I'm Back

Gary really wanted me to start blogging again, not sure why. I don't think he even reads my blog, but he does tell his friends about it. He wants to share all of our ATV trips. So even though I don't have a lot to say, and I usually post about ATV's or grandkids. I guess I'm back.

This weekend we camped on Crooked River, it really looks more like a stream. Someone used big rocks to build a dam. The water is about knee deep, Gary said I should walk out there, so I took him by the arm and was going to pretend to pull him in, only I slipped and fell in. I hit my knees on the dam rocks, my knees are skinned up, and bruised. Today they are a beautiful shade of purple...and they hurt. Funny thing is, Gary came in after me, he said he thought I had hit my chin on the dam rocks.

There were a lot of beautiful wild flowers on the mountains.

View from Banner Ridge

The Banner Ridge trail ended at the South Fork of the Payette, we didn't see any river rafters.

A picnic on the trail.

This is our campsite, campfires are not very much fun without grandkids.

Two weeks ago Mike, Amy Emily, Tucker, Gary and I went to....tried to go to Graham airstrip. On the way we met another group of riders that wanted to get to the airstrip, so they joined us on our adventure. We had to winch our ATV's through snow, we had to use shovels to remove snow so we could widen the road enough to get the ATV's through a narrow pass (that had avalanche warning signs) I'm sure the signs were for earlier in the season. Anyway we finally made it over the highest peak. Then we headed down, down some of the roughest, rocky roads ever. One spot was so bad that I almost rolled my ATV, good thing I had Tucker get off before I started. ( he decided that he didn't want to ride with me any more after watching me) Well we almost made it to the airstrip, that is until the road ended because of a washout. I've never seen anything like it. You would never know that a road had ever been there. The sign below is what we saw today. They closed the road 20 miles, before the washout. There is a lot of beautiful ATV riding between that sign and the washout.

Labor Day Weekend

Gary's daughter Kelly heard the Kokanee were running at Anderson Ranch Dam, so we decided to take the ATV's that directions, we haven't rode the 4 wheelers there before. It was great. We rode to the Trinity Lake Lookout. It was a beautiful ride --little scary.

Not sure if you can see the Ospry with the Kokanee in his claws.

The Kokanee

Kelly at the Lookout.

Kelly took all the pictures, well except for this one. I forgot my camera.
I talked to Amy today about their weekend, She, Mike and the kids, plus Mike's parents went camping they went to the lookout too...only they came up from the other side, we missed them by a couple of hours.

ATV and Camping

For the past several years we have gone on a camping trip for Tucker's birthday....This was the first time Payton was able to go. She is a very good camper.

4-wheeling is a dirty job but someone has to do it.

Emily

Tucker---Happy 6th Birthday

We went on a Hike, Tucker rolled his eyes when I talked about the hike, he says grandma it was just a walk, but.....it's my story and I'm sticking to it.

This is Susan, she has her foot in the cold, cold water, why? Well she went on a ATV ride and she thought the ATV was headed over the embankment, so she bailed. The ATV rolled to a stop, on the road, and so did Susan. My helmet lost a visor and Susan has road rash, and bruises. Thankfully she is okay.

Mark caught several fish in Crooked River, but he threw them back.

The Cousins, had a lot of fun.

The last day Susan got back on the ATV, she drove a lot slower this time.

Mike's parents usually come camping with us, but they couldn't make it this year. And John and Nicole thought it might be a bit hard camping with a newborn, maybe next year.

Weekend Fun

Gary's brother came to drop off airplane parts and to pick up more work (he restores warbirds too). So after spending all day of Friday, unloading finished parts and loading up the parts and supplies to make new/restored parts for a P51 they decided to spend Saturday in the mountains of Idaho riding ATV's

We road 35 miles to the Graham airstrip. Not much to look at.... but that's why Mission Aviation Fellowship trains their pilots on Idaho's back country airstrips.

I think that riding through the streams is the best part of the ride..... I let Bryan ride my ATV, which meant that I rode behind Gary. I didn't remember how much I got bounced and bumped around. I'm still sore.

Sunday, the power was out for several hours, Gary was happy, he was able to get out the generator and make coffee and breakfast. He loves to use his equipment.

Oh Deer!

