed to experience. So with the kids raised and married off I got permission from the Mrs. to move on to this next part of life's expereinces and checking things off the bucket list. I took this little jaunt end of June 2011 from Providence Utah over the top of Trappers Loop above Huntsville, UT and onward to Morgan, East Canyon, Hennifer, Monte Cristo, Randolph, Garden City, Logan Canyon and home.

Mileage for the day 275. The Strom averaged 54 mpg, ran perfect all day.

Historical marker in Morgan, UT
Cabin where the little fellar was born, in Morgan.

Wagon road historical marker, many of our great, greats passed this way. Beautiful rugged country.

Very popular route for more than one reason. Now we travel in 10 minutes what would take our Pioneer folks a dang day to cover.
The tool for the day next to the historical marker that follows below. The ill-fated Donner Party used this route as well.



Devil's Slide near Croydon, UT. The name appears to be more than apropriate.


Still a fair bit of snow for end of June over the top of Monte Cristo. This is the most snow any of us can remember this late in the year.

That's it for now. Until next ride.

Beeeeyoutifullllll!~

Cache Valley Utah

There's a golf course under there !!

These guys are glad for all the water.

Looking West to the Wellsville Mtns.

Old Scool House built 1898 near Garland, UT

The Saturday morning air, was clear and crisp, the low temps in Logan Canyon always surprise me when it is still so warm in the valley below. The wind was blwoing the early morning type we get most every morning, making my track look a bit more meandering than typical. You could smell all the campfires burning pine and aspen and cooking up something good for breakfast. In my haste I forgot my own breakfast. Oh well, guess I'll get full on the smell, views, and sounds of the bike below me.


Rick Springs up Logan Canyon in days of old.


Rick Springs on Saturday 7-23-11








Bear Lake in the distance near St. Charles, ID


Old ranch house near St. Charles, ID.




The route from Logan, UT to Garden CIty, (the darker black line) then north up hwy 30 to Paris, ID. and then back. total miles 129.

That's it until next ride...

A couple more from Saturday

Really nice photo's of your trip. I think the old school house is pretty cool, not that the rest are bad, they are all good. I just have a soft spot for old schools and such. Lots of us out west have run into the late season snows still hanging around, making us (me) ride alternate routes than what I had planned...on paper!

I've been on parts of the California trail myself and have seen quite a few of those historical markers. I'm glad I can cover ground more quickly than what the pioneers could. Plus I think we enjoy it more than they did! Oofta!

Thanks for sharing your ride pictures.

Glad you like the pics, Admiral. It's always interesting to think about the lives that have passed this way before us. Yes I agree we enjoy it more, way, way, more.

I started out early Friday, so as to avoid as much of the coming days heat as possible. It was going to be toasty. I crossed my way over to Tremonton I noticed again how much it cooled as you drop into a little valley and then it heats up as you ride back out. The smell of the Russian Olive Trees was fairly strong this morning, a sort of driving perfume to those of us out this way. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
I had earlier determined that I would try and avoid as much of the super slab as possible. At freeway speeds with a stiff cross wind, and truckers who have been up way too long I thought the frontage roads and old state highways would be the best bet for me today. I wasn’t wrong.

As I made my way into Malad, folks were waiving hello’s my way, as if I were a long lost friend, even the little kids. I suppose I am.
I stopped at a convenience store and gassed up the bike before continuing on. I was slightly chilled for some reason and thought I would take a break and warm up, as the sun kept rising. A well experienced lady at the counter asked “where you headed” as she looked up and I responded to her smile and said “got any suggestions” she laughed and said “you guys are the same”. She was most pleasant, but you could tell life had not always, if ever, been easy, or kind to her. <o></o>
I continued north on Old State Hwy 191, it was great, and the very reason we all do this kind of thing. It was more green and lush than anything I could remember when taking the freeway north, that parallels this same general route in the past. It then dawned on me how much of life happens just where you least expect it. Again folks waived as I passed by in McCammon and Inkom. I wondered if they could see the smile under my face mask or my bike looked extra happy today. No, I suppose, just good folks.






I finally made my way through Pocatello and then into American Falls, this was my destination for the day. My Grandparents and some Great Grandparents grew up in this area and I had wanted to visit this area. It had been many, many, years since I had been here. I brought with me a photo of my G-pa and two of his associates in there Sundays finest. Standing beneath the RR Bridge at the American Falls Dam, where I am today. The main difference being the roughly 90 years of lives spent, since they were here.


