Boneshakerbike

Riding The Root

Written by

Bill

in

In the Root

Today work has presented me with the usual boss conflicts and mental mish mash. Its a case of the Mondays. To clear my mind I will set forth to write down some notes on yesterday’s great ride.

Sunday the sun rose and it looked like a stunning day. Once you stepped out the door you were quickly reminded that it is still winter. When I headed over to the coffee shop (for some tea and wifi) it was about 15 degrees. I started to wonder if I shouldn’t go mountain biking for 5 hours instead of the planned Bitterroot road ride. By the time I finished my emails and headed back home it had warmed to 25 so I figured that by 1 it would be 30 which is doable if the sun was shinning and the pavement was dry. It should be a good day.

I was no surprise to me that I was going out to Lolo alone around 12:30 because with cold temps everyone seems to huddle inside. When I rolled past the “proposed Bitterroot Resort” it was 31 degrees and I was feeling great. The sun was out and the day’s possibilities were limitless. The only thing I was worried about was my Carbo Rocket freezing up. It never did though because the day warmed to just above freezing which was really comfy for doing some hills. Yea! I found some hills …. and dirt.

As I cycled my way to the “East Side” and the East side highway I decided to explore all those roads I have wondered about. Where did they go? How far could I go up them? Are they paved? I always wanted to go up 9 Mile Creek Road, 3 Mile Creek Road, and Ambrose Creek Road.

I took a spur off of the 9 Mile Road road called the Lower Woodchuck (I am planning on discovering the Upper Woodchuck Road next) road which quickly turned to dirt and started to climb. Suddenly I was out in what appeared to be nowhere just like in Eastern Montana. But after 3 miles or so it was turn around time. Yea, it turned to private land. Oh well there as more to explore.

Staying on the 9 Mile Road it started to climb but with different views and terrain. It was of much more creek and gully type and apparently some rich folks owned some land up here. Turn around time was on dirt back country road that quickly turned to ice and snow. I would check out this little gem later.

Back down the 9 Mile Road road it spurred again to the Granite Creek Road which wound up through this box like canyon and just fizzled out into some highlands properties.

Most of the day was over so I decided to try and head up the East Side Highway to another road called Ambrose Creek Road that I had always wanted to explore. I knew I wouldn’t get too far before I need to turn around to get back to the car before dark. I ended up passing a road called 3 Mile Road which I remember from reading maps. I headed up that to see what I could find and I found a gem to be discovered later. This road possibly will tie into forest service and up to some divide trails. Ill have to take the mountain bike up this later in the year as it was closed.

The day was over and I rode back to the car. I was presented with sun set views which reminded me why I love riding in the Root. It was a beautiful and day of discovery. I think there is a lot of roads I need to explore in the Root but that will have to wait until this weekend.

Made a new Google Map http://goo.gl/XMOK called Riding The Root.

On this day in history, let’s take a stroll down memory lane with my captivating blog posts:

Dive into each link for a slice of adventures and reflections through the years!

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