OK, where will base camp be this year? I don't think any of us were terribly impressed with the F/F last fall and we've done that area 4 times straight. Time to move a little farther South this year?
i don't mind the area, but would not be opposed to heading south.
if we like the area, i would rather stay at wild bills than f&f. they're getting a little steep for my tastes.
whispering pines isn't much farther south. at the silver city road. gas is fairly close and the sugar shack is just a couple miles away.
i'm up for anything.
South is good and when it gets closer we need to start calling around for rates. Basic needs are access to food,fuel, and showers.
I think the new owner at FF charged more because of a communication issue between him and the previous owners. I let her know when we would be back so Brian did not let him know we would be there that weekend and he is the one that got us that rate.
what happened last fall at fish n fry? Just high rates or has something else changed? I really like the old owners at fish n fry and that made it special to keep going back, but since their gone we can definitely look elsewhere without burning bridges. I'm game to change venues if everyone else feels that way!
Sugar Shack area is a good central location. I'd like to be a little farther from home to explore some new to me trails, but i'm easy and will go anywhere.
the folks at Whispering pines have always been good to the off road community, black hills four wheelers (jeep club) have their annual event there each year. What about the USFS group site at sheridan lake? Not as many amenities, but close to hill city/ three forks for fuel. cheep too!
I agree... We should try something farther south.
sheridan lake would be a great idea sportfaller.
i'd like showers but if there's a lake, who needs a shower?
Sheridan Lake is not a cheap place to camp to the tune of $18-20 a night. I know a real nice spot off victoria lake road for free overlooking dark canyon but no water or showers.
Fringefan, I know the individual camp spots in the south camp ground run 20/night, but I was thinking more along the lines of the north group site, by the marina. I could check on the prices there
What about Bear Gulch group site at Pactola? Very secluded and close to Silver City trails....
checked on the FS group sites, they start at $50 per night for up to 25 people, and $100 per night for 100 pepole
the benefit to group site at sheridan is a. cheap b. close to great jumping off points into the woods c. close to fuel and beer and food on the other hand the bad is no showers. but then i do not care if i stink. oh yea...i think i might actually make it this year.
the other benefit is sportfaller and myself know the area well. AND it is much closer to the jasper fire area. talk about loop potential. AND there is good coffee at the slate creek in hill city.
is the site close to sheridan lake? if i can wash all the dirt off my face by taking a dip in the lake, then i don't need showers either. it get's pretty dirty being cleanup behind 20 eager dual sport riders!
A few years ago, (like 10); I had hunted elk west of Custer. I think I had more fun just driving around. Is there a Hell's Canyon over there? We took a trail that made us think twice about our decision. All sandstone. I would like to ride it again. Has there been a consensus yet on what part of the hills the rally is to be at yet? I'm not acquainted with all of the names or the locations you guys are talking about (F&F for example). Don't get me wrong, it's all good!
F&F = Fish 'n' Fry Campground, just outside of Deadwood.
Yes, there is a Hell's Canyon just west of Custer, really pretty area. I've never ridden there off-road. Sounds interesting...
I *think* the consensus is to head south this year, but nailing down a final decision might take awhile with these guys. ;D ???
My vote is for Sheridan Lake group spot -
Quote from: hayduke.klr07 on March 29, 2010, 06:31:49 PM
the benefit to group site at sheridan is a. cheap b. close to great jumping off points into the woods c. close to fuel and beer and food on the other hand the bad is no showers. but then i do not care if i stink. oh yea...i think i might actually make it this year.
Quote from: hayduke.klr07 on March 29, 2010, 06:33:53 PM
the other benefit is sportfaller and myself know the area well. AND it is much closer to the jasper fire area. talk about loop potential. AND there is good coffee at the slate creek in hill city.
Quote from: loingrader on March 29, 2010, 10:31:30 PM
is the site close to sheridan lake? if i can wash all the dirt off my face by taking a dip in the lake, then i don't need showers either. it get's pretty dirty being cleanup behind 20 eager dual sport riders!
They got running water, just need a bucket and a wash cloth!
how is this for loop potential?
(http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv33/hayduke-klr07/Presentation2.jpg)
Each square is one mile. this is from the soon to be travel management map. it isn't too different than what we have right now. Gus and myself have been through a fair bit of this and it is pretty dog gone good. doubt if we will see many other folks. maybe a few ATV's is all. it wold take i'm guessing 30 to 45 minutes to get to this country from sheridan lake campground. less if you count just getting off the asphalt. oh yea, and we will be able to ride nothing but two track to get there. though that would take longer to get there. i think a guy could get dizzy just riding in circles.
hey sportfaller, have you ever been down Bowles Canyon? i think that would make a huge loop to go south thru Bowles and back north up redbird then piece our way back north and east. i'm going to have get my ass into shape.
ohhhh yeah. good country up there. still need to find a smaller bike.... want to rent me a KLR?
have one for sale! '07 only 930 miles!
