Charmed Life

Almost completely dark, with a big full moon. Clarkdale in the distance.

Here I am sitting on the side of Mingus Mountain just off Perkinsville road. It is completely dark, save for the full moon…one day removed from the blood moon eclipse event. I’m cooking up some spaghetti and meatballs on my Sterno stove. Streamed broadcasts on my phone are the only sound I hear except for some nocturnal birds to my rear. In the distance, a few miles away, the lights of Jerome twinkle…and even further, Clarkdale shines. Further still, a string of taillights heading for Sedona, AZ, light up the night.

Then it hits me: I am completely alone, and in a situation some folks would be terrified of. Poor suckers...

But not me…I revel in this. Out in the back-country, doing what I love, and still more coming to get back home.

After forcing myself to pack up post dinner, I roll on over to just above Jerome and a nice view of the Douglas Mansion and Gold King tourist attraction. Only dim lights in both...the night has sent people to the center of Jerome for some good food and drink, and maybe a ghost tour. I reluctantly turn and head for home…well, at least the direction of home…when someone else finally appears in the night. The tell-tale glow of LED’s to my rear, and I am soon overtaken by a XP1000 that had passed earlier. Someone else enjoying the high-desert night!

This “night” started many hours earlier in the day, when I headed straight from my driveway ( no trailer ) and into Chino Valley for fuel. Then on to Perkinsville road and Haystack…for a total of 112 miles. I have written about riding this area recently, and while there I had discovered a nice canyon on Granite Creek. Unfortunately, a party had already set up camp, so I was turned away. On this day it was vacant except for some hikers, so I got to explore a bit. Amazing that such a dry place can have such erosion from the force of water. I snap some pics of “measles rocks”, head back to Perkinsville road, and then take Narrow gauge road (318A) I talked of in my last post, to the east of where I was.

Measles Rocks

My goal was simply to follow it up and around towards Jerome, but alas…I got distracted by some roads heading south towards the Coyote Springs area, but stopping short of the actual development. After hitting a side trail and peaking on a tall ridge with an astounding view of the area...

...I noticed a cross positioned near the edge. The inscription simply read “Limon”, and gave some dates. Post ride research revealed that this was a Young man who grew up in nearby Prescott, and was found murdered in a BNSF facility in California where he had moved with his family. Later, his wife and her alleged lover were arrested for the crime, though the last report I saw said the charges against her were dropped, and the hearings are still pending. It seems markers in beautiful locations don’t necessarily have beautiful stories behind them. Godspeed, my friend.

After this, I spent the rest of the day making my way around Mingus and the old railroad bed…my original goal.

One side canyon, marked “CCC canyon” on topo maps, had been run by me previously in the dark, and I thought the views in daylight would be stellar…and they were. It was a rocky, climb with some ledges testing the tallish gearing of my Pioneer, but it did make it fairly easy. A great place to relax and have a Cosmic Brownie and a Grape Crush for a few minutes…until time took me back down to the old railroad bed. After exploring some of the many “tanks” perched on the hill side, I was again moving to the north on 318A. This former rail “road” is a little bumpy, but anything with clearance can do it in the dry with relative ease, while taking in some of the best views of Chino Valley and the surrounding area.

Cosmic Brownie and Grape Crush time!!!

Eventually, Perkinsville road joins with the old roadbed, and we begin what is the most spectacular leg of this old steam route up and across the summit. Again, this road is smooth gravel, but there are no guardrails, and going off the side means certain death in most places…as several crosses attest. It is here, while going through the large cut at the top, I first ran into the XP1000 that would be my only company for hours.

 A few miles later, I made it to the point where this story began…sitting on the side of a lonely mountain in the dark. But feeling very alive.

The last leg of my ride was back down the side of this mountain, via Perkinsville road. I had decided to make a loop of this, and sailing on through the night, I decided it would be cool visit to the Verde River Bridge. Approaching the river, I could already make out the faint glow of camp fires, and the delicious aroma of grilled burgers and wood smoke drifting across the cool desert air. People enjoying the night, just like me.

As usual, I had to make for home all too soon, but did so with a grin as I rolled up and across ridges, back to Chino Valley, with only deer and cattle as my companions.

I had to grin…knowing what I charmed life I lead. Some people spend their free time in front of the TV or computer, never knowing what the world holds outside of four walls. Not me.

If I ran out of brownies...

Chino City Limits, Continued...

The summit on CCC Canyon trail

After Spending half the day exploring Kings Canyon, Gold Basin, and a few other relics in my last ride report, I headed back to Perkinsville road, and then turned onto 318A, or Narrow gauge road, as some maps call it.

