View west from Revenue to the Tobacco Root Mtns. There were lots of clouds and spots of rainshowers around, and I just hoped I didn't hit any.
Cool rock formations at Revenue....there are bolted sport climbing routes out here and plenty of good bouldering.
View of the Madison Valley. Basically looking right at the backside of Lone Mtn area. The land is green with spring rains. Ennis Lake is in the distance.
After Revenue I headed up to Sureshot Lakes. I had never been up this road all the way and I figured I would see if it was melted out up high yet.
This just below the crest of the pass, and you can see the snow.....it was snowing lightly on me at this point.I think the thermometer said 37 degrees!
Just on the other side of the pass I ran into this scene. There was a lone dirt bike track leading off, and none coming back out. It was fresh, from today for sure. I walked down a ways and checked it out, and it seemed like this as far as I could see. While I was debating, I heard the telltale sound of a thumper in the forest....A dude on a WR450 came thumping out of the distance. We chatted and he said it was like this for maybe a mile and then fine. I made sure the road did what I thought it did, which was connect down to Potosi and Pony. He said yes...and off we went our separate ways.
A few miles down his track took a left onto a way smaller road. I followed it through the woods. The shot above is pretty off camber trail surface...
As usual, the trail got smaller, more rocky, and way steeper! This seems to happen to me a lot. This is the view looking back, while I stopped to catch my breath from being totally gripped riding down this stuff. That is way off camber, and real steep, with lots of big rocks. I was making it down, but I don't think I would have made it back up if I needed to....it never looks as bad as it was in pictures....It was sheer luck I didn't crash coming down this, between the wetness, mud, rocks, etc. I just slowly bumped down on the trusty KLR.
I was glad to get to the bottom of the steep stuff, and looking back up, that sign says "Primitive Road". Yup. Sure was!
Coming out on the Potosi side, in the South Willow Creek drainage, I believe. This road section was more fun!
This is looking at Pony, a sweet old mining town that is tucked right up in the Tobacco Roots. Less than 200 people live here now, mostly a ghost town. The Pony Bar is locally famous as being a great little place, and world famous after being featured in some big magazine years ago. I think it is only commercial entity in the town. And it isn't very commercial! The rain makes the dirt roads around here a total crapshoot in terms of surface conditions. Some are fine, where there is more clay it turns to total slick mud....Getting out on the main dirt road was sketchy with patches of total grease at pretty regular intervals. Mind you my rear tire is nearly devoid of center knobs as it is due to be replaced very soon...Some patches I rallied through, skating around..others I slowed way down and crawled through.
The dirt for this ride started about 30 minutes west of Bozeman on pavement. This is coming back into the Bozeman area, looking at the Bridgers capped with clouds. It was a 3 hour ride, 116 miles. I had been looking at that area on the map all winter, wanting to get up over that pass and down into Pony. I was surprised it was open yet, the guy I met up there said the snow was still too deep the previous weekend. I was pretty nervous on the rocky downhill section. That is one reason I am getting the new bike...something lighter and more able to handle that stuff. Lighter to pick up if I crash, lighter for me to hold up instead of dropping...etc. It will make that stuff more like fun rather than "oh sh#*, I hope I make it!"I love these kinds of rides, where I have a loose plan, and find something new, and don't have problems. Especially when it gets intense, but nothing bad happens. It's a pretty good rush. I really like exploring anywhere around the area and finding new roads and trails. I am formulating some multi day routes, almost entirely dirt, that wind all over Southwest Montana. Like Bozeman to Centennial Valley, with maybe 10 miles of pavement the whole way. Anyone interested in doing some of these with me later this year, please let me know. Also I am very interested in doing the Continental Divide route through Montana as well.
Ride on!
L Train
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