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I dropped my bike in the Toano Range. This looks like a nice fast turn with a gentle climb, right?
Nope, there was a blind 40 degree climb around the corner – I got hung up on the rock on the right. I broke my left rear turn signal when I dropped my bike.
The climb was pretty easy on the second try on the LHS.
This section had a lot of enduro-worthy hills, much more so than any of the previous sections.
Rides: KLR650, KX250
After passing through the Toana Range via Morgan Canyon (tough rutted climbs and descents) the trail passed through monstrous Goshute Valley. This may have been great cattle country at one time but I’m not sure it is today. The sturdy old bunkhouse appears abandoned as do the railroad tracks out.
Rides: KLR650, KX250
As I got into the Pequop Mountains there was little evidence of anyone else traveling through recently. The route was mountainous, passing along the bottom of Independence Valley.
Traveling toward the summit of Spruce Mountain I passed the shaft for the Black Diamond Mine:
Rides: KLR650, KX250
There are a collection of abandoned mines at the bottom of the canyon below Spruce Mountain (10,267′) with a small house, a rusted-out 1940s car and truck, a couple of water tanks and scattered mining equipment. There also was a real problem on the route – there appears to have been a rockfall over the trail for a couple hundred yards. The rocks ranged in size from gravel to football sized and the field was at least three feet deep. Here is the aftermath of my first attempt to ride through the rock fall:
After digging out and pulling my bike out backwards (that took a while) I tried again a little to the right:
Nope, that didn’t work either. I took a lunch break while I tried to look for an alternate route to the summit.
Rides: KLR650, KX250
While eating lunch I noticed some mining artifacts at my feet in the rock pile: the wooden handle for a tool and a couple pieces from a ceramic cup.
After lunch I tried climbing out of the valley on grassy slopes to the south of the canyon. On my first attempt to get up the hill I ran out of talent.
On my second attempt I got up as high as I could go – a jeep road I had spotted from below. The jeep road just went to a mine shaft though, nowhere near the summit.
Rides: KLR650, KX250
From my vantage point to the south of the canyon I could see what appeared to be a jeep road to the north of the canyon. I looked at my maps and realized that if I backtracked a couple of miles I could pick up the jeep road, which went past the Parker Mine and the Spence Mine. I gave that a try but the more I climbed the more the trail was overgrown or washed out. I pretty much reached the limit of what I think I can safely climb on a KLR, and I decided to call it. I think I was less than 200 vertical feet from the summit saddle when I turned around.
Rides: KLR650, KX250
On the way down I took my favorite pic from this ride, a view from the slopes of Spruce Mountain over Independence Valley, with a couple of curious mustangs checking me out:
I also put some notes on a topo map to share with Rocky Mountain:
I don’t think there is a reasonable route through this canyon, unless you are Graham Jarvis on a 300 two stroke. Maybe Rocky Mountain will find a workaround route, or possibly even send some guys out there with shovels. The mining camp is only about 70 miles offroad from Wendover, ha.
After abandoning the route I backtracked on the mapped trail all the way to Goshute Valley, then to Shafter, then on to Wells where I spent the night.
On Day 5 I was planning to go from Eureka back to Middlegate with some interesting offroad. However, I was a long way from Eureka and it was raining and 35 F. I decided to just ride the highway back to Reno (something the KLR is really good at).
Overall, I was impressed by the Rocky Mountain Battle Born North route. There is plenty of technical riding on the route and you would have to ride pretty quickly to knock a full section out without resorting to any highway bypasses.
Rides: KLR650, KX250
Great ride and scenery and tough trails. Thanks for leading the ride Kurt. I will have my album out soon(?). Awaiting videos from Paul, especially my fall.
The Jarbidge Three:
H. D. Chaney
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