From AZ Beemers Club Member azgsgirl - Jo:
The rally at HML was really fun, and we had perfect weather. Here are a few of the photos Hal and I took, along with a brief story. I wish we'd had even more time up there, it was great.
Hal and I arrived on Friday, went to Aker Lake in the afternoon:
Aker Lake is really close to HML, just south on the 191. Next time we go, we will take you there if you'd like to see it. It's just a short ride, nice for late afternoon.
While we were there, Hal let me ride the DR for a few minutes:
I rode it again on Saturday afternoon for 60 miles after the organized DS ride. Hal almost didn't get his bike back!
We also went on one of the roads near HML. I am not sure what number it is, but we call it the weir road because there are two weirs if you keep going on it. It dead-ends there, but it is quiet. One of the interesting things is that it was severely burned during the Wallow fire, and you can see how the trees are now becoming more skeletal.
Hal on the weir road:
On his DR 650:
Saturday morning, after breakfast, the DS riders got together. This is one of the stops, at the Black River, during our 70 miles in the dirt that day:
Another shot of the Black River:
This photo is almost at the end of the dirt, on FR403 just south of Alpine. This area is where the aspens are growing in abundance because it is also a severely burned area:
I was the "sweep" rider that day, and I sure ate a lot of dust! All my clothes were brown with it, and so was my face. It took me a long time to get all the grime off me once I got home!
Hal and I strung together a few of the roads that we love. All the riders seemed to enjoy the route that we planned. We didn't even get to ride FR37, one my favorites, though! Next year we will! Hal and I rode it later that day, when we traded bikes.
On Sunday morning, four of us gals went horseback riding with Wild Bill McClain, the resident wrangler:
(Yes, I am the "nerd" in the white helmet, but you'd wear one too if you'd had all the things happen to you with horses that I have.)
I grew up riding, and horses can be unpredictable. Plus, they're big!
The nice thing about riding horses is that you can go places that you can't get to even on a dirt bike. Last year I rode with Bill through the Blue Wilderness, on an almost four-hour ride. He told me that now that trail is impassable because of the amount of trees that have fallen on it, and the forest service has no plans to clear it. The trails our group rode yesterday were beautiful, and new to me. We walked through recovering forest, lush green ferns and aspens abundant near the trails. It was an enchanting end to our weekend at HML.
I know I am leaving some things out, like the dinners, so if you have photos from other events at the rally, please post them!
- Jo