A brief history lesson is needed here…
This is the old roadbed for the United Verde and Pacific narrow-gauge railroad that was built into Jerome, AZ, chartered in 1894 and lasting until 1920. It started in a place called Jerome junction…renamed Chino valley in the early 1900’s. One of the wealthy Jerome mine owners built with his own finances after failing to coerce what is now the BNSF into building a route. It runs through the broad, mostly flat grass-land that encompasses the area between modern day Highway 89, highway 89a, and the base of Minus and Wood Chute mountains, taking a gentle rise to a low point, then winding its way back to the north across the mountains to Jerome.
Some had called it the one of “crookedest” railroads in the west, although in truth, it wasn’t even the “crookedest” in Yavapai County. The Santa Fe eventually realized the profits to be made in Jerome, and finally built its own standard-gauge line starting from Drake, AZ, several miles north, winding its way across the desert to the Verde river, and following it to Clarkdale…just below Jerome, with an extension eventually built up to the mines therein. At this point, the U, V & P became redundant, and was abandoned. The left over roadbed became the “back way to Jerome”, and is very popular with off-roaders today, even though most of it can be drive with a passenger car in dry weather. The newer Santa Fe route survives as the Verde Canyon Railroad, though freight is still hauled to Drake and transferred to BNSF at least weekly.

Road 318A is raised a few feet above the surrounding desert, and gives good views of this flat, and largely empty (in the immediate area) valley. Near a low point in Wood chute Mountain, the road turns north in-route to Jerome, AZ…and shortly after that, a large sub-station is passed. Here a turn is made on what maps call FS9007V, but most people know this area as Martin Canyon…or more likely, Smiley Rock trail.

Top: The rock garden on Smiley Rock.
Bottom: The source for the name.  Both taken from old red a few years ago.

Smiley Rock is quite popular among the local jeepers, and has appeared in major publications such as the now-defunct 4-WheelDrive & Sport Utility magazine. I have done it both on a quad, and last summer in my Pioneer when a group of Phoenix RZR’s ask me to show them the quick way back to highway 89A. It is essentially a trail through a dry creek bed in tree lined canyon. It is very rocky, and the last bit heading up the canyon is a pure rock-garden, though well within the capabilities of a 4x4 ATV or SxS who doesn’t mind scraping skid plates. Personally, it don’t feel it goes anywhere all that interesting, so I don’t tend to run it unless there is a good reason to do so. The main trail from the sub-station actually tee’s into Smiley Rock trail, and it’s the other direction leading away from this famous trail that I am here.

But first, a quick lunch break with some delicious chicken, mayo, and mustard sandwiches, a Cosmic Brownie, and some Grape Crush, while sitting under a pine waiting for any other trail travelers on this day…but none appear.

Soon I head south towards an area Called Coyote springs, with ever expanding homes…but at this point, they still haven’t encroached too much into the wilderness at the base of Woodchute Mountain. I have been out this trail only once, and it left more questions than answers…

Pretty soon I am to the point where I previously turned around at an intersection, and take one of the branches to the east, up Woodchute Mountain. Pretty soon this trail turns steep and rocky, with switchbacks…until the final switchback and apparent end of the trail, with no good place to turn the Pioneer around. After several tense moments, I manage to get pointed back down hill and work my way back to the bottom of the canyon. Post ride looks at topo maps show that the trail did, at one time, go to the top, but it will take something smaller than a SxS to do it now.

Back at the bottom, I check out a small side trail and I'm completely surprised to find the collapsed ruins of an old homestead and out building. Seems there was a nice living here for someone in the past, but it has mostly faded now.

After snapping some pics, I head back to the intersection and take the west branch, and find myself on the powerline service trail. I already know this is gated and locked at highway 89A…no doubt to appease the few houses perched on the hills nearby. Too bad, as one could conceivably ride it to 89A, then hit other trails a few hundred yards away, and get all the way into the Cherry area purely by trail…BUT…

I run it for a bit, but decide to turn back and head for the old railroad bed again. On the way, something catches my eye on the hillside, and I take the appropriate trails to get to what appears to be an old charcoal kiln. I can find no real info on it except for a Jeep message board post talking about it and my switch-back trail ( I also learn that there is a running spring near the old house, but I have yet to find it ).

After snapping some pics, it’s back on the trail. During my lunch break, I was looking over my topo app and noticed that one of the side-trails I had passed coming in was labeled “CCC canyon”, and I decided to take this in fading light. It wound its way up a canyon to a man-made wildlife tank that the Government has built in several locations, and then became very rocky while winding its way up a steep ridge…and ultimately to a high vista. Sadly, the light was all but gone, and the smart-phone that has replaced my regular camera on such outings shows its limits in low light, but I did manage a few.

So I just sit here as the sun sets, and the lights of Chino Valley, Prescott, and Prescott Valley begin to twinkle off in the distance.  And the cool air of probably 6000+ feet of elevation starts to settle in…

Shortly thereafter, someone in one of the aforementioned towns probably looked out the window and saw two strange lights bouncing down the side of Woodchute Mountain, and disappearing behind a foothill…near the old railroad grade. Probably being talked of on AM radio as I type this…

At this point, I know it’s time to head for home through the desert night, until the lights of Chino Town limits break it up. As I stop at McDonalds, I reflect back on this ride…and could never have imagined what lay just outside of town.

Riding On Top of the World

Jerome Arizona is an old mining town that's more alive than at any time in the past. Once the copper ran out, the town became nearly deserted until it became an oasis for "artists" and tourists, which it remains today. The town itself  seems impossibly hung on the steep slopes of Cleopatra and surrounding hills. So steep, in fact, that you will drive above a roof-top, then shortly drive in front of the same building. The whole town is said to slide down hill a measurable amount every year.

