A Black Hole of Information

[SAMBA]

I did some hiking in the Devil's Canyon area a few years ago, and I left thinking the maze of roads in the area might be well worth a a return trip to explore on mountain bikes. My Google Earth exploration of the area shows the Magma Mine Road runs down the west side of Devil's Canyon running from US-60 south all the way to US-177. I also noticed a couple of roads which seemed to go through canyons to nowhere on the east side of Devil's Canyon. Other than what I can see in QE, Google searches are a black hole of information. Ergo, I'm turning to my HAZ peeps to hopefully fill in some of the blanks. At the very least, there must be some 4-wheelers in the group who could share some insights on what's out there. Would exploring the area be fun, and am I daft to even consider doing so on a mountain bike?

[CannondaleKid]

At the very least, there must be some 4-wheelers in the group who could share some insights on what's out there.

Yes, there is at least one... me. I've driven and/or hiked every one of the roads on the east side, driving all the way through to Mineral Creek then one of the following:
1. Hang a left and follow FR2 north to FR349 and finally exit back onto the 60 across from Pinto Mine
2. Take FR899 east then north until it exits near the Suphide Del Ray campground on Signal/Pinal Peak
3. Hang a right at the ranch and follow Dripping Springs Road down to AZ 77 between Globe and Winkleman.

But no matter, because on a bicycle you wouldn't get that far. It's only a few miles before it is truly rock-crawling over boulders with a Jeep.

Would exploring the area be fun, and am I daft to even consider doing so on a mountain bike?

I'm sure it would be fun, but it would depend on your definition of fun. If you enjoy very rough roads, plenty of sharp rocks, steep uphills & downhills, constant cow pies to avoid... well, you get the picture.
But by all means, give it a try, you'll have an experience to share I'm sure.

Not that it would stop you, but a word to the wise... don't try it while inebriated. ;)

[SAMBA]

@CannondaleKid
Yo CD Kid,

I was hoping (expecting?) to hear from you. I've biked the Box Canyon/Martinez Canyon/Kilns of Cochran/Gila River/Train Bed Loop a half dozen or so times. I've also biked a few different loops from south of Superior to the Kilns and back. Granted, I was younger and fitter when I did those rides. I mention those rides to use as a gauge of what I might expect were I to attempt to bike the jeep roads of Devil's Canyon. How does the terrain I've biked in the past compare to what I might encounter if I were to follow my fancy (lunacy)?

BTW, would any of the circa 500 photo sets you've posted on HAZ, or any of of the photo sets you posted on ChangePhoenix give me a hint of what I might encounter?

Thanks for any additional FEEDBACK you might send my way.

LaFong (aka SAMBA)

[rwstorm]

Is it just me, or is it getting dafty in here?

[CannondaleKid]

Is it just me, or is it getting dafty in here?

Dafty or drafty... with all the hot air spouted around these parts what else would you expect Randy?
;)

[CannondaleKid]

How does the terrain I've biked in the past compare to what I might encounter if I were to follow my fancy (lunacy)?

Very much the same as the rough parts, the exception being you will encounter MANY cows and even more of their fresh excrement. (Hold your nose at times and don't ride through the pies and you'll survive.)

BTW, would any of the circa 500 photo sets you've posted on HAZ, or any of of the photo sets you posted on ChangePhoenix give me a hint of what I might encounter?

Yes, plenty of photos taken in the vicinity of the road but... very few and far between of the roads.

Thanks for any additional FEEDBACK you might send my way.

PM sent...

[SAMBA]

@CannondaleKid
Yo CD Kid,

I got your PM, and I've got one comment. That's what I call FEEDBACK. Looks like I'll have a few hours of research time reviewing all the photo sets posted on the links you sent me.

Sorry, I lied. I meant to say "two comments". The second being, thank you lots for the FEEDBACK.

LaFong (aka SAMBA)

[SAMBA]

@CannondaleKid

Yo CD Kid,

Is there a secret to viewing the video links you sent me? I've tried to view them on different computers, different operating systems, and different web browsers and all I got was a blank screen. I even forwarded your PM to my Apple buddy, Tom, and he couldn't get the videos to work on his Mac either. Both of us can view the photos, but no luck with the videos.

Got any insights?

Gracias.

LaFong (aka SAMBA).

[Mick]

LaFong-When would you be doing this -I am off Mon/Tues. Some gnarly parts ..

[CannondaleKid]

no luck with the videos.

Same here... and I tried with Mac OS-X and Windows 7.

Got any insights?

I'm looking into it right now...

Some time back my web host got bent out of shape with how much space my videos were taking up so I removed the largest ones. But for these particular videos, I just checked and the files are still on the server, so that isn't the problem.

They are Flash (.flv) videos, so with all the CONSTANT and ONGOING flash updates (some would completely lockup my MacBook) I'm wondering if it is a flash player issue.
(Due to Flash issues I've now disabled the Flash Player on my MacBook for all but a few websites)
:tt:
Another possibility could be due to my web host migrating everything to another server. A few times in the last few weeks I've been notified of 'server stability' issues.

