Multi Shots from the trail.

Adam490

Adam490

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PJon

PJon

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@PJon I noticed the Cowboy Miller road is marked "Temporarily closed" on Google maps now. Got any ideal what's up with that?
I have not heard anything about that, but I suspect that it’s due to severe erosion from our longer than usual monsoon season. A week ago Friday, I tried to get through on Charouleau Gap and ended up getting through 75% of it. Normally it’s a 5 hour ride for the 22 miles on the trail. There were three machines on this ride and took 12 hours after flat tires, multiple winching operations and then finding one area towards the end totally washed out and having to find an alternate route out in the dark. If I hear anything more about Cowboy Miller road from the Jeep groups around here I’ll let you know.
 
DG Rider

DG Rider

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I have not heard anything about that, but I suspect that it’s due to severe erosion from our longer than usual monsoon season. A week ago Friday, I tried to get through on Charouleau Gap and ended up getting through 75% of it. Normally it’s a 5 hour ride for the 22 miles on the trail. There were three machines on this ride and took 12 hours after flat tires, multiple winching operations and then finding one area towards the end totally washed out and having to find an alternate route out in the dark. If I hear anything more about Cowboy Miller road from the Jeep groups around here I’ll let you know.
Thanks!
 
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DG Rider

DG Rider

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Yesterday was kinda messed up...at least early in the day.

While getting fuel, I got a nose bleed that refused to stop for several minutes. In the process of scrambling for some napkins, I got blood on my shirt, the armrest of my tahoe, and covered several pieces of tissue. It looked like I had murdered someone in there.
As I mentioned in another thread, I spent 45 minutes messing with my S.H.I.T personal satellite messenger. While sitting there, I noticed a tailings pile on a nearby hill that has no direct trail/road to it from my location. I've noticed this before, but today I decided to keep it in reference as I continued on up the trail to see how it might have been accessed.

Turns it is just around the hill from some mining remnants where I stop fairly often. There were concrete pads and such, but I'd never seen the actual real reason for such works. It's the area where I heard the odd hissing noise after dark a year or two back. Anyways...

I decided to walk around the hill to check the tailings (and likely shaft) out. It was a very gentle climb and a distance of maybe 150 yards from the Pioneer, so imagine my surprise when I started getting hammy cramps in my left leg. Must have been very dehydrated or something. I'm standing there stretching it out and trying to limp on up to the tailings, which are now maybe 20 yards, when, in my clumsy gate, I step on and old cacti and the thorns go right through the sole of my boot and just prick my foot.
After using the other foot to sort of scrub the piece off, the thorn broke off, but did pull out a little bit...to the point that I could still tell it was there, but not causing serious pain. It would have to wait until I got back to the machine.

At this point I was right on the edge of the tailings pile. So again, I decided to ignore the higher power that seemed to be working against me and walk on up and see if any shaft was present. At this point, it obviously going to be a vertical shaft, and it was.

And that's when I noticed the constant stream of bees going in and out. I cautiously creeped a little closer...

I should note here that AZ DOES have Africanized bees...AKA "killer bees". I stood there and observed, and they seemed to pay little attention to me, which suggested that they were just the normal "European" variety. The shaft was very slightly tilted from vertical back under my feet, and I still want to get a direct look down the shaft, which forced me to walk downhill a few steps to go around a saguaro. I took about one step, when I started getting my tower buzzed, and I'm like "oh s***!".

I started hobbling back towards the sxs as fast as I could, not knowing how many more were coming. I knew that If I pushed too hard, my hamstring would cramp and I would essentially be nearly immobile...and as it was, I was never going to outrun a full on AHB attack anyway. It was a matter if I could get back to the pioneer before they got me too many times. So I kept swatting what seemed to be only one bee, trying to keep it from landing and stinging, but also not hurting it, knowing either would sound the alarm.
The whole time Im thinking "Really? Could I really buy it here because of a stupid ass leg cramp and some bees...all because I wanted to see a tailings pile?".

Fortunately, after maybe 20 yards, it seemed to break off and return...a pretty good indicator it was just regular old honey bees.
I went back to the sxs, fished out the thorn from my boot, and finished up what was a pretty good day of riding. But...you can see how easy things could get sideways out in the backcountry with some simple issues compounding things...
 
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PJon

PJon

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@DG Rider, I talked with one of the guys in the local Jeep club today and he knew nothing about Cowboy Miller Rd. Being closed. He mentioned that a couple of years ago that it was closed for installing one of the super heavy gates by the State, but I know that last fall it was open.
 
PJon

PJon

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Had an interesting ride today starting at Dripping Springs road and riding up to 3 different overlooks of the Ray Copper Mine. Tried getting to a fourth overlook unsuccessfully due to a pretty bad rock slide on a shelf road but did find an old mine equipment bone yard.
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DG Rider

DG Rider

Member: Triple Clutch Club
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@DG Rider, I talked with one of the guys in the local Jeep club today and he knew nothing about Cowboy Miller Rd. Being closed. He mentioned that a couple of years ago that it was closed for installing one of the super heavy gates by the State, but I know that last fall it was open.
Hmmm....just saw it on Google. Figured it had washed since it looks like it crosses washes several times. Never been there myself. Thanks for the info.

Nice pics as well. Love finding that old junk...
 
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