After the minor get-off and mechanical fixing, we rolled off down the road into Pony, MT. The roads were well maintained, but completely saturated with water, which made the tight turns and twists interesting. Really had to flat-track style most of the turns to keep the front wheel tracking at all.
Rolling into Pony, we came upon the Pony Bar, voted one of America's 50 best bars. It was well past five o'clock, so we figured dropping in for a beer was a good idea. Some map reading, and blah-blah-blah with the locals, and suddenly it was 9pm, and time to camp. We rode a couple miles up the hill outside of Pony to the National Forest land, and set up camp at Cataract Lake just as it started to sprinkle.
The rain subsided, and we cooked up a delicious steak dinner over the fire in tinfoil. We broke out the Jim Beam, and started blah- blah-blah'ing with full stomachs and cups of whiskey. One important lesson in after-ride refreshment, is always wear your moto-gear when drinking. Rebelpacket had a little stumble down an embankment getting firewood, and was grateful for this rule.
Morning broke to blue, clear skies and great sunlight. The awesome-ness of our selected camp area was shown to us in full glory.
Rebelpacket was a little late packing up in the morning, sleeping off the whiskey. The mornings are when the cam-buckle luggage straps really sucked compared to the Voile straps L-Train was using. It would take a full 20 minutes just to strap the gear onto the back.
All set, we started roosting early. Down the road past pony, and off to some pretty nice trails marked "4WD only".
The 4WD trails are sweet. Rocky, steep, and pretty wide, which allows for multiple lines through the mess, and some real sweet roosting. Some nice berms have built up over the years, which means through the twisty bits, you can tip it over, stick the foot out and grab big handfuls of throttle. Of course when the terrain is that much fun, one isn't very inclined to stop riding to get photos, so we don't have any of that section....
On the way down, we passed some real sweet views too. We're high enough up here, just above Sureshot Lakes, that there is still snow from last winter on the peaks!
The way down was pretty tame, fast well maintained dirt roads. We moved on and down towards Alder, hoping to find a good place for breakfast. Unfortunately for this part of it, we did have to hit some pavement. At least the views and the sky we're alright! Numerous storm cells were moving through the area, and we got some sprinkles here and there.
Alder had no breakfast options, however 5 miles up the road we found a little place with some options (and hot coffee). The lady running the shop was real nice, and didn't seem to have a problem with smelly, dirty, armor-clad dirtbikers sitting in her fine furniture. We proceeded to consume huge bowls of Potato Cheese soup and then some burritos for dessert!
Filled up and ready for more action, we headed into a expanse of BLM land, hoping to find a route to connect us through into Butte, MT. The route was uncertian, as was the trails. But we found ourselves on some awesome routes through the middle of nowhere, fast-paced 4th and 5th gear stuff that wound over these sagebrush prairies and through old mines. This is some of Montana's finest dual sport terrain, this rolling open country, no people, old roads, the occasional antelope or deer, and the mountains all around.
Most of the old mines were blocked off with fences and warning signs, presumably to prevent people like us from hurting ourselves. Still pretty neat though.
At this point, our spirits we're very high. Our heads were exploding with the views. Bikes were running great, and we were having the time of our lives. A few miles up the road, all that would change quickly.
It started pouring rain. Not a drizzle, not a steady rain. Pouring. The roads turned into a solid creek. L-Train busted out his PVC tarp, and we set up a mock shelter on the side of the road. The rain continued, and the temperature really dropped. Not good.
So it has been a whirlwind few months dealing with a home purchase, moving, getting a whole new routine going, having a longer commute, and finally having winter descend upon us....
Steph looking out on the Yellowstone River not far from our new home. This was on Friday last week and it was about 15 degrees out and obviously had snowed. Livingston Peak and the Absaroka Range are in the distance.
My parents came to visit as well this past week, unfortunately in the midst of a deep freeze! It was 9 degrees out Friday night I think. Snowed a bunch. I had planned all sorts of good hiking and two wheeling, but it wasn't possible. We made the best of it. Here we are at Neptune's Brewery, a totally sweet local spot with great beers and a good food. If you are in town and need a beverage, check it out. Open 4-8pm daily.
We managed to get into Yellowstone National Park on Sunday for a short hike before adjourning to Chico Hot Springs for a soak and an excellent meal. A local institution, Chico is not to be missed.
