Rust to Glory

Humunn · 06-28-2009, 08:24 AM

One of the guys came up with the name some time around day 3 and when you see the pics you’ll understand. All of us were pretty excited about the ample amounts of “dust retardant” that had prepped the soils earlier in the week but the desert can only absorb so much. After that it turns into a nice layer of grease…

We have a crew of 10 motorcycles and a chase truck driver. Most of the guys are from the Portland/Salem area. One guy (Ed) made the haul from the Bay area. A couple years ago we rode with some of the same guys and Ed was the chase driver that time. One of the other guys told me he’s been itching to ride ever since.

Ed, by the way, I found an old abandoned ranch house and snapped a pic for you. You’ll see it later in the report.

The plan is to ride 4 days from Prineville to Christmas Valley then east to Seneca where we’ll stay a couple nights at the BearCat Lodge and day ride/explore the old logging roads out there. Day 4 brings us back west to Prineville.

Here we are loading up the non plated bikes to transport them to the staging area.

Mike S and Mike W.

Ed on the left and Bootleg Dave running chase.

Mark the farrier.

This is Jay. Jay and Mike S are brother and both veterinarians. Jay’s son in law Jeremy is also along. Jay was given specific instructions to bring Jeremy home in one piece.

Andy on the left and his dad Butch, both in the landscape business. Photogenic Mike W shows up again to the right.

Pictured later are Jim and James, a father and son combo who will meet us out at the BearCat in Seneca.

The rest of us slab a ways until we can peel off on the dirt.

We all meet up at the staging area and are ready to ride. Today we have about 120 miles to cover. It is warm and the trails are perfect. Absolutely no dust!

More…

GB · 06-28-2009, 08:29 AM

Glory Days!

Humunn · 06-29-2009, 05:41 AM

The riding was great. No dust. We could ride close together. Here’s a little rocky section. I decided to take the first get off out of the way before I even hit the rocks. Sandy front end wash out. It was lame but no one saw it so I’m not sure it really happened.

Then it was to the top of the cinder cone.

Jay getting a little sideways. Parts of this were chain guide deep.

Continuing to head south we roll into the Kotzman Basin and up on this little butte which probably has a name but I’m not sure what it is. Spectacular 360 degree views. People must camp up there. It’s flat and there’s a fire ring.

Here’s Andy.

Butch

Mark

And Jay

Jay, Mike and Mark

Heading west and south we roll through a nice twisty whoop section to test our suspension. Here’s Ed.

Had to stop to take a picture of this stand of pines. Not sure my little camera does it justice but the way the sun was hitting the bark on the trees really lit up the forest.

And rolling on our way…out in the middle of no where…

Until we stop at an intersection, and just happen to look down, and spot this…

A $450 piece of equipment laying in the middle of the road! I knew immediately who it belonged to. Doug, one of the guys on the ride the week before, was pretty bummed at lunch on the first day as he had lost his GPS somewhere on the trail. It had sat in this spot, undisturbed for 6 days. Couldn’t wait to call Doug and tell him what I found.

More…

rogerdodger · 06-29-2009, 05:55 AM

That looks like it was a lot of fun.

OldXRguy · 06-29-2009, 06:09 AM

Looks like a great area, and a fun ride. Love seeing an XR in the mix!

Ride safe.

Z0RR0 · 06-29-2009, 10:56 AM

Love the GPS tidbit! Firstly because you found it in the middle of nowhere, and also because it sat there untouched for a week! Very cool.

Humunn · 06-30-2009, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Z0RR0

Love the GPS tidbit! Firstly because you found it in the middle of nowhere, and also because it sat there untouched for a week! Very cool.

Yes that was almost unbelievable!

NMTrailboss · 06-30-2009, 06:58 AM

Nice pics!!

Humunn · 07-01-2009, 06:38 AM

So after that pleasant find we roll up to the top of Hole in the Ground, a spectacular marr crater where the crater floor is 500 feet below the original ground level.

Here’s the steep trail dropping into the crater.

Conditions on the trail vary greatly depending on recent weather. Most of the time it is axle deep talcum powder but this time, with the recent rain and runoff (right down the trail), it was controlled chaos negotiating the foot or larger deep ruts.

