join a rolling nudist colony for a natural hot tub tour - Ibis Cycles

I:I-I-0J:0J:~CZI:l-I-0J:0J:~CZI:I­o• J:hold out.After an amazing meal of Cajun­'style fish and numerous forms of tastycarbohydrate prepared by our guideson a pair of Coleman camp stoves, weall took a bath together in a giant hotspring-fed pool. Naked. Sure, we pretendedto not be checking each otherout, but we did. I did, at least. The mostcurious part of my curiosity, however,was how quickly it ebbed. Once thenovelty wears off, nudity seems prettybland compared to the diversity ofclothing. Frederick's of Hollywood wasno dummy. We soaked until the starscame out, then stumbled, pleasantlyexhausted, to our tents. .GROOVIN'It was frosty cold when I awoke----rwicalhigh-desert weather. I mad(La nakeddash for the hot spring p901 and metseveral others wh 'd ueen similarlyinspired. A later arrival brought a singlecup of coffee and shared it with us. Itfelt good to stretch in the warm waterafuJr yesterday's ride and a night's sleepon the ground. Mist rising from the hotsprings gave the valley a priII).evalappearance. A grazing brontosauruswould not have been out of place. Idressed and went looking for more coffee.After 2 cups of Harley'S espressoand a bran muffin, I was primed for thegroover."What's a groover?" you say.One of the moral conditions of operatingbackcountry tours in the West isself-containtnent. That means carryingout everything you carry in, except tliewater filtered through your Kidneys.That's right, used food must be carriedout. Thus, the groO\i8Ii.The groover is a fixture commonlyused on river trips. Conveniently located100 yards downwind from camp,it's an ammo can with a plastic garbagebag liner. It's called a groover becausesitting on it puts grooves in one's buttcheeks. Although ours was a deluxemodel with a toilet seat, it was nonethelessa groover and, as such, governed bythe "Groover Rules of Engagement."Rule number 1: no peeing.I've never considered simultaneoussphincter relaxation a luxury until thismorning. But there's plenty of incentivefor one-at-a-time control. Anyonecaught peeing in the groover hassuck the air out of the bag T"h"n~'T"apack up and move on. At leaswhat Lu said. I'm not OIle to takechances when the stakes are that high.That mastered, we break camp andcontinue west along the Little SmokeyCreek, as sing up a dip in Preis HotSprings at the 5-mile mark in favor of amore intriguing option farther along.At the confluence of Little SmokeyCreek and the South Fork of the BoiseRiver we hang a right onto the first singletrackof the trip. Our destination isSkillern Hot Springs, but it's the going,not the getting there, that's good. Weclimb northward for more than an hourand regroup in the shade of a pinegrove."The spring's dry," says Lu, returningfrom a high-speed reconnaissanceride farther up the trail. But that's okay.We still have a humdinger, return-tripdescent to play with.Buffed singletrack is a foreign surfacefor me. I'm more at home pickingmy way over the rocks and roots soprevalent on eastern trails. Such lowspeedriding carries little consequenceHOT TIMES IN IDAHO HOT TIMES IN IDAHO HOT TIMES IN IDAHO HOOT TIMES IN IDAHO-I-I:IJ:0J:0-I-I:IZCl>J:0J:0-I-I:Iz•Safer Power - Saner PriceJust ask "Masters" " Category MTB Racer Larry Hill:ombining, advantagesSPD pedals and)s and toe straps.o POWER GRIPS have)t going for them. Thiselusive product of Bicycle Partscific has won me over for its safety.cisncy. low cost. and adaptability,"Iy 1992PGWER,. GflIPS,.;V1ore /lower to · ,!Oflr jeddl.Fora free brochure, send a self-addressed stamped-envelope to:, )3ieyCie Parts Pacifippe'pt; B, P.O; Sol\4gS0 ' ".'Grand Jtmction, CO 81S02 " ,. .• Senq $1,00 for an IQformation pack induding a 'four~ c~lor brochure. copies of 'testimOnial letters, and reprints of magazine test ,eviews,

