[Rohnsman]

I took a ride this week out to the Snake River Canyon and specifically the Celebration Park area. A website for the park says:



"Celebration Park was established as Idaho's only archaeological park in 1989. It is located on the Snake River at the western boundary of the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. This area was a wintering ground for Paiute Indians along the Snake River."



One of the reasons I wanted to go there was not just because it's a great place to ride, but because I wanted to participate this time in the Photo Contest here and with the topic being bridges, I knew there was a really scenic bridge there. Another site informs that this is a historic railroad bridge:



"Historic Guffy Bridge:

The bridge tour offers up interesting Idaho historic facts as you walk along the Snake River. Initially built in 1897 the bridge was intended to carry ore from Silver City to Nampa where it would be smelted. The bridge is a true Idaho artifact and has been renovated to allow walking access to the south side of the river and primitive trails beyond."



Here is an aerial shot of the bridge.



There is some great riding around the area, but you do have to take care as many of the trails have been restricted by the BLM for non-motorized use only. This is a real shame in some cases, as there are some great places I'd like to explore with trails a TW would have no problem with, but are restricted. Another problem is that you might start down a trail which is not signed and seems great for riding, only to find when you get to the far end that there is a restrictive sign and gate. (We won't discuss how I know that).

Anyway, what enabled me to go give this area a try was the generous loan of a receiver carrier from forum member Idaho04. I've been thinking of getting one of these and he was kind to allow me to try his out for a while. He had a friend custom weld this for him. You can see it is made from heavy steel pipe, much better constructed than the commercial units. I wish I could convince him to sell it to me...!

What follows are some of the photos I took on the ride. Quite a few are of the bridge as I was looking for a good shot for the photo contest. I posted one, but you'll have to tell me if I made the right choice, as I had a hard time choosing. You will also see another bridge here, that being what I presume is another old railroad bridge near the town of Melba, ID. I rode from Celebration Park down the Snake River to Melba on a pretty rough two-track road, (some of the bumps and dips had to be a good foot-deep, interesting, but no challenge for the trusty TW).



Just before the trip I'd mounted my new wide Chinese footpegs. What a treat! These really are great, especially when you need to stand on the pegs in the whoop-de-doo's. I'd also put on some new handgrips. They too enhanced the ride and at under $10, were a great investment. I wore my new Motoboss Airmesh jacket and Bohn Armor Pants and both made me feel much more protected. Fortunately, we are having cooler fall weather so in the high-60's temps, I was comfortable.



I decided to top off the fuel tank in Melba, not so much because it needed it, but because the station was there. I felt silly putting in $1.21 worth of fuel. While there, two guys in a pickup towing a trailer with some four-wheel ATVs pulled in. One of the guys looked at my bike and said, "I used to have one of those. Sold it though. Worst mistake I ever made."



I smiled. Buying the TW is one of the best things I've done in a while. Riding the rough Snake River canyon trails and then tooling back on the paved roads at 50 mph only proved what a versatile little bike the TW really is.



Some of the photos are posted below. You can see the complete collection here.

 

[pantera1]

Awesome Truelight. Looks like a great place to ride!

 

[pantera1]

One of the reasons I wanted to go there was not just because it's a great place to ride, but because I wanted to participate this time in the Photo Contest here and with the topic being bridges, I knew there was a really scenic bridge there. Another site informs that this is a historic railroad bridge:

That is some dedication! Didn't the rules say you had to be able to cross the bridge? hahaha



Thanks for sharing. Would love to get out west with the TW.

 

[busyweb]

Great !!!

Thanks for the sharing.

 

[Gerry]

Nice pictures, great bridge. Seeking out a 'bit of history' can be lots of fun on the T-dub. Have come across more than a few places that left me feeling, "how did people do this with wagons", talk about adventure......... geeezz!.

 

[Rohnsman]

That is some dedication! Didn't the rules say you had to be able to cross the bridge? hahaha



Thanks for sharing. Would love to get out west with the TW.

I did cross the bridge (as you can see from the photos, no?) Crossed the bridge and rode up river on the far side. Though in it's day this was a railroad bridge, as you can see it had been re-decked and there are no more tracks.

 

[pantera1]

Saw the TDub on the bridge, but in your story you said it was renovated for walking across. Assumed it was for non-motorized use.



My bad!

 

[roadjanitor]

Hey Truelight, great pics! I spend a bunch of time out there and still never get tired of seeing pictures from there. Seems like there is always something different to see. The silver truss bridge with the big irrigation pipe under it is actually the original highway bridge. Up until about 10 years ago that pipe connected to a 46" pipe made out of wood and banded like a wine barrel. I was tasked with taking out a small bridge about a 1/4 mile from the silver bridge when they updated to steel pipe. I think there is still a few pieces of the old wood pipe in the triangle shaped pasture at the junction of SH45 and SH78.

 

[Rohnsman]

Saw the TDub on the bridge, but in your story you said it was renovated for walking across. Assumed it was for non-motorized use.



My bad!

It may indeed be for "non-motorized use." Hey, I turned off the motor and walked the TW across, isn't that OK officer?

 

[Petrus]

Lovely pictures!!

Great stuff!!

 

[admiral]

I can see why you had a hard time deciding on which bridge picture to use for the photo contest. Lots of good one's to choose from. Like you, the motorcycle side of me would like access to the non-motorized portion as there is lots to see, but I can fully understand the reasoning for the restriction. I have hiked and ridden my bicycle in the non-motorized portion many times. Your photo's bring back some fond pre-TW memories.



Thanks for sharing.