Andy carves his way back to the top. He told us it was easier since we all knocked the edges off the ruts on the way down but he was just being nice.

We take the easy way out of the Hole and head east toward Fort Rock. Here’s Fort Rock in the distance.

A closer view. Fort Rock (aka a “tuff ring”) was formed by the same volcanic activity that formed Hole except it exploded up through an ancient lake that stood here thousands of years ago. You can actually see where the shore was from the erosion over the years.

And the crew.

Lunch at the Waterin Hole in Fort Rock. Say hi to Leta if you stop by.

What’s left of one of the old homestead schools that stood in the area.

Just a block away from lunch is the Fort Rock Homestead Museum, a collection of saved homestead buildings from the early years of Fort Rock. This is Rose, our tour guide. She was great! Very interesting place to get a feel for how life was not that many years ago.

A copy of the original homestead claims.

Medical history of an old cowboy.

Picture of a family gathering.

An picture of one of the homestead cabins before it was removed form the base of Fort Rock.

Waffles?

Jay and Butch at the entrance to the church.

And the old chuck wagon.

More…

pookiebear · 07-01-2009, 09:11 AM

Cool stuff. subscribed.

Humunn · 07-02-2009, 05:53 AM

So…after the mondo steak burger at the Waterin Hole and a leisurely but educational stroll the museum we were off for a 25 mile cruise to Christmas Valley, our final destination for the day.

I love signs like this…

Arriving in CV and discussing the day over the sacred drink.

Butch and Jeremy.

Mark and Dave.

Dinner at the Lodge. If you’re ever here make sure you get the chicken fried steak. It is to die for, almost literally.

The sun sets and we stroll off into a calorie induced coma.

Up next, DAY TWO.

Humunn · 07-02-2009, 06:38 AM

Day TWO – Christmas Valley east to the BearCat Lodge in Seneca.

The plan for the day is for a 75 mile ride along route 5 of the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route from Christmas Valley to Riley where we will refuel and have lunch. We’ll stop and see the sand dunes and pass through the Lost Forest.

Weather in June on the high desert can be sketchy and can vary from clear blue sunshine to thunderstorms in a matter of minutes. If it does turn nasty it doesn’t usually last long. The skies are looking great this morning, but it is JUNE…

After breakfast our gear is loaded into the chase truck and we head east. Here’s one of the odd things you’ll see in these parts that give it “character”.

First stop is the dunes. Perfect conditions! We all rip around here a bit and make fresh tracks.

Just a few miles from the dunes is the Lost Forest, an ancient stand of pine trees in the middle of the desert (where only sage brush and a few juniper exist). It is 9,000 acres in size and 35 miles from the nearest forest.

After the forest we roll along what looks like old wagon roads. They are rough and embedded with rocks. Good for keeping you alert. Stopping to wait for the others a couple of F-15s come screaming by right down on the deck. By the time I could pull my camera out this was as good of a picture I could get.

Soon the rest of the group caught up. Ed decided to tangle with a greasy mud puddle along the way. Ed eventually won but the puddle didn’t go down easy.

Then it was my turn. There was a lot of standing water on the trail (for the high desert). Usually it is smart to negotiate off on the edge of the road around water saturated talcum powder (aka grease). In this section here there was no water but rather a bunch of big loose rocks that I attempted to negotiate by veering off to the edge of the road. Unfortunately there were even bigger rocks on the side. I’m up but not over this one, high centering my bike on the linkage.

Ever been to the middle of nowhere? Well, this is what it looks like there.

Unless you are right on a road or trail you can’t see it, even from 20 feet away. Easy to get lost out here.

Just east of the middle of nowhere.

Great shot!

Ed gets the picture of the day at this nice little water crossing.

Here’s Jeremy making a big splash.

And MadDog Mike giving me a good soaking!

The weather is just fabulous. A few high beauty clouds and 70 some degrees. We meet up with Bootleg at Gap Ranch for lunch trailside.

Butch thinking siesta time.

We load the non plated bikes on the trailer for a 20 minute drive to fuel in Riley.