The following are some pics. of the American Falls before the power project was built and then various improvements in years to follow. According to family stories G-pa worked on both the dam and helping to move some buildings from down below to up above the new town and future water line after the town would be flooded. These and other construction projects being sponsored by the Bureau of Reclamation at the time.






White Sturgeon Fishing below the dam accrding to a fellow that was passing by.

I finally wandered over to Neely, just west of American Falls to the old cemetery and was able to find the headstones of some family members. I was struck by the headstones of the large number of infants, little ones, and young adults who passed on way to early in what must have been a tough area, in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Here’s a pic of the view northward towards the Snake River in the distance. It was quite peaceful and cool here, the solitude was a welcome companion.

Bear River

Until Next Ride...

Glendale Res. near Preston, ID.







Notice the No Trespassing sign...





Black Canyon Gorge, near Grace, ID.












Oneida Res.near Cleveland, ID.




That's what 30% chance of rain looks like, ended up being 100% where I was. Until next ride...

Wow - amazing area you live in...I am not to familiar with Utah, but I want to visit now.....great job!

Manning Meadow Reservoir, Fish Lake National Forest

Sevier Valley, Utah




What that same old cabin will look like in a few months.

Until these colder days set in, we'll settle for days like this.

Had only a short time, so I did a little ride to Porcupine Reservoir to watch the sun rise.
This reservoir also has a nice population of Kokonee Salmon, the much smaller version of what you would typically find near the coastal waters, but still a very cool fish, espcially during spawning.


While warming up with the sunrise I watched two of these as they were hydroseeding a pipeline cut through the mountains up this way. The pipeline runs from South West Wyoming to Southern Oregon. These guys have nerves of steel, the wind was blowing them up and down while their massive buckets were being refilled.




Until next ride...

So, got tired of riding the desk and looked outside checked the weather 71 degrees and sunny,I'm outta here. Welcome to Tony Grove.


This area borders on the Mt. Naomi Wilderness Area. Very nice and cool, after a hot summer.

Just clinging to life...





When my son was a little shaver about 20 years back, we went for a sunrise hike and had two bull moose, big boys, walk up on us right here at this spillway, as we were watching the sunrise. We watched very quietly, and me hoping they wouldn't come and stomp the gut's out of us. We had no good exit, so we sat there for about 40 minutes watching them strip the willow leaves off, one after another. Now just a fond memory as that little shaver is now 6' 5" and looks down on me. He's one of very few guys guys that can make a BRP look like a mini bike.






Beaver Mtn Ski Resort, not many places left around these parts where you can ski all day, all area $40, on the Greatest Snow on Earth.
Won't be long and we'll be strapping on the boards...

Until next Ride...

With fall coming on in full force, thought I should perhaps take the chance to stir the oil around in the ole crankcase. Headed up Blacksmith Fork Canyon near here. Utah Hwy 101.








Welcome to Hardware Ranch. A great stop in the winter to view a nice sized elk herd.

Lots of these signs for those folks trying for an easy way to fill their tag.





In a few months from now these fields below will be covered with snow and elk.








I am a lucky man... until next ride...

With rain forecast for the next several days, I thought I should go up and catch a bit more of the fall color and do a little fishing as well. Needless to say the color was more spectacular than was my fishing prowess though I did manage to catch one small Brown Trout.













Until next ride...

Time to ride hard and ride long my friends...

Started out this a.m. at about 38 degrees F. Not bad but hoped for warming throughout the day and got it. Forgot my ear plugs. I hate when that happens, makes the normal ringing in my ears that much louder. Anyway...onward


Found a nice little "cafe" , the cliental was a bit scarce. Just the way I like it.





ATK parking lot, really cool old rockets and misc. items that make a lot of noise.


Next stop Golden Spike Monument





Old telegraph pole that runs along the old track of the transcontinental


Lots of this out that way.

Good advice... until next ride

Antique Ranch House near Cleveland, ID.

Antique GMC

HID ??

More tomorrow...

All worthy goals, which way now???

Sheep Rock, near Soda SPrings. Names for the Big Horn Sheep the pioneers used to see on these rocks.

Geyser in downtown Soda Springs, pretty cool.

Some old wood silo's in Soda Springs, near the railroad tracks where my Grandpa used to walk and pick up coal that dropped off the old steam engines and coal car.

OK, so on we go, it's been getting a tad nippy around these parts, but we'll take it.
This is right near the Blackfoot Redervoir, ID.



Not often we see these two happy signs this close together, it was nice.




Something to explore on the wheelers, next year.

Old school house vintage 1916, at Mink Creek, ID