Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Tag along with Colleen, Chris, Trina & Robert!



Colleen and Chris were planning a dirt roads ride. Robert and Trina were going along. I had no plans and figured - why not!




Video
Dirt Riding
2007-06-13-dirt-riding.mpg
MPG, 5.5 MB, 1 min 18 sec


Charles? starting off the day and deciding what to do / where to go.




Sheriff Colleen [Dantes Dame] and Chris [Req] at Lynn's Wild West Dakotamart




The group assembled at the grocery store - ready to leave.
"One of these bikes is not like the others..."

Photo courtesy Chris [Req]




It didn't take long to find dirt...




No cars, RV's, billboards...
Grass, cattle, horses, trees, hills, pleasing views !




Which is the road less traveled - the right looks to be !!







The first of many cattle grates for the day
(and I recall one in the middle of a corner on a quicker, asphalt road)







That big black thing kept eyeing us.




Group shot
Chris, Colleen, Robert, Trina, me
Trina's easy to spot - mostly grey. Chris, somewhat - mixed grey / black. Good luck keeping the rest of us straight.




Rolling by the big black beast moved away from the roadway - thankfully.







Smile for the camera!







Another "which is better" set of shots.




Grey ahead - that's Trina







This could be a Northern Wisconsin / U.P. Michigan shot




Bear Mountain Lookout tower - and it is staffed. Apartment for one.











Colleen & Chris.
No photo of the apartment in the glass center - didn't seem right to take a pic of the lookout's home.







And a reverse shot
(photo compliments of Chris)



Panorama
Click for a larger size

There was a forest fire in the area some time back.







Tower work - the black bulge is a guy working.




Burned trees on the ridge.










On a slow(er) moving gravel road I'm not sure a "twisties ahead" sign is really needed.
















The valley started to get interesting - narrower with exposed rocks.
















Nice location for a house










Three of the group dotting the twisty gravel - Colleen has spead ahead and it out of the pic. The "black dots" in the sky are dual rotor Chinook military helicopters.

We would find more military operations / camps later. At one point we went past a "slow down now - military checkpoint sign" - and while there was no checkpoint in the roadway for us there was at the side of the road - along with a member atop a vehicle pointing a machine gun (probably not loaded???) at us "unknowns" practicing, I assume, friend or foe decisions. Would have been a good photo to get!













Colleen







Chris







Robert







Trina




Lunch at Deadwood SD (tourist town wanting visitors to crack the wallet and leave some green behind)




























Colleen was leading the ride. She had missed a turn off and we backtracked for "this little road". Her logic was - it was along a river / stream so it should be good. It was. Certainly worth the backtrack!




Chris




Robert




Trina




The little canyon road with requisite stream
Just east of Rochford SD







Old rail line - turned into a bike / hike trail, the George S. Mickelson Trail




More military. We even had a humvee convoy behind us - and they were making good time coming up the gravel twisties







Military camp




You can't easily make out the coils of razor wire at the perimiter - but it's there.




The same old rail bed twisting off into the lush, green trees.




Not often do I get photos of me.

Photo courtesy Chris [Req]




Photo courtesy Chris [Req]



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