On weekends it's crowded with people who seem instinctively incapable of understanding that the road is for driving...not stopping to look around until someone pulls out. It's also a destination for many motorcycles, the paved road being very curvy and scenic...having ridden it many times myself in my street-biking days.

One great ( and cheap ) place to stop is the Douglas Historic Mansion museum. Somewhere inside you will find a scale model of the mind-boggling number of mine tunnels dug in Mingus mountain ( 88 miles worth under the town itself ). Looking at it, you can't help but wonder why the whole mountain doesn't collapse...which it does on occasion.

BUT...where there is mining, there is surveying and sampling. And where those are out west, there are roads...or what was roads. Now they more resemble trails.

We are not here for tourists or pavement...

There were three trails on my agenda for the day; one below the town of Jerome itself, and two more some miles up the pavement of hwy 89A to the south...up the mountain. My brother-in-law and I unloaded well to the west on the old railroad grade ( FS318 ) which then becomes FS155 or "the back way to Jerome". This brings you out smack-dab in the middle of Jerome.

The 1st trail I wanted to explore didn't go as i'd planned: FS413 sits in a hairpin below Jerome, and a few hundred yards up "Gulch Road", which basically runs from one hairpin to another. Gulch Road is signed as "local traffic only". Yet when I made the turn onto FS413, I was confronted by a cable and a suspicious looking sign reading "Road closed due to high fire danger". This area had record Monsoon rains this year and any fire bans were lifted months ago. I've seen videos from as recently as 1 year ago from this very trail. 

Some research has turned up mixed results. Gulch rd itself is a public road ( and FS413 is mapped as open ), and most all ATV's and SXS's around here are tagged and FULLY STREET LEGAL. One person reported that a LEO told him that there way no way to prevent ATV's/SXS from going up Gulch rd for that very reason, but the locals would call up and lie to the officers and tell them we were kidnapping daughters, raping cattle, Etc...because they don't want us there.

But as I said, Gulch rd actually means nothing as far as trails...it's just a way to get to FS413, but the story shows the locals' attitude towards trail riders. I suspect the sign was placed there by locals to try and turn away off-roaders. As I said..."artists" ( IE-tree huggers ).

If I can confirm this road is legally open, I will return with a pair of bolt cutters. I pay taxes just like those who live in Jerome, and this is public land.

Freshly pissed-off, I headed up the mountain to my other trails and had better luck.

Maps show FS338 as heading down Mescal Gulch. Like all the roads/trails today, I have driven past it many times wondering where it might go. The answer is up...and down.

Up to some pine forests...

Like every trail around here, there were some branches going in various directions. Most of them ended at what must have been mining activity at one point. The rock formations certainly have "that look"...

And down: back to more "Y's" in the road and one that headed straight down the canyon towards Jerome, and the payoff for this bit of exploring; A spectacular view of the Verde Valley and Jerome from a vantage point not for those scared of heights...

Don't run off the trail here. Hwy 89A left, the town of Jerome center, and that hairpin at the lower right is where we were going to hit FS413.

Like the other branches, this must have been to service some sort of mining, as there looked to be something like a diggings pile above us, but we could never quite see what it was...

With this "wow moment" under our belts, we headed back to hwy 89A for some more pavement pounding. A few miles north down 89A to a trail that was signed, but doesn't have a number on maps ( I don't typically try and remember the signs since they are almost always on my topo maps ). It heads west over the mountains and also splits at the top.

Up here the riding is interesting: these peaks are the highest in the immediate area, the sides are steep, and the vegetation is limited in most spots to chaparral, so you get the feeling of being very exposed. Perhaps like being on top of some mountain in the Andes. 

The trail we took to the west side wound its way through several small canyons where some foliage does manage to grow...

That structure in the distance is the Phoenix Cement Plant in Clarkdale, AZ.

By this time it was getting late in the day, and these many canyons had lost the sun. In this exposed location, it was getting pretty chilly. Another factor at play: it apparently was opening season for deer, as there were hunters everywhere. There were two in a Ranger the next ridge over glassing the canyon below, so we decided to leave them in peace and head for lower elevations. So back to Jerome and out to FS155 that I have ridden many times. 

The plan here was to head to warmer temps and eat some dinner of meatballs and spaghetti from a can; dessert of a couple of Little Debbie Devil Creme's, and wash it down with some Mtn Dew. Maybe some Smirnoff to knock off the chill...but even finding a spot here was tough, as campers were EVERYWHERE looking to harvest that 1st deer of the season.

Not only did we not want to impede on the hunting...we also didn't want to get shot by a stray bullet from someone who didn't know we were there. Ultimately we parked just off the trail in an alcove that protected us on three sides.

After an extended break, were made tracks for the house into a beautiful sunset that makes me wonder why I always forget my tripod. Only the glowing eye or the light of the many campfires shatters the darkness for the last few miles. And Pioneer headlights, of course. The lights of Prescott Valley twinkle in the distance as I load up the Honda and we make for home. More added to the list than removed...but glad for the chance to  make a list at all.