From Riley it’s a 95 mile ride to Seneca where the name of this ride report was coined…

More…

Teeds · 07-02-2009, 06:55 AM

It looks like a great place to ride scoots.

For those that are not left coasties, is this a national forest area? BLM?

Buck Nasty · 07-02-2009, 08:39 AM

Looks like a great ride Greg! Epic conditions for June too! Keep it comin'!

Metty · 07-02-2009, 09:18 AM

looks like fun, i saw a lot of this type of terrain when i was out in the PNW a few weeks ago and thought it would be a blast to ride on. lots of open space out there, its really cool. keep the pics coming

06-28-2009, 08:24 AM	#1
Humunn ^OP Moto Prozac Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Sunny Central Oregon Oddometer: 952	Rust to Glory One of the guys came up with the name some time around day 3 and when you see the pics you’ll understand. All of us were pretty excited about the ample amounts of “dust retardant” that had prepped the soils earlier in the week but the desert can only absorb so much. After that it turns into a nice layer of grease… We have a crew of 10 motorcycles and a chase truck driver. Most of the guys are from the Portland/Salem area. One guy (Ed) made the haul from the Bay area. A couple years ago we rode with some of the same guys and Ed was the chase driver that time. One of the other guys told me he’s been itching to ride ever since. Ed, by the way, I found an old abandoned ranch house and snapped a pic for you. You’ll see it later in the report. The plan is to ride 4 days from Prineville to Christmas Valley then east to Seneca where we’ll stay a couple nights at the BearCat Lodge and day ride/explore the old logging roads out there. Day 4 brings us back west to Prineville. Here we are loading up the non plated bikes to transport them to the staging area. Mike S and Mike W. Ed on the left and Bootleg Dave running chase. Mark the farrier. This is Jay. Jay and Mike S are brother and both veterinarians. Jay’s son in law Jeremy is also along. Jay was given specific instructions to bring Jeremy home in one piece. Andy on the left and his dad Butch, both in the landscape business. Photogenic Mike W shows up again to the right. Pictured later are Jim and James, a father and son combo who will meet us out at the BearCat in Seneca. The rest of us slab a ways until we can peel off on the dirt. We all meet up at the staging area and are ready to ride. Today we have about 120 miles to cover. It is warm and the trails are perfect. Absolutely no dust! More… __________________ *High Desert Adventures* Backcountry Motorcycle Tours www.highdesertadventures.net 2009 KTM 450 EXC The Citrus Mistress - 2004 KTM 250 EXC 2T plated Little Miss Britches - 2010 Yamaha FZ1 Legally Black Humunn screwed with this post 07-03-2009 at 09:10 AM

06-28-2009, 08:29 AM	#2
GB Mod Squad Joined: Aug 2002 Location: Toronto, ON Oddometer: 53,458	Glory Days! __________________ ADV decals, patches & flag? Here

06-29-2009, 05:41 AM	#3
Humunn ^OP Moto Prozac Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Sunny Central Oregon Oddometer: 952	The riding was great. No dust. We could ride close together. Here’s a little rocky section. I decided to take the first get off out of the way before I even hit the rocks. Sandy front end wash out. It was lame but no one saw it so I’m not sure it really happened. Then it was to the top of the cinder cone. Jay getting a little sideways. Parts of this were chain guide deep. Continuing to head south we roll into the Kotzman Basin and up on this little butte which probably has a name but I’m not sure what it is. Spectacular 360 degree views. People must camp up there. It’s flat and there’s a fire ring. Here’s Andy. Butch Mark And Jay Jay, Mike and Mark Heading west and south we roll through a nice twisty whoop section to test our suspension. Here’s Ed. Had to stop to take a picture of this stand of pines. Not sure my little camera does it justice but the way the sun was hitting the bark on the trees really lit up the forest. And rolling on our way…out in the middle of no where… Until we stop at an intersection, and just happen to look down, and spot this… A $450 piece of equipment laying in the middle of the road! I knew immediately who it belonged to. Doug, one of the guys on the ride the week before, was pretty bummed at lunch on the first day as he had lost his GPS somewhere on the trail. It had sat in this spot, undisturbed for 6 days. Couldn’t wait to call Doug and tell him what I found. More… __________________ *High Desert Adventures* Backcountry Motorcycle Tours www.highdesertadventures.net 2009 KTM 450 EXC The Citrus Mistress - 2004 KTM 250 EXC 2T plated Little Miss Britches - 2010 Yamaha FZ1 Legally Black

