the elk city trip

2200 miles/10 days

june 28th- july 7th, 2002

my first real adventure ride.  the overnighter to big southern butte was more of a test trip than anything.

for this trip i rode from idaho falls to darby montana on the first day, staying in a motel that night.

the second day found me riding in the rain from darby to missoula where i hooked up with my parents at a koa campground.

please if you take your dog to koa keep the dam thing quiet.  we had one next to us that barked all night until the owners finally got back around 2am.

we had met in missoula to attend my grandma goldie's 100th birthday party in frenchtown.

all went well at the party and i learned things about goldie that i had been too young to learn when i had been around her most as a young boy.

after the party i had a day to kill before arriving at the prospector cabins in elk city, idaho.  i rode around the frenchtown/missoula area and north heading towards glacier national park checking out the sites along the way.

this st ignatius church was one of those sites.

this photo of the paintings inside st ignatius do no justice as to how good they really are.  and to top that off they were all done by a man who was not really known for his painting abilities, at least not before this.

a nice cascade east bound on a dirt road between arlee (on highway 93) and highway 83.   by now i am in the riding mode and i just keep riding and riding, working my way to lolo hot springs to spend the night.

i awoke in lolo hot springs and discovered that some joker had placed a screw through one of the holes in my rear disc brake rotor.  it takes all kinds i guess ;)

working my way down the lochsa river towards lowell.

selway falls about 20 miles upriver on the selway.  some nice class vi rapids for people who enjoy whiteknuckled flirtation with death ;)

just upriver from the falls i crossed the selway on a bridge and began climbing out of the selway valley as i worked the backroads towards elk city and my rented cabin.

i rented this cabin, prospector cabins, for $200 for 4 nights and used it as base camp.

this cabin worked as a great base camp for exploring the gospel hump, selway and portions of the frank church wilderness areas.  i could have spent another week and never taken the same route twice.

i believe this gnome townsite was on the route i took towards orogrande and wild horse lake.  my first day of riding took me into the gospel hump wilderness area.   even though it was july the mornings were still cool enough that i wore my coveralls and a coat.

because i was riding alone i left a note in the cabin each day somewhat describing where i intended to ride that day just in case things went wrong and someone came looking.

wild horse lake.

at the cross roads of fr222 and fr311 just south of the town of dixie.  heading back to the cabin after the 1st days' ride.

on the ride today i saw a sign that said mackay bar 60 miles and that became my destination for the second day.

looking down on mackay bar.  little did i know it but i was about to take up rafting as well as adventure riding ;)

the bridge across the salmon river at macaky bar is too narrow for vehicles, but atv's and motorcycles can cross it.

i ran into a private rafting group at the bridge and decided i needed to buy a raft of my own.  can a man have too many forms of enjoyment? ;)

i actually rode up close to the painter mine.  the sign presented the trail as though it was a road and did not say motorized vehicles were not allowed.  i am still not sure if they are or if they are not.

i never realized until i floated the main salmon just how close i had riden/walked to buckskin bills cabin which is just across the river, almost, from the painter mine.   the things you miss, the things you learn. ;)

todays ride also found me visiting the whitewater ranch upriver from mackay bar about 20 miles and the red river hot springs.

folks around elk city were telling me that the magruder road was still closed due to snow.  i had been intending to take that road back to darby and head home so i decided to check it out a day early.  they were correct.  about 50 miles, 1/2 way, in i ran into snow still deep enough to keep me out.  on this ride i also rode down running creek which flows into the selway.  i will return someday and ride the entire magruder road.  it was that great!

because i really didn't want to take the same route home i left elk city on july 5th and rode to sun valley, idaho via highways 14, 95, 55, 21-via banks to lowman and then 75 from stanley to sun valley.

i had considered taking a route through yellowpine but wasn't sure if the roads would allow me to make the time i wanted to make.

had i taken the route i considered it would have run me right passed the turn off into boundary creek, a road i have now driven many times while going to float the middle fork of the salmon.

i spent the night in sun valley at my cousin's house.  she owns the casino club in ketchum so if you are in the area drop in and have a drink.

the next day, july 6th, was just about getting home so i could relax on sunday.  i tend to like a day to relax after a relaxing vacation. ;)  i rode home via carey and arco.  it was a great first trip for an adventure ride.