Sat Ride...North Latah Co...Gold Hill

Meet, in Moscow, at the A&W, on the south hill, hwy 95, 10:00 am.

Backroads to Potlatch then over Gold Hill to Harvard. We'll see from there.

Trying to talk the wife into going... but she says "they may ride to slow" "They may ride too fast" "I may GTO and they will laugh at me".. so we are a maybe. I assume back roads dirt and tar?

Tell her not to worry. I'm old and fat and not a high speed rider, but I am experienced, so I'm not pokey.

A mix of county roads, paved and gravel to natural soils in the mountains. Big bike friendly roads, but I plan to top Moscow Mt and Gold Hill. The tops are unmaintained and always a bit of a mystery till you get there.

Routes can be easily modified and it is hard to go more than 15-20 mi without crossing pavement, so lots of bail out places.

Probably lunch in Potlatch. They make good sandwiches and potato salad.

Figure a 100 mi, but can lengthen easily if anyone wants to explore. Gold Hill is full of old mining claims.

When we hit hwy 6, east of Harvard, Laird Park is just across the road. That can lead to Clarkia or Bovill or the road from Harvard to Deary and back to Moscow. Lots of Options.

If you haven't noticed, I really like showing off "My Idaho"

I think we are in.. she is not afraid of dirt.. just not wild about deep mud.. she has done the Kendall Road in the Spring, LO LO Motorway, etc.. so she is still a noob but getting better... She rides a 650 GS I have a Dakar.. We just got back from SE Oregon/NW Nevada back road and dirt riding and she did fine (heck over 100 miles of gravel/dirt in one day alone).. more than 100 miles is great.. love to explore.

Saw your bikes all parked in Potlatch. How was the Potato Salad? I was heading back from exploring in the St Maries area. Almost got ran off the road by a convoy of CHOPPERSCHOPPERSCHOPPERS on the twisties on the Palouse Divide. Wish I could've stopped but 80th birthdays only happen once. Anybody up for a ride tomorrow? All my usual riding buddies are doing a trackday/track training course oner south of Portland.

Today so far: 140 miles. Not enough. (Never enough)

Tater salad was OK today. Good sandwich.

Phoenix 101 and wife and I rode some back roads thru the Palouse. West Cove, East Cove, Walker Road, Lisher Road, Rock Creek, Crane Creek and over Gold Hill to Big Creek. Good road all the way. Dirt on the east side of Gold Hill, but not torn up, so easy riding.

Back on pavement near Harvard they headed south for home. I went back into the hills on Meadow Creek.

Meadow Creek ended with two dirt tracks. The bigger was PFI gated. I took the bigger which wyed again. I took the bigger road and it turned to muddy fresh skid road. Backtracked and took the other leg. It had some grass in the middle, then grass all across, then big grass, then small trees in the road. Don't let me break a leg up here. Finally I came out on a crushed gravel road. "Where am I?"

Down the road a bit I find a logger. He says I'm on Meadow Creek.

Hmmm. I guess I did a circle. So I try again. Ride to the two dirt roads at the end of Meadow Creek and take the left. Big rocks, rutts, and skinny, ATV skinny. I come out onto a travelled road and head downhill. I'm back on Gold Hill Road and I follow it to Crane Creek, Freeze Road and hwy 95.

Mostly hwy home. A bowl of ice cream and a nap.

Camera malfunction. No pics.

Lots of flowers have popped up. Lots of wild roses and orange poppys.




Theaty...are you up for an afternoon ride? I would like to jet up to Carscallen Road and try to make it over to Meadow Creek. I am going to pioneer a route from Skyline Drive to the Ski Bowl if it takes me all summer.

HAHAHAHA! YES! That is EXACTLY a route I wanted to find this summer with motoblag - who will be in Oregon tomorrow. That's hilarious that we both set the same goal for this summer. I'll PM you my phone number and we can decide where/when to meet or you can just post up here. I'm free pretty much all day and I'll check this thread a few times tomorrow.

Let's meet at the A&W at 2:00.

Dick thank you for showing us your part of Idaho.. really appreciated it... Mike

Perfect! See you then. I ride a 1998 KLR. Dark teal with a purple stripe. Silver helmet, full suit.