I guess that's what happens when my up-til-now excellent web host gets bought out by a company that swallows up smaller companies and tries to shoehorn more data onto the servers. I have a few weeks to decide whether I re-up for another 2 years with them, but I haven't found any good replacement options. Plus, the last time I changed hosts it took months to get everything working correctly. (Probably had more to do with moving from a Windows-based server to Linux than anything else.)

Anyway... if I get time today I'll try to locate the original videos and upload them to YouTube.
Note: I'm packing the Jeep for a 3-day camping trip so that is a big IF.

[SAMBA]

@CannondaleKid
Yo CD Kid,

I appreciate all the FEEDBACK you've given me so far. That said, do your 3-day camping trip sans any thoughts of moi. Even if I do this adventure, it won't happen for a month or two. I need to get a little fitter, and, more problematically, find another rider with a similar death wish.

BTW, do you care to share some of details of your up-coming 3-day camping adventure, or do I just wait for your HAZ posts post-adventure?

Once again, thanks for all the FEEDBACK.

LF (aka SAMBA)

[CannondaleKid]

BTW, do you care to share some of details of your up-coming 3-day camping adventure, or do I just wait for your HAZ posts post-adventure?

Sierra Ancha? Aztec Peak area?
And due to re-injuring my left ankle yesterday, :stretch: we will only do 'easy' hikes.
Easy hikes? Ummm, NOT? (Since when have I allowed injury to stop me) :guilty:

Well, I got lucky (as did you)... I managed to find the original files and am uploading them to YouTube:
Rawhide Canyon 4-wheeling
Mineral Creek to Rawhide Canyon 4-wheeling

The resolution isn't the best due to using the old flash files instead of recompiling as a (much larger file) avi that YouTube likes better, but I'm sure they'll serve your purpose.

Now... with all the other 100+ flash videos that no longer work.... :tt:
I guess I'll have work to do after the camping trip. :whistle:

[chumley]

@CannondaleKid
Send them to @big_load. I hear he loves Flash!

[CannondaleKid]

@SAMBA FYI, just a warning about the videos...
90% of what I filmed were the smoother parts... the vibration in the worst spots was so bad the (early model) GoPro lens just fluttered.

[SAMBA]

@CannondaleKid
Yo CD Kid,

They both work. I did a quick review of both videos, and the "Mineral Creek to Rawhide Canyon 4-wheeling" looks like a "must do" ride to me. Beautiful vistas, spectacular rock formations, bikeable surface! What's not to like. What I saw in the few minutes of viewing the "RawhideCanyon 4-wheeling" video, though, was a seemingly unrelenting stretch of rock riding (hiking?). Some rocking riding is to be expected on most any ride in Arizona, but there's a point when hike-a-biking ceases to be fun. I'll view both the videos in their entirety once I'm done with my Brush & Bulky chores for this half of the year.

I forwarded this link on to my old (literally) biking buddy, Tom, to see if he might be willing to join me on an exploratory ride or two in the area. Both the videos you sent will play a big part in our decisions. Thank you, yet again.

LF (aka SAMBA)

[SAMBA]

@Mick
Yo Mick,

What's "Mon/Tues"? Lest you've forgotten, "I'M RETIRED". Christmas is just like Monday to me. If/when my buddy Tom and I do a ride in this area you can rest assured we will do it on "Mon/Tues" to accommodate you. I'll keep you posted. Bare in mind this will be purely exploratory, and it could easily and quickly turn into "lick your wounds" recovery session at the Los Hermanos Lounge.

LF

[rwstorm]

it could easily and quickly turn into "lick your wounds" recovery session at the Los Hermanos Lounge.

the real reason for such an endeavor ;)

[CannondaleKid]

I did a quick review of both videos, and the "Mineral Creek to Rawhide Canyon 4-wheeling" looks like a "must do" ride to me. Beautiful vistas, spectacular rock formations, bikeable surface! What's not to like.

Since you would need to begin where the east-bound passing lane begins on the US 60 by Devil's Canyon you would be riding the opposite direction of the video... so skip to the last half of the video, as you'll need to ride a full 10 miles before reaching the nice smooth part in that video.

What I saw in the few minutes of viewing the "Rawhide Canyon 4-wheeling" video, though, was a seemingly unrelenting stretch of rock riding (hiking?).

Just be forewarned... yes, you will encounter some relatively smooth parts similar to the beginning of the other video for the first few miles, but the rest will be just like this video. In other words, the farther you travel the more you will hike-a-bike.

But then if it gets too bad, just turn around ride back to your vehicle, pack the bikes and drive farther east on the 60 and take the road opposite of the Pinto Mine (FR 349). Although a lot of ups and downs, it would be some nice smooth riding for about 8 miles until you reach FR 2, when it will deteriorate quickly.

[big_load]

@CannondaleKid
Send them to @big_load. I hear he loves Flash!

The last Flash player update was only about two weeks ago, so the player has only been dying regularly for the last couple days. I hope a new player comes out soon, because I prefer updating the player to rebooting several times a day.

[chumley]

On a side note, I find that the VLC Player (free) will play anything this side of super-8. It certainly lists FLV as a supported codec.