I want you to meet our new friend. I'll call her Fawna. Gary and I were out on our ATV's, trying to find out if the mountain pass was open, Gary loves the drive to Graham airstrip, seems there is either too much snow, or a forest fire that keeps the road closed. Anyway , I was in the lead and I saw a trail that went through a creek, so I turned and drove across, kinda fast to see how large a splash I could make. I looked up and there she was, She ran off, but not far. I stopped and waited for Gary to drive in, we decided that this was the perfect place for lunch. Fawna, circled us several times, each time getting a little closer. Gary said " There she is between the two trees" which two trees, we are in a forest? She reminded me of a young girl. You know.....how little girls like to strike a pose, prance and dance.....

Rain.....again.

Last weekend we went camping above Idaho City, we knew the chances of being rained on was about 70%, but we decided to go anyway. Friday we took off on a trail that Gary knew wouldn't be open yet, but the guys just wanted to see how far they could get. I ended up getting the ATV stuck in the snow and muck. But the guys had a great time using the winch to get me out. We kept going until my son-in-law got stuck....Amy and I decided we had gone far enough.

They guys also got to remove trees.

The kids had a great time playing in the snow. Before we could get back to the trailers, it started to rain. It rained so hard we looked and felt like drowned rats. I decided that there are a few good things about the rain.

1. We had the road all to ourselves. No one else dumb enough to leave the camp ground.

2. Didn't need to worry about sun burn.

3. Didn't need sun glasses

4. Didn't have to eat dust.

5. Didn't need to stop for a drink.....rain just poured off the helmets into our mouth and down our necks.

The next day was much better, we at least made it to the trailers before the rain hit. The above picture was taken Sunday, a clear day but, kinda cold. We drove along the Middle Fork of the Boise River. I found the river scary, it was running fast and high.

But can you imagine how this person felt? We stopped to make sure no one was still in the car. It just might be their luckiest day ever.

95 Miles----Crazy

Long Day of ATVing. At least it was an easy ride, if you didn't count the campers going home. It sort of felt like we going the wrong way on a one way street. Tucker was throwing pinecones in to the river and running to the other side of the bridge to watch them come out.

Pictures of the ATV's Gary said I can't write about 4 wheeling unless I show pictures of the ATV's. We tried to get to Rocky Bar (whatever that is) but we were stopped by snow... again So we had a snow ball fight.

95 miles in one day is a record for me. I wanted to keep driving until I had a 100 miles, but the grandkids were hungry so we loaded up and headed to dinner in Idaho City- They are used to filty dirty riders.

ATV TRIP TO SILVER CITY, IDAHO

Amy, Mike, Emily, Tucker, Gary and I rode the ATV's to Silver City. We were trying to decide where to have lunch and a man in a big truck told us that there were picnic tables on the other side of the creek.... we shouldn't have any trouble driving the ATV's across, he said. And we didn't, except it was deep, a man yelled put your feet up, but I didn't and I ended up wet.

So we had a nice lunch, and crossed the creek again and I ended up even wetter......

We found a trail that someone said would take us to an old mine. We crossed this creek about four times, didn't matter I was already wet.

The snow melt finds the easiest route down the mountain, sometimes it's the road.

I guess this is what's left of the mine.

We took the trail until the snow blocked the road. Then we headed back to Silver City. It started to rain. Then it started to pour, then it started to hail and then there was thunder, but it didn't matter cause I was already wet.

So was everyone else.

Don't know if you can see it, but there is hail on Mike's ATV. So we did the only thing we could, we went inside and had homemade pie and ice cream.

Strawberry Rubarb, Marion Berry, Dutch Apple, and Lemon Meringue.

We drove back to the Trucks, wet, cold, tired. But we had a wonderful time.

38.5 Miles

We went 4 wheeling today, the weather wasn't the best...we ate lunch in the rain...well it was more light rain/ sprinkle, and it didn't last long. We dressed warm, so it wasn't so bad. Gary put hand warmers on the ATV's so that helped a lot.

there are still a few patches of snow.

We saw a lot of white tail deer,..... I found a piece of petrified wood .......and I lost the lense out of my glasses, I'm sure it happened when we stopped to take pictures of the deer......we looked everywhere. Oh well, I was due for new glasses anyway.

In Need

I am so ready to head for the hills....On the ATV's ........just wish it wasn't so cold, or I wasn't such a wimp.
The pictures----the top one is before Photo Shop and the bottom is after, it doesn't look real. Last year the wild flowers where wonderful. Can't wait to see what nature has instore for us this spring.