:[~,To find out how Bontragerbuilds a frameset that is:1 ......... .the finest racing hardwareavailable,2 ........... one of the lightest frameson the market,3 ......... .and guaranteed for life,really.call 408.427. 2 121 for someFREE literature.Save on Names like ...Hind• loweNew Balance MarmotSportif USA AsoloSierra Designs Hanesand Many More ...Call or write for a FREE catalog:SIERRA TRADING POST5025 Campstool Rd.Dept.MB0393Cheyenne,VVY 82007(307) 775-8000 fax (307) 775-8088should your mind wander. Not so onthis fast stuff.I wiped out so hard that when I gotup I couldn't find my bike right away.Riding too fast into a turn where the trailhad become deeply channeled, I lost mybalance when both wheels wedgedagainst the far berm. We're talking bigtime,high-side, end-over-end, yard-saleendo. The landing tore a hole in my saddleand cost me a little elbow skin. I wasburrimed nobody saw it (even theRumanian judge would have given me a10), but glad my bones were intact.ATLANTA BURNINGMaybe all this nude bathing is sexierthan I thought. Today, I feel like a victimof testosterone poisolling. I charged. upthe first pitch ofJaroes Creek Surnririt inmy middle ring, topped it, then started.down what I figured was the other si.fl r ,only to find another pitch that was arsteeper than the first. Now, ab6j t a mileup this bitch, er, pitch, l' 90king at mythermometer watch, wh2h reads 107 0 F., Jim and I p ' e III the shade of asmall tree antb I try to ask him, "Can Ihave somfW'lf your water?" But the onlysollJl(i y throat will make is an imita­. l:r¥of a hull frog with laryngitis. Jimands me his bottle.After lunch at the summit we"descend the gnarliest section of dualtrackwe've encountered yet. My armsare so tired from getting pounded bywashboard that I take my chances ridingthe loose section between the tracks. Itfeels like surfing, or maybe skiing powder,at 40 mph. I drift through the corners,steering solely with my hips. Cool!On the final stretch into .Atlanta I getan overwhelming feeling when I realizehow far I am from civilization. We're100 miles of bad road and 2 passes awayfrom. the world, adrift on an ocean ofwilderness. I'm always amazed andthankful wh~n I learn that places likethese still exist within the continentalUnited States. I can see peaks in theSawtooth wilderness area in the distance..During the war betw~en the states,Atlanta was a major confederate goldmilling town, but today if~ a near ghosttown of roughly 25 year-round residents.One of them is sharing the shadeof the general store's porch with uswhen a cloud rolls through the valleywith a deep, rumbling sound. Lightningstrikes the mountainside before us, andrain spatters the ground. The few drops40 MARCH -'"that fall evaporate instantly, stirring thedust on the road, but do nothing toreduce the tinderbox condition of theforest."Money cloud," says the Atlantan.Forest fires equate to employment inthis rugged region. But it's an uglyindustry.A forest fire at its worst moves fasterthan you can drive. According to thosewho've been to the brink, thenthe flames devour oxygen sowhen overtaking you . that Ul",,,,"llL"lsuck the breath from yourlie ~ere suffocating,Here's the smoke, but where's the fire?"Not here" was answer enough tochance another day of riding.ing ignite from the intense heat and yourskin begins to blacken and peel as youlose consciousness. There's no time forpain-unless you survive.The lightning strike smoldersovernight, then ignites in the morningbreeze. Soon the entire camp is awake.Lu heads for town to check on the fire'slocation. Rumor has It that WillowCreek campground, our previous night'sdigs, was fully involved. I wondered ifmy story might, instead, be a eulogy forthis great place.Despite the heavy smoke, the ForestService claimed we were in no immediatedanger. So we spend the day, asplanned, riding singletrack aroundAtlanta. .We follow a dualtrack along theQueens River through smoke as thick asLondon fog, with one important difference:London fog won't kill you. There'sa wariness in our group today. I catchmyself keeping note of the neareststream, pond, or other body of waterlarge enough to offEiJr refuge from theunseen flames, should the wind shiftMOUNTAIN BIKE•

our way. But the smoke simply blotsthe sun, making our fourth day of ridingironically chilly. We climb a gradualsingletrack to an unnamed lake,then return via the same route.Making a big loop over the next ridgeand taking a chance on losing our waycould be fatal on a day like today.• • FIRE EXITWe had planned from the start to fly,in shifts, Qut of Atlanta on a smallcharter plane hile Harley and Racheldrove the Subur15ans to Ketchum withour bikes loaded on top. ire paranoiachanged our departure tlme fromFriday afternoon to early Friliay morning.We packed for the last time in epre-dawn darkness, then rode to theairstrip to make our escape.From the air I saw Dante's ownprivate Idaho. Several hellish walls ofsmoke rose from the forest floorwhere 15,000- 20,000-acre patchesburned. The smaller blazes wouldsoon be left alone, the firefighterscalled to contain the 280,000-acreinferno endangering Idaho City. (Itwould smolder into autumn.) But thefire would spare Atlanta and ourWillow Creek campsite.One day we frolicked in the wetand reveled in the wild. But thenIdaho's natural playground became amenacing battlefield. And, at least forthe moment, its torrid heat charred thememories of those soothing hotsprings.WHEN YOU GORound-trip and unsupported, the 100miles between Ketchum and Atlantais a difficult ride, but not impossible.You'll have to haul 7-8 days worth offood, but treatable water is plentifuldespite the arid conditions. You canship the bulk of your gear to Ketchum(as we did), fly into Boise, and take thebus to Ketchum. Or fly with your gearto Stanley (a more expensive air ticket),just north of Ketchum, and ridefrom there. Or you could spend amonth just riding singletrack and, camping near Ketchum.The Elephant's Perch in Ketchum(208/726-3497) is a good source formaps, information, bike gear, andservice.Or you can take a trip like ourswith Club Decadent, better knownas Western Spirit Cycling, 800/845-BIKE .•EAR GEARCHAIN RINGSELS COGSPEDAL SPINDLESATTACK BRACKETBOLTS

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