Madera Canyon camping trip

[Fishermanblues]

I just got back home from a camping trip in Madera canyon, it turned out to be quite an adventure. The ride from Tucson went very smoothly we arrived there around 3. However when we arrived a few problems began to surface. The bag that the 3 person tent was supposed to be in actually contained no tent just a lot of metal pipes, so we piled everything we brought with us around the picnic table for extra insulation and slept under there. The only fire wood we were able to find was wet from the recent rains but we managed to start a fire using some dry twigs, the wet wood burned but not very well. I managed to stay pretty warm in my sleeping bag last night even though it got down to 31 degrees. The only mechanical problem occurred on the way home. The master link that held together the chain that goes around the motor sprocket to the jackshaft broke, but luckily I had some extra chain and a chain breaker with me. I had such a great time, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without my SBP shift kit, I really needed the low gears to tow all my gear up hill.
Hope you enjoy the pictures

 

[Fishermanblues]

some more pics

 

[Fishermanblues]

a couple more pics

 

[DOC BOLM]

Looks like fun.H/D

 

[Goat Herder]

Great picts I'm jealous now thats what I'm talking about . Your living the dream, I love it! I think I have some buddies to drag into such a trip. I got them all started on these CH. Glad to here the shift kit works good.

 

[Spunout]

no tent! man, you guys really roughed it. but...thats campin'!
and doing it by motored bikes.....thats COOL.

i, also, am glad to hear the shift kit worked out so well.

nice post/pics. thanks for sharing

if you or your buddies have any ideas for location of the next Death Race, that thread is posted in the Events and Races section.

 

[TexasDav]

I got one of thoses face protectors at the motorcycle shop, I recomend them to anyone riding in the cold, they are life savers. Wow what wonderful looking country, I love those adventure stories here, makes me want to ride and dream.

 

[2door]

Just wondering if you weighed that load. I'd guess you had 40 / 50 pounds on the rear wheel. How did the bike handle with that much weight? I carried two 40 pound bags of ice one evening last summer and my bike was a little squirrly so I took it easy for the 1/2 mile ride home.
Tom

 

[Fishermanblues]

The load was probably closer to 60 lbs, I was carrying most of the water and all of the food plus the tools I always carry. It did get a little squirrly early on in the trip but after redistributing the load more evenly on both sides of my bike it handled fine.

I was amazed how fast I was able to go with all of that stuff on there, I took it up to 38.6 on an empty country road with a slight downhill incline, but mostly I kept to the 20 mph speed limit.

 

[Dave31]

Very cool! What a nice ride, I have riding there a few times it's so beautiful out there. Last time I was shocked by the amount of development out there. It wont be long before there is house's all the way to the canyon. Enjoy it while you can. You gotta take box canyon road to the east over the mountain it will take you to greaterville. I am not sure whats past that, greaterville is as far as I went before I turned around. Sure was a very nice ride.

 

[Fishermanblues]

Box canyon road continues all the way to State route 83, which will then take you to Sonoita, Parker canyon lake, and if you're willing to ride on dirt all the way through the Huachuca mtns to just south of Sierra vista. I think for my next camping trip I might do Parker canyon lake, I've camped there before but it's always so much more fun to take your bike.

 

[Weedylot]

I've lived here for 38 years and been to Madera Canyon twice. Shame on me!
My wife's ancestral home is Gardner Canyon, named after her great-grandfather Thomas Gardner.
Fairracing, next time you're at the Hysterical Society look him up, he was a colorful character and well known and respected around there.
We go shooting our guns down near Lochiel and Harshaw, my father-in-law always gives the feds static at the Homeland Security checkpoint. When they ask "Where were you born?" he says "Here"
They repeat the question and he repeats the answer. The idiots have never heard of Harshaw
or Lochiel.

 

[nemlu7]

Well done guys!!!thats the spirit of free souls.! this island were i live is beutifull but soooo small!.. longest trip is 20 odd miles from one end to the other. well done and keep on biking

 

[Finfan]

"Very cool! What a nice ride, I have riding there a few times it's so beautiful out there. Last time I was shocked by the amount of development out there. It wont be long before there is house's all the way to the canyon. Enjoy it while you can. You gotta take box canyon road to the east over the mountain it will take you to greaterville. I am not sure whats past that, greaterville is as far as I went before I turned around. Sure was a very nice ride."

That road will take you out to the Sonita highway FR. The only problem would be that I don't think there is a way to loop back to Tucson except for I-10 and that route isn't very MB friendly.

 

[Weedylot]

I think, without looking at a map, that Marsh Station road can be used to get from near Hwy 83 junction, to near Vail.
I'll have to check, now that I'm thinking about it.
Sometimes thinking hurts my pumpkin.

 

[Fishermanblues]

I drove out on box canyon road all the way to route 83 today just to see if I could do it on my bike for a camping trip. I think I can - will probably happen over spring break. here are a few pics to give you a taste of what it's like. Beautiful country