2014 YellowPine, ID Harmonica and Music Festival/campout 2014 August 1,2,3

Whew.  What a weekend.  I had a blast but am still tired and a bit sore. 

Meetup with DanDriscoll on Friday went well, traffic from Horseshoe Bend to Cascade was tolerable at best.  The ride up the summit above Warm Lake was fun.  Johnson Creek Rd was challenging as it was covered with marble gravel on top of hard packed dirt.  Not my favorite at all to ride on, but I have a lot to learn.  We rolled into town with enough light to get tents set up.  Met another rider in YellowPine, idahosam, who snagged up a great campsite for us.  Thank you.  The evening was filled with motorcycle stories, live music, and a few drinks.

Saturday began with a decent $5 community breakfast the town puts on to raise money for YellowPine.  The pancakes were fluffy, ham & eggs filling, and the coffee resembled a heavy grade, boiling motor oil.  Delicious.  After we topped our fuel tanks with $5/gal fuel, fed from a gravity flow tank and DIY hose and nozzle setup, Dan and I set off south towards Deadwood Resivoir, then east across Bear Valley to find Dagger Falls, #39 on the 2014 Challenge list.  The ride up was great.  A bit of morning rain kept the dust down and the temps were quite pleasant throughout the day.  A few quick pictures later we were back on the road headed for base camp. 

Arriving back in YellowPine we learned of a trail up to an old abandoned mining community.   We were suited up and twisting the throttles within a few minutes, headed northeast.  Cinnabar Mine was a mercury producing mine that was last operated in the mid 1960's.  It was very interresting and almost spooky to stand around there and explore a few buildings, thinking of what life may have been like for the people who lived and worked there. 

Saturday night was fantastic.  My girlfriend came up and brought us some cold beers, sang a few kareoke songs at the town bar, and laughed the night away.  I learned that two jello-shots was one too many, and I think I was in bed before midnight. 

Sunday morning I decided to take the East Fork Road to NFR674.  This road is a superhighway compared to Johnson Creek Road.  I kept my speed up trying to make some time as I had slept in a bit longer than anticipated.  Great views, awesome temperatures, rode in a few rain showers, then made Cascade around noon for some lunch at the Dollar Bills Casual Fine Redneck Dining.  Had the brisket platter with spicey beans and coleslaw for $10.  Highway55 to home was miserable.  Drivers had their heads you-know-where and the temps were at least one hundred from Banks to Boise. 

All in all it was a fantastic time, with many great memories, landscapes, and stories.  I hope you guys made it home safe.  Take care.  See you next time.