AZ - Magic Carpet Ride -or- Midweek Rug Road Redux!

After the Rug Road teaser we got Saturday, Slowred (KTM 350) and I (KTM 530) were hungry for more!

Yesterday we returned to a familiar location outside Mammoth, AZ.



The shooting range!



I had some new (but familiar) tires to try. I have been asked why I run such a skinny rear tire on the 530 (110/100-18). As in the bedroom, I prefer the handling of a smaller rear.



Nice sharp edges! Not for long!



New front too! Replacing the sketchiest, scariest tire I have ever run.



These are nice and predictable for me.

We ran side-by-side for the first few miles of gravel. Our assumption was right and there there was no traffic. It was a great way to stay out of the dust!



Through the first gate. It's going to get serious soon.



Quick stop to peel layers.



Initially we're aiming for the saddle just left of the darker mountain in the background.



Slowred coming up the easier part after the first nasty climb.



Series...

There's little reprieve before the next climb.



And these hills are just the warm-up!



It's hard to show how bad these hills really are.



You're seeing the top, but there are a few tricky spots lower down.



If you stop for pics on these hills, you might as well go back to the bottom and re-start the whole hill.



Getting closer to that dark mountain in the distance.

Starting down the namesake portion of the Rug Road.



Not much rug left between the boulders.



There's not much of anything left between most of the boulders!



Spot Slowred's helmet.



At the bottom.



The next climb is the big one.

Part way up the climb I felt something on the back of my neck. This was the best place I could find to stop quickly in case it was something I really didn't want to go down the back of my shirt!



It was my goggle strap falling off the back of my helmet. Restarting on this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.



No more stops until the top!



It's hard to read but the GPS says it is 10:56 a.m. We left the truck at ~9:40 a.m. Making good time so far!



Going down the other side is exciting!



And our plan is to come back up this?



We're losing almost as much elevation as we gained on the last climb.



Fortunately these rocks are stuck together pretty well.



It's like riding on a slightly loose, really sharp edged cobblestone road.

There's a cool overhanging cliff next to the trail.



Shortly after descending the last piece of trail we climbed up another rocky, switchback-fest! The pic at the top doesn't do this hill any kind of justice. It's a tough one.



We came from over there, somewhere...



Quick stop at the general store.



One busted safe.



Slowred is having a good time!

A short walk away is an old smelter site.



I think they were after copper.



Not sure what these evil looking things were used for.



More equipment.



And some slag cascading down the hill.

More equipment.



Lots of rusty metal!



The back sides of the first couple of pieces.



5065 - Description: Big-ass timber washer.



They weren't careful hauling their ore!

The next stop was Parson's Grove.



There are a few trails from Parson's Grove. This is the right one.



Assessing real estate values.



This is clearly a fixer-upper.



It surprised me that the latch on this fridge actually worked! I'm sure it just needs a tune-up.



Bed on the veranda.



One more shot of the "efficient" kitchen.

Crossing through one more gate.



Stormtroopers ride!



There are several miles of hard rock ledges to ride before you finally drop into this nice canyon.



By this point our forearms felt like Popeye's.



Time for a break!

I spotted the perfect Christmas tree.



Slowred offered to bring it back. We figured it looked better where it was.



12:22 p.m. in the canyon. We already reasoned that 2 p.m. was our last minute turn-around time, no matter how far we got.



We had plenty of time to check out the Cliff Dwellings.



Slowred looks for the "real" entrance. People were much shorter then.



Info at the dwelling.

Slowred in jail. I'll let him explain the scratches on his forehead.



The other side of this small dwelling. Talk about the tiny house movement. This is a micro-house.



I wondered if there were more along the cliff. There were no signs of others.



Not much for amenities.



Back to the bikes.

Still plenty of time to do more exploring on foot.



This canyon always reminds me of an area south of Moab, UT.



Similar color and shape of rocks.



The start of a new canyon, complete with waterfall streaks. I wouldn't want to be in here to see the waterfall run.



The debris on this tree is a reminder how much water can go through here.

After a quick bite to eat, we went for more canyon exploration on the bikes. We found water! And apparently an abandoned vehicle.



Shallow water.



This crossing looked a little more serious.



Slowred looks for the good line across.



I have been here in summer and there is still flowing water. I wonder what feeds it.

You guys are my heros, twice in one week.

Slowred found a good spot.



And took a dip.



No problem!



Slowred got wet splashing across another part of the stream.



Nice little cabin in Aravaipa Canyon. It was gated off, so no tour.

We had choices here. We could go toward Klondyke then Globe or Willcox and work our way around on gravel or slab. But what fun would that be? Going backward, what was up becomes down. And what was down becomes UP!

We turned back to ride everything in reverse.



Back through the water.



Slowred makes a big splash!



You see things different going back. I missed this sign on the way out.



I went left on the way out and put us into that shallow water crossing. I avoided it on the way back when I saw the line that brought me out on the right.



And of course you stop in different places for pictures!

This is the hard, rocky stuff with lots of ledges going the other direction!



Birds eye view of the canyon and surrounding badlands.



Arm pump city!



Slowred rides the spine.



He had a nice wheelie going off the spine, but I missed it.

We noticed a still at Parson's Grove. Slowred samples the moonshine.



It was so strong, it knocked him on his ass!



It's much easier to stop for a pic when you're going down these nasty, rocky hills. Well, not so easy to stop, but much easier to get going again!



Slowred was waiting at the ledges on the east side of the saddle with his camera ready to catch the carnage. Hopefully the pics look as impressive as it felt.



Heading to the top into the sun.



These switchbacks feel treacherous on the way down.



But they're pretty fun on the way up!

Back on top of the saddle.



At 2:39 p.m! Not long after our cutoff time for turning around. We were still making good time.



We had a discussion at the top about going back UP the true Rug section of the road. Going down, there are a few spots that seem like they would be really tough to climb back up. The whole thing is a steep, rocky mess. And we knew there was a bypass. But it's a long drive down to Mammoth and we don't get down here that often. We had to at least try climbing Rug Road!


Bypass to the right between the ribbon. We hung a left. :eek1



At the bottom of the hill. It's on now!



Slowred went first and I came up when it sounded like he had some good distance on me. Rounding the first corner I saw him ahead on this hill and tried to stop and ready the camera. I was too late and didn't catch him. And now I was stopped in this rocky mess. This stuff looks solid but really isn't. I started up again and went about 10 feet before I had to take a breather.



Around the next corner it seemed level-ish and solid again, so I stopped for another breather. Big mistake! It was another lung buster trying to get the bike moving in this stuff.