Ta DA. We made it. I now have a dirt route from Farmington WA to MT with little more than crossing a hwy. You better have a big tank.

Theaty Hannigan and I did some 'splorin' yesterday. We entered the wood on Carscallen road (south side of Marsh Hill) and instantly see a Meadow Creek sign. This is going to be easy.


Good road till we hit this Y. We chose left.


Still a nice fast road.


Obviously not used much. Hmmm


Arrgh. Those roads are so close. We're 5 mi from the Y.



Nice view to the north.

We backtrack a ways and decide to try an uphill ATV trial.



It turns into some brush bustin'.

"Should we keep going?"

"Sure." I say. "How far can it go?"


We pop out onto this nice little road.

Eventually back onto a main road. And...


This looks familiar. We go right this time.



Nice dirt road. Can you believe, It just ended. We could almost throw our bikes to a road just below. Then I recognize that road from yesterday. We are so close.

There was a back facing road before the Y, but it is a long way back.

Another ATV trail pops up and turns into a nice ride.



We make it onto the east end of Meadow Creek Road. Viola.

One more leg to complete. Dennis Butte to the Ski Bowl.

We find a road that looks promising and take a left/north near mile 7 on Meadow Creek Rd.



Some gorgeous view up here. Theaty took a couple of panoramas. We could see the ridges south of Pomeroy and, I think, Illinois peak on the MT border in Red Ives, and maybe the Joseph Mountains behind Cottonwood. Big Views.



Another Y, but marked.



This section was all good cycle roads.



You can just see the headlight.


VICTORY...The old Ski Bowl. Straight across the road to the Palouse Divide Road, Clarkia, and Montana.



Heading home. White Pine Drive.


Near Harvard.


Princeton has a new Post Office.

When I stopped Theaty Hannigan disappeard. Something about supper and his SO.

I did a bit of wandering for some artsy pics. I'll post later, after his pics. I'm waiting for the panoramas.

I'm tired of waiting, so here are my last pics of the ride home.





Freeze Road



Palouse River near Kennedy Ford.



RR bridge


Same place. I wonder if this was once hwy 95?


If that bridge was 95, so was this lane. There are cuts in the hills as this road wanders down the valley between East Cove and West Cove. Parallels current 95.


Vandemark Hill. If you've read my stories, this is the hill where my Grandfather would get to bobbing as the Ford gasped for air. He refused to shift down till the last minute.


Continuing from the top of hill in last pic.





Walker Road. Kind'a lumpy out here.




Viola, ID

OK. I'll stop.

Great pics and RR Dick. Reminds me of Home!!!

So I just moved and my camera cable is not... where I thought it was. So the Panoramas I will post up soon, but the picture of Tourist coming out of the other end of that span of brush with just his headlight showing will be a little longer. Sorry!

That ride was AWESOME. Thanks so much for letting me tag along! We saw an elk with a HUGE rack (for me) and some great views! I had been up there trying to find that route once, and well I'm glad I got to piggyback on your third time charm.

Mr. Hanny here sent me a few photos.

Thanks motoblag!!! He is hosting this stuff for me because he is the best.


Looking down at 95 and Sanders Road.


Dennis Mt is gorgeous! And I forgot to turn my key off. Something Motoblag usually catches me on.


Well, that road ended, let's turn around.


It sure was a pretty road though.


Here's Tourist coming out of the woods where I led us. The ones where he posted a pic of the KLR heading into the brush.

My favorite quote of the day:
"How far can you throw a KLR?"
"Oh I can get down there, sure, it just wont be pretty and the KLR 'll probably break first. Or me."

Hey Bro,, nice pics on the last few rides.... Makes me want to get the BRP on the road quicker.

Hey n00b,

You finally joined up. My DR needs some TLC (tires, chain, sprockets, etc) so I'm getting the Transalp out of the shed. I haven't ridden the TA for 8 months.

How long before the XL is running?

Still got some parts to round up for the XL.. probably in a few weeks. I thought the TA needed some tlc too....

Isn't it just "c" for your bro's TA? I mean, tender and loving, epoxy?

Nice to meet you the other day.