Our riding group stayed at Smiley Creek Lodge and consisted of me, Frank, Terry, JimB and JimW from New Mexico and CO. We drove out to camp at 9 am on Saturday morning hoping to find someone to ride with. The riders' meeting seemed either non-existent or was so dispersed that we couldn't find it. A rather large group of mixed talent was heading out to do the Froggy/Germania Loop, so we decided to join them.
A
group of 18 riders drove and rode to the parking area near a place
called Grand Prize(?) where we separated into three groups. Our
NM/CO group managed to convince two locals, RickV (DRZ) and Dusty
(DR350S), to guide us, and we took off just after the lead group.
Some time later and down the road apiece, we were brought up short by our leaders, who confessed that they had missed the turnoff for the first trail. GOOD GA-RIEF, I thought, what have we done?
Soon, all was well as we found the first trail and began railing the trail and drowning in the many water crossings. In NM, we don't have many water crossings, so we aren't really 'up' on the proper technique. We muddled through and managed to enjoy it anyway. Our guides set a pretty hot pace, which was OK because the trail was rather easy with only a few technical spots.
We
eventually caught up to the lead group, which was stopped for
lunch at a shady roadside spot. Everyone swapped stories and identities
as we enjoyed the rest. Then we were off down the road to a mining
area and the start of the trail to Frog Lake.
Shortly after we started this trail, we passed a comely lass dressed as Laura Croft (but not as top heavy ;-) and carrying a shovel. I'll say this, our horse-poop trail cleaners in NM and CO aren't nearly this good looking. Her dazzling smile lasted me all the way to the top of the mountain. Said mountain top was reached via one of the most fun trails we rode all week. The tread was wide and well packed, the turns were banked, the trail was clear of all downfall AND horse-poop, and it was a real delight. Sadly, it ended at the mountain top where all three groups once again met by accident.
After a short break, I prompted our leader to get going first, and we were off. The trail was a delight going down until we reached the very slightly rocky section, which turned out to be the rest of the trail. The rocks weren't too bad; they were just there.
All of a sudden, Dusty signaled an abrupt stop. Ahead was a group of horseback riders and a pack train. We got off the trail and watched as they rode by. The mules in the pack train were roped together and they constantly tried to go on opposite sides of trees. This does not work well.
After they passed, we were off again, and as we got out of the woods and back into the scrub, our guide lost his way on a trail that petered out on a steep hillside. We backtracked, then descended to a road, which lead to the last trail of the day.
This
last trail was an easy slalom line through the woods with an occasional
rocky section and lots of giggles. After a few miles, we happened
onto a couple of riders who turned out to be a married couple.
The lady advised Terry that he was leaking oil from his engine.
Sure enough, we found a small hole in the right outer case from
which dribbled oil, causing an oil spill and an immediate EPA
alert.
The WR leaked a lot less on its side, but we were stymied about
how to fix it until the second group of riders caught up. One
of them had a stick of epoxy from which we applied a small amount
to the cleaned case. One of our guides and the married guy rode
off to his close-by camp to get some oil. 
His
wife, Becca, kindly offered Terry and JimB two beers. Is this
a great country, or what? Beer, babe, bikes, and trails. I died
and went to heaven right there on the trail in Idaho ;-)
Back to the story. After topping off with oil using a latex glove as a funnel (don't ask me why someone carries a latex glove on a ride, we're not as finicky in NM and CO ;-), we finished out the ride and made it back to camp in plenty of time to get ready for dinner. Our three groups that had done the Froggy/Germania Loop were the only ones at camp. Other groups of riders who went elsewhere were not back yet, and the hunch was that they'd be late.
As our guides RickV and Dusty left camp and headed back to Ketchum, RickV told us that he'd banged his foot early in the ride but had hung in for the duration. He said it looked bad. A later report from him said x-rays showed a compound fractured little toe and one fracture in the second to smallest toe for a grand total of three fractures. Ouch!
It was getting dark and hungry. We asked the cook if dinner could commence with the 20 or so who were ready for grub, and he said - bring 'em on. Soon, steaks were sizzling on the grill as riders and camp followers gathered round clamoring for food. The crowd got real quiet as they were served steak, chicken, potatoes, beans, and corn on the cob, and they began to eat. The missing riders came straggling in and they began the second round of eating. We all topped off dinner with watermelon and blueberry and blackberry cobblers. The cooks had outdone themselves, and everyone was satiated. That was some of the best food we've eaten and certainly the best of any trail-side food ever.
After
dinner was cleared away and the fire stoked, we settled in for
some fireside poetry readings and bench racing. Everyone marveled
at the trails, the food, and the camaraderie. The BS level was
never so high ;-)
Our NM/CO group headed back to Smiley Creek Lodge
to crash and dream of trails, cobbler, horse-poop cleaners, and
Becca ;-)