06-29-2009, 06:09 AM	#5
OldXRguy Adventurer Joined: Mar 2007 Location: Minnesnowta Oddometer: 14	Looks like a great area, and a fun ride. Love seeing an XR in the mix! Ride safe. __________________ Noob-ility ODO, too lo.

06-30-2009, 06:58 AM	#8
NMTrailboss Team Dead End Joined: Mar 2008 Location: Albuquerque, NM Oddometer: 4,453	Nice pics!! __________________

06-29-2009, 05:55 AM	#4
rogerdodger Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Atlanta USA/ London UK. Currently in Australia Oddometer: 455	That looks like it was a lot of fun.

06-29-2009, 10:56 AM	#6
Z0RR0 Studly Adventurer Joined: Sep 2004 Location: Montreal, CA Oddometer: 541	Love the GPS tidbit! Firstly because you found it in the middle of nowhere, and also because it sat there untouched for a week! Very cool.

07-01-2009, 06:38 AM	#9
Humunn ^OP Moto Prozac Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Sunny Central Oregon Oddometer: 952	So after that pleasant find we roll up to the top of Hole in the Ground, a spectacular marr crater where the crater floor is 500 feet below the original ground level. Here’s the steep trail dropping into the crater. Conditions on the trail vary greatly depending on recent weather. Most of the time it is axle deep talcum powder but this time, with the recent rain and runoff (right down the trail), it was controlled chaos negotiating the foot or larger deep ruts. Andy carves his way back to the top. He told us it was easier since we all knocked the edges off the ruts on the way down but he was just being nice. We take the easy way out of the Hole and head east toward Fort Rock. Here’s Fort Rock in the distance. A closer view. Fort Rock (aka a “tuff ring”) was formed by the same volcanic activity that formed Hole except it exploded up through an ancient lake that stood here thousands of years ago. You can actually see where the shore was from the erosion over the years. And the crew. Lunch at the Waterin Hole in Fort Rock. Say hi to Leta if you stop by. What’s left of one of the old homestead schools that stood in the area. Just a block away from lunch is the Fort Rock Homestead Museum, a collection of saved homestead buildings from the early years of Fort Rock. This is Rose, our tour guide. She was great! Very interesting place to get a feel for how life was not that many years ago. A copy of the original homestead claims. Medical history of an old cowboy. Picture of a family gathering. An picture of one of the homestead cabins before it was removed form the base of Fort Rock. Waffles? Jay and Butch at the entrance to the church. And the old chuck wagon. More… __________________ *High Desert Adventures* Backcountry Motorcycle Tours www.highdesertadventures.net 2009 KTM 450 EXC The Citrus Mistress - 2004 KTM 250 EXC 2T plated Little Miss Britches - 2010 Yamaha FZ1 Legally Black

07-01-2009, 09:11 AM	#10
pookiebear Studly Adventurer Joined: Oct 2006 Location: CharVegas Oddometer: 936	Cool stuff. subscribed.

07-02-2009, 05:53 AM	#11
Humunn ^OP Moto Prozac Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Sunny Central Oregon Oddometer: 952	So…after the mondo steak burger at the Waterin Hole and a leisurely but educational stroll the museum we were off for a 25 mile cruise to Christmas Valley, our final destination for the day. I love signs like this… Arriving in CV and discussing the day over the sacred drink. Butch and Jeremy. Mark and Dave. Dinner at the Lodge. If you’re ever here make sure you get the chicken fried steak. It is to die for, almost literally. The sun sets and we stroll off into a calorie induced coma. Up next, DAY TWO. __________________ *High Desert Adventures* Backcountry Motorcycle Tours www.highdesertadventures.net 2009 KTM 450 EXC The Citrus Mistress - 2004 KTM 250 EXC 2T plated Little Miss Britches - 2010 Yamaha FZ1 Legally Black