Soooooo...where we stayin' guys?
Quote from: hayduke.klr07 on March 29, 2010, 06:31:49 PM
the benefit to group site at sheridan is a. cheap b. close to great jumping off points into the woods c. close to fuel and beer and food on the other hand the bad is no showers.
i'm sold, and the poll encourages this location as well. let's plan on the group side at sheridan if it is still available. any objections?
+1 for Sheridan!
Do we need to make reservations?
Yes, reservations can be made online at http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/rockymtn/blkhcmp.htm (http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/rockymtn/blkhcmp.htm).
There is also the privately owned campground by deerfield, Deerfield lake resort. they have fuel and c-store on site, closer to the riding... I'll call today about group rates!
http://www.deerfieldlakeresort.com/ (http://www.deerfieldlakeresort.com/)
i'm in, just waiting for the location to shake out. Do we need to get money to someone for a group site? i'
m ready to meet you guys and ride. maybe even have a beer of two at the end of the day!!
Quotemaybe even have a beer of two at the end of the day!!
Maybe...maybe...? MAYBE??!!
:chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug
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:chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug
:chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug
:chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug :chug
Now THAT"S funny! I don't care who you are!
Looks like Yeti is buying the beer :)
doesnt matter who buys it, i'll drink it ;D
Lets Ride!
Quote from: rdstrain1949 on April 30, 2010, 12:52:52 PM
Looks like Yeti is buying the beer :)
You gotta PAY for BEER!? I just show up and drink whatever's already there. ;D
I really love beer. Love to try different beers and like most of them. One of the few exceptions is Fat Tire. I DO NOT understand the hype with that beer.
Not trying to derail the thread or anything.. just remembering the free Fat Tire we had at last fall's rally. I'd rather pay for PBR :)
AHA!!! Beer drinkers! (((excellent))). It sounds like you guys kind of all camp together. I will be towing a camp trailer, never been to Sheridan, do they have sites and hookups?
Quote from: Hank on April 30, 2010, 07:10:43 PM
I really love beer. Love to try different beers and like most of them. One of the few exceptions is Fat Tire. I DO NOT understand the hype with that beer.
Not trying to derail the thread or anything.. just remembering the free Fat Tire we had at last fall's rally.
You need to try the 1554 Black Ale, a different offering from The New Blegium Brewing Co. that makes Fat Tire. I like the Fat Tire, but I
love the 1554! Fat Tire give me a mean-ass hangover! :P
QuoteI'd rather pay for PBR :)
PBR ain't bad, drank my share when I was a teenager. :chug
Quote from: grubbie on April 30, 2010, 09:03:18 PM
AHA!!! Beer drinkers! (((excellent))). It sounds like you guys kind of all camp together. I will be towing a camp trailer, never been to Sheridan, do they have sites and hookups?
I'm sure they do, but maybe not at the group sites. Might want to call and find out.
Quote from: fringefan on April 28, 2010, 03:19:25 PM
Do we need to make reservations?
Has anyone done anything about this yet? I'm totally willing to take care of everything, I just want to make sure that someone else hasn't already. ;D
I have not done anything and have pretty much taken a back seat on it because it seemed most people where not all that happy with Fish N Fry the last time.
fish n fry was a great place to stay and we appreciate you setting it up chad. just looking for new territory. yeti, i'd say go for it. obviously the number of people showing up is up in the air, but i'd guess it's around 15 or so (give or take 10!).
OK, I'm on it. I'll have some numbers for you guys on Monday. I'm gonna check out the Sheridan group site as well as Bear Gulch at Pactola.
All areas discussed sound good. At last count there will be 5 coming from Burlington to ride. Still haven't determined the most popular beer to bring. Anything as long as its cold enough to crack your teeth after a long ride, right. Alpina is done with the exception of the seat, will send pictures. A group of us are leaving Friday going to Marion, little Egypt, to ride. Then on to Kentucky, Land Between the Lakes, and finish up at Mark Twain state park. Anyone interested in going contact me. Would be glad to have you along. Do we have to go thru any initiation to ride with the DDSR?
OOFDA
Thanks Yeti, either place will work but Sheridan might have closer gas.
howdy--been