Homestead Trail to the Top of Shaw Mountain - Preparing for the Boise Front

41.5 miles riding time 4:51

Chris, a co-worker of Will's, has been riding with us for the last year and is steadily increasing his distances.  Chris is a natural athlete, a gymnast from his schooldays and a BMX rider in his youth, so when I'm too slow or the trail's not challenging enough, he'll be finding the most difficult route through any obstacle. To prepare for next week's ride across the Boise Front on 10 May, we decided to make the tough ride up the Homestead Trail and then climb the road to the top of Shaw Mountain.  I'd assured Chris that Homestead was steep, and that the road was just as steep, which turns out not to be a good description.  Wash outs make the old road far more challenging than the trail where we weren't tempted to push!

Chris on the section just above the old "homestead" which gives the trail its name

Steve and Chris where the trail meets "the road"- with the east end of the Boise Valley in the background

Will and I haven't ridden this route in several years, so when we got to the junction of the trail with the old road, we were surprised to see it badly washed out with no obvious care in the last few years.  The hikers who took the above photo told us the county (or BLM- or anyone) no longer maintains the road which used to form a big circle up one side of the mountain and down the other. 

Chris climbing a section of the "road"

Between the accumulated loose sand and rocks and the wash outs, we had to push up a couple of the steepest sections. Since the route is consistently steep, Chris' bike not shifting into or  out of Granny (without a manual assist while stopped) wasn't too much of an issue as there was no need to leave Granny and rarely a need to leave Granny-1.  Hitting Granny 3 seemed like a vacation!  None-the-less Chris began to show signs of fatigue as we neared the top.  With one turn we went from steep uphill in the desert to downhill in fir forests!  Chris seemed entirely reenergized dropping me to enjoy the downhill before we resumed climbing. 

Chris, with some encouragement, has remounted his stead and is climbing this section near the top - which is steeper than it looks.  At this elevation the brush has not yet  leafed out.

Chris near the top with the hazy Boise Valley in the background

We climbed to the very top and enjoyed the view through the windy haze (an odd combination) of the Boise Valley.  We descended a bit on the north slope to enjoy a real break in the timber.  Chris seemed revitalized by the break and some fresh pineapple which he shared with me, and we took off down the hill.  On this side of the mountain the road is still somewhat maintained, and while it offered a few small wash outs and sand traps, it's not comparable to the abandoned road we'd climbed.

I rounded a corner and was surprised to see Chris' bike upside down in the  road.  A pinch flat on the rim side (no spoke issues; I wish my rim liner look so good) was the cause.  Although the tube was slimmed, the holes were large flatting the tube within moments of inflating it.  Chris decided to replace the tube.  Soon the new tube was installed, and we were off
 

Chris fixing his flat

I rounded another corner and there was Chris off his bike.  The cause, this angry 3' serpent which Chis had incensed by riding too close!

Just as I got the camera out, the rattler gave up his strike position and started a slow retreat with his fangs still pointed toward us just in case we made the wrong move

Around the next corner, the same thing.  This 2nd snake was the same size and color and in the same strike pose which was soon abandoned for the retreat, so I didn't bother photographing it. Chris said there was a 3rd rattler he didn't stop for, and I didn't notice it. That's bad news for me, because where these rattlers were is a few hundred yards from where my most frequent solo ride meets this route- where in many year's of riding I've only seen only one rattler but many bull snakes.

This route dumps us on hwy 21 for a fun descent on pavement to the base of Lucky Peak Dam.  When I passed a rather uncharacteristic slow moving Chris, I asked what the problem was.  It seems his bike didn't want to shift into the "high" chain ring either.  It wouldn't respond to our manual efforts to put it in the large ring either.  So, this demanding ride was done on a bike with easy access only to the mid chain-ring!   I had a speedy fun descent followed by my uncharacteristically slow friend!

Any tiredness I had felt at the top was relieved  by the break at the top and the fun of the descents.  The descent didn't seem to have that effect on Chris.  He was moving pretty slowly when another flat stuck him on the Green Belt about 3 miles from his home.  From a quick observation before taking the tire off, it appeared to be from a puncture weed.   A cell phone call to his girl friend was too tempting, so he called for a recuse!

Chris' rescue arrives!

Chris and his bike are transported home

This is a challenging climb that's more challenging than it was when Will and I last climbed it back when the road was still somewhat maintained. We'd recommend anyone riding this route should ride it clockwise as we did; I can't imagine riding down the steep loose sand and rock sections of this abandoned road.  I think Chris and I are both ready for the Boise Front next weekend with its greater distance and elevation gain- but it's not so consistently steep and its climbing is not all on the southern slope. Chris, bring lots or water and food!  We'd be glad to have additional riders!

My apologies for the overexposed photos.  I've switched from a Canon A540 to Canon A590 which captures greater detail, but seems to over expose a lot of sunny shots when set on "auto"; something my A540 never did.

Thanks, Chris, for the adventure, and Happy cycling for fun, fitness, and transportation!


Steve