The Big Draw MTB Ride in the Bruneau Desert

A mountain bike ride high above the desolation of the Bruneau-Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness of Idaho.

The fear of falling was a motivator for not getting too close to the edge.

Summary of a Mountain Bike Ride: This ride was originally part of a longer ride in the desert southeast of Bruneau, Idaho on October 18, 2017. Located in the desolated region containing the Bruneau River Canyon and only 70 ‘as-the-crow-flies’ miles southeast of Boise makes this a good day ride to see some spectacular scenery.

The Ride: The approach road was 6-9 miles of washboard and rutted gravel road with the main problem finding safe parking off Blackstone-Grasmere road. I found my safe spot about 2 miles further into the desert than I originally intended.

Once on my bike, the gently rolling hills made biking a little more interesting. Gravel/dirt roads in this area aren’t marked very well and from my experience, they aren’t maintained very often either. To highlight this point I completely missed my first turn heading east towards the canyons. Later in the day, I came out that road and I understand why I missed the turn on this loop-type ride. It didn't even look like a road nor a trail.

This is the turn or intersection I missed. It's on the left ;-)

The highlight of the trip was riding down more widely traveled unnamed trail that followed the rim of an unnamed canyon to a spit of land high above the Bruneau River Canyon. The view from that spit of land was dizzying and spectacular. Really … it was “Wow.”

Once I took in the views from all sides of that spit of land, I headed back to find the trail I should have been on before riding this road. Yes, I did have maps and had the capability to get back on the original circuit that I planned. But once I discovered I missed that first turn, I decided riding the planned loop in reverse couldn’t hurt. The bonus being I was staying on my published route.

The loop road was turned out to be a two-track that wasn’t marked. This loop part of the ride is an official BLM jeep trail while the trail out to the canyon rim is not. My expectation was this part of the ride would be flat and a speedy ride. That didn’t pan out either.

There is an Air Force A-10 aircraft in this photo. They flew close to me but I was slow on the camera.

The loop road was flat but bumpier than the worst washboarded road I’ve been on. I probably cruised this two-track at 10 miles an hour and it tried to shake my brains loose for most of its length. The scenery wasn’t exactly special either. I did watch two military A-10 aircraft flying in the canyon only about 1/3 of a mile away. You don’t get to see that very often in other places in the world unless it’s a war zone.

This wasn’t a mountain biker’s ride but more of a touring #mtb exploring an area not many have ever ventured on a bicycle.

The Ride Details
Date Of Ride: October 18, 2017
Name of Ride: The Big Draw MTB Ride in the Bruneau Desert
Link To Photographs From Ride: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fNfYsEAwyRMEjfld2

Bike Ridden: Giant Talon 2 (2017)
Total Mountain Bike Mileage: 13.8 miles
Vertical Feet: +669 feet / -689 feet
Average Slope: +1.7% / -1.5%
Elevation Ranges: 3,401 feet / – 3,736 feet
Facilities At Trailhead: None
Land Ownership: 100% on public BLM lands. I may have entered the Bruneau-Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness while walking around the above mentioned “spit” of land.
Road Mileage from Boise, Idaho to Trailhead: 80 miles

Why "The Big Draw"? The Crowbar Gulch topo map identified it as such. 

If venturing to this area, please understand the small town of Mountain Home, Idaho to the north of this area is a city in decline. Your best options are to avoid the place completely and stock up on food, supplies, and gas elsewhere. #MountainHomeIdaho #CityInDecline

If you would like more information about mountain biking, hiking, rockhounding or any type of outdoor adventures southern Idaho, USA, I will be glad to discuss your options.

This story was originally published on October 20, 2017.

Thanks,



Tim Bondy
Freelance Writer & Citizen Journalist

I am currently a proud citizen journalist, aka, "enemy of the American People!"

Hiking Boot Review - New Balance 703

Last edited on April 17, 2017

I bought a pair of New Balance 703 lightweight hiking or walking boots a number of years ago. They got plenty of hard use over the years and I was and still am happy with them. As of my last hike, (https://timbondy.blogspot.com/2017/04/peak-4922-near-syrup-creek-steep-cold.html) the boots are showing signs of wear and tears that made me buy a new pair of New Balance hiking boots.

Tim Bondy's Retired New Balance 703 Hiking Boots

Mountain Tops To Owyhee Canyons and Everywhere In Between

To the best of my recollection, I believe I bought the New Balance 703s at Cabela's in Boise, Idaho during the spring of 2014 or about three years ago. They've taken me on fishing trips, gold panning adventures, many rockhounding outings and of course countless hikes and microadventures during that time. And they held up rather well.

The Pro's

• Comfort: The boots fit my fat feet. For the first time in my life, I found a boot that didn't squeeze my toes together and blister them up after a long hike. The size 11, Quad E width has a toe-box made for wide feet like mine.
• Weight: The 703s are light. As we should know by now, the lighter the shoe the less effort required to move them forward. There is a trade-off between light and longevity and New Balance seems to have done that balancing trick pretty well with this model.
• Longevity: I rode those boots hard and put them away wet quite often and they still lasted a full three years. 

The wavy shoe laces were not my favorite feature of the 703s

The Con's

• Shoe Laces: The "Sure Lace" reciprocating wave pattern shoe laces never impressed me and made me actually wonder if they were some kind of product defect. In any case, they wore out shortly before the boot finally gave up on me. I put traditional boot laces in them towards the end. Some things just can't be improved upon and traditional shoe laces are one of those items.
• The Tread: The tread was the first thing to start wearing out on the New Balance 703s. But right to the end of its hiking life, there were no holes on the bottoms. 

The New Balance 703: A 5-star product.

Calling All Manufacturers - A Complaint

The wilds of the western part of the U.S., especially the high desert and sagebrush steppe environment has a lot of cheatgrass on it. Those cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) seed pods have small barbs that allow them to automagically attach themselves to the inside lining of most hiking boots.

Idaho cheatgrass attaches to boot linings 

Those pods, once they get into the lining, then poke and itch the ankle and heel during the rest of the hike. Then the process of removing the pods begins. I try to remove them before heading home because once they get home, the chances of them dispersing into the wind increases exponentially. Yes, I have cheatgrass growing in my yard.

So hey ... bootmakers? Find a lining that doesn't automagically attract cheatgrass seed pods.

My New New Balance Boots

I wasted no time in ordering a pair of New Balance Men's MW1400 Trail Walking Boot. Hopefully, they will be just as comfortable as my 703s were.

Call To Action

If you liked this story, please consider sharing the post with your friends and family. You can also provide other feedback by simply clicking a "Reactions" checkbox at the bottom of this story or commenting. Go ahead ... do it.

Originally published on April 17, 2017.

Thanks,


Tim Bondy
Freelance Writer & Citizen Journalist

I am currently a proud citizen journalist, aka "enemy of the American People!"
.

P.S. There are no stores in Mountain Home, Idaho to buy quality hiking boots. Boise or Twin Falls are the closest locations to buy most of your outdoor equipment.