07-02-2009, 06:38 AM	#12
Humunn ^OP Moto Prozac Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Sunny Central Oregon Oddometer: 952	Day TWO – Christmas Valley east to the BearCat Lodge in Seneca. The plan for the day is for a 75 mile ride along route 5 of the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route from Christmas Valley to Riley where we will refuel and have lunch. We’ll stop and see the sand dunes and pass through the Lost Forest. Weather in June on the high desert can be sketchy and can vary from clear blue sunshine to thunderstorms in a matter of minutes. If it does turn nasty it doesn’t usually last long. The skies are looking great this morning, but it is JUNE… After breakfast our gear is loaded into the chase truck and we head east. Here’s one of the odd things you’ll see in these parts that give it “character”. First stop is the dunes. Perfect conditions! We all rip around here a bit and make fresh tracks. Just a few miles from the dunes is the Lost Forest, an ancient stand of pine trees in the middle of the desert (where only sage brush and a few juniper exist). It is 9,000 acres in size and 35 miles from the nearest forest. After the forest we roll along what looks like old wagon roads. They are rough and embedded with rocks. Good for keeping you alert. Stopping to wait for the others a couple of F-15s come screaming by right down on the deck. By the time I could pull my camera out this was as good of a picture I could get. Soon the rest of the group caught up. Ed decided to tangle with a greasy mud puddle along the way. Ed eventually won but the puddle didn’t go down easy. Then it was my turn. There was a lot of standing water on the trail (for the high desert). Usually it is smart to negotiate off on the edge of the road around water saturated talcum powder (aka grease). In this section here there was no water but rather a bunch of big loose rocks that I attempted to negotiate by veering off to the edge of the road. Unfortunately there were even bigger rocks on the side. I’m up but not over this one, high centering my bike on the linkage. Ever been to the middle of nowhere? Well, this is what it looks like there. Unless you are right on a road or trail you can’t see it, even from 20 feet away. Easy to get lost out here. Just east of the middle of nowhere. Great shot! Ed gets the picture of the day at this nice little water crossing. Here’s Jeremy making a big splash. And MadDog Mike giving me a good soaking! The weather is just fabulous. A few high beauty clouds and 70 some degrees. We meet up with Bootleg at Gap Ranch for lunch trailside. Butch thinking siesta time. We load the non plated bikes on the trailer for a 20 minute drive to fuel in Riley. From Riley it’s a 95 mile ride to Seneca where the name of this ride report was coined… More… __________________ *High Desert Adventures* Backcountry Motorcycle Tours www.highdesertadventures.net 2009 KTM 450 EXC The Citrus Mistress - 2004 KTM 250 EXC 2T plated Little Miss Britches - 2010 Yamaha FZ1 Legally Black

07-02-2009, 06:55 AM	#13
Teeds Don Quixote Joined: Jul 2006 Location: 427 miles ENE of Orla Texas Oddometer: 1,569	It looks like a great place to ride scoots. For those that are not left coasties, is this a national forest area? BLM? __________________ Tony Eeds aka Teeds - Proud member of the Peanut Gallery and the Pajama Economy Good roads bring bad people Bad roads bring good people we are NOT human beings having a spiritual experience, rather we ARE spiritual BEINGS having a human experience - johnjen

07-02-2009, 08:39 AM	#14
Buck Nasty Rhinestone Cowboy Joined: Jan 2007 Location: Bend, OR Oddometer: 214	Looks like a great ride Greg! Epic conditions for June too! Keep it comin'! __________________ Live to ride...Ride to live! 2004 DRZ400S www.benddualsport.com Honorary member of Team Oatmeal Pie! My first mega ride..."Slabtastic Voyage"

07-02-2009, 09:18 AM	#15
Metty Adventurer Joined: Sep 2008 Oddometer: 38	looks like fun, i saw a lot of this type of terrain when i was out in the PNW a few weeks ago and thought it would be a blast to ride on. lots of open space out there, its really cool. keep the pics coming __________________ 1998 RM250

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