On the Trail with Discount Tire Direct Bagdad-Hillside AZ

[2Txns]

Looks like a future adventure for me to try out soon.

[ball bearing]

Originally Posted by 2Txns

Looks like a future adventure for me to try out soon.

you should be right in the area with your work

[Discount Tire]

Part 2

As I was telling the guys about the adventure I had the night before they were laughing hysterically. I told them about what I thought was a Chubracraba during the night and they lost it. I had to prove to them I saw it so I went looking back through my photos (thank goodness for digital photos) and couldn’t believe my eyes. As I was using the timer on my camera to take a photo of me eating breakfast I happened to get a photo of the Chubracrba right behind me.

WOW!!!!!!! I was right. I knew it!!!



Since there was still plenty of daylight we decided to go for another ride. We went on the North side of the highway where I went looking for them. As we approached the steep hill I had gone up earlier I hit the throttle and flew to the top. Even though I tackled this hill earlier, it's so steep, loose and rocky that it commands your full attention. You have to get the correct line for the 2 steps at the top or suffer the consequences. Most everybody came up the hill so it got a bit crowded as it was just a turn around on top.

There was some water in the creek at the bottom of the hill so we just had to have a bit of fun in it. Here is Jeff on his King Quad. As you can see from the water being thrown from all wheels his front diff is locked.



I thought I would see if I could get my DWT Moapa’s to crawl over a big rock that was partially in the water. That was a mistake. The ground I was riding on was not really sand but ground up granite which is almost like quick sand. As I tried to get up on the rock I dug-in to the frame. I even tried to hook up my 4,500 pound winch to pull me over the rock but the surface was too straight up and down. It took 2 winches hooked up to the back of my quad to pull me out. Now I know how Chad felt.



One tip we used when winching. I threw my jacket over both winch lines. This way if one of the steel cables breaks, the cable hits the coat and falls to the ground instead of hitting someone.

We went for a short ride and came back to camp for the night. Robert thought his belt was feeing weird so he decided to change it. Good thing as it was missing some teeth and was cracked. There is no way he would have made it much further.

How many hands does it take to change a belt?



In the morning we were waiting for 4 other riders to show up for the days ride. The heard just keeps growing. One of the riders, Terren, had a brand new black Limited Edition Polaris 850XP with power steering. He and Bob both blame me for them having to get this machine from when I had a test Polaris 850 XP with power steering and let them ride it. They are sweet for sure.



Looks like the group is ready to head out to the hills for some exploring.



Carl’s Commander had problems very early on our ride. The trail is rocky as are almost all the trails in the SouthWest Deserts. He happened to hit one of the boulders hard with his left tire. I do have to say Wild Man Carl does use his equipment and rides hard. Unfortunately this hit bend his left front a-arm into a banana.

We hooked up the winch from Bob’s Polaris to the bent tie-rod but it would not budge. Jeff came over with a 5 pound hammer and Zane used it to pound the tie-rod somewhat straight. With the trail fix we are back on the road.



We took off a steep rutted hill and I just happened to turn around to check on the rider behind me. I saw his front end come up; then, he caught a rut and was turned sideways. Jeff to the rescue, just in time.

Some of the trails get a bit on the rocky side. I know sport quads can make most of them but I'm sure glad I'm not on one. At the bottom of this hill we took a short break. Carl told me I may want to get ahead of the group for some photos. As I rounded a corner near the top of this hill something was biting the heck out of my right thigh inside my pants. I quickly pulled to the side while beating on my leg, jumped off my quad and pulled my pants down. When we stopped earlier I noticed some big ants on my boots. Those buggers climbed up my pants and were biting me. I killed them all but my leg hurt for the rest of the day and was bruised for almost a week.

We are very lucky to be able to ride in some very remote terrain. This area is loaded with Ocotillo’s. They are the long spiny cactus in this photo. They are also called Crown of Thorns because in the spring they produce red flowers on the end of their spines.



Here is a photo of Zane when we stopped for lunch. I’m sure he was thinking about taking this backhoe out for a spin.

We continued on to see more new dirt after lunch. The area we were riding in had tons of cattle. We came across a small heard that didn't want to get off the road. Carl was afraid to get to close to them for fear they would kick his Commander. Finally they moved into the desert after about a quarter of a mile.



Some of the trails had some spots where it was very off camber like this. It gave you an eerie feeling since there was a 15 foot drop off to the right.



There were miles and miles of trails in the area. Nothing hard, but very beautiful.





Carl almost made it back to our camp area but not quite. His bent tie-rod snapped in half. He was close to camp so one of the guys took him to get his truck so he could load it into the back. Unfortunately he forgot he put a 2 inch lift on his truck and drove through his rear window. Just one more thing to fix.



We roughed it for dinner that night with shiskabobs, steak, shredded pork ribs, pototatos, salad and melon. Yum!!!

Most everyone left Sunday morning but 4 of us went for a last exploratory ride. We were trying to see if we could get over to where I had camped by myself north of Bagdad. As we crested a big hill we could see a large ranch down in the valley. The trail went to a road that looked like it would have taken us to Bagdad but at the bottom of the hill the ranch had a closed gate with no trespassing signs so we had to turn around.

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Next to the trail there were what we believe to be telegraph lines.



We kept trying different roads to get around the ranch but always ran into fences. One of the little used trails we came across had a heard of about 20 big Javelins. It's amazing how much they look like rocks when they stand still. No wonder they are called the ghost of the desert.



Right after seeing the Javelins we saw 2 deer.

Well it looks like we did not find a way around the ranch this day but that just means we have to come back and try again.

We had an awesome time with some great friends and nobody got hurt so it was a big success. I can’t wait for the next adventure.

Remember, life is short so have fun, but be safe and always buy your tires and wheels from Discount Tire.

Until the next adventure!

Don McNeilly
Discount Tire Direct.

[RDO]

I think that whole area is closed to OHVs and you guys were being outlaws......

[Discount Tire]

You should have joined the heard with your Rokon. It was a blast.

[ynotAZ]

Originally Posted by Discount Tire

Part 2

We only did "Part 2" and it was a good ride.

Thanks for the guided tour of the area.

[swatson9]

did you happen to get coordinates of your camp?

[RDO]

Head from Kirkland Junction to Bagdad (after breakfast in Yarnell) and when you cross the Santa Maria ( the long bridge ) take a quick left.

[Andy king]

Thanks, great photo's, got to love those old gold mines *

[Mud Guppy]

WoW what a nice ride!

[rjnewill1]

I know this post is old, but would it be possible for the author to post the coordinates for the great camp site shown in the photos.

[azquadrider]

PM azgolfer. He has a GPS and knows how to use it. The OP does not use a GPS. Roy posted the correct camp spot as well.

[RDO]

34.480391,-113.062803

[dgrider]

Originally Posted by RDO

34.480391,-113.062803

According to Google, this appears to be in someone's back yard.

[azgolfer]

Originally Posted by dgrider

Originally Posted by RDO

34.480391,-113.062803

According to Google, this appears to be in someone's back yard.

try N34 28.854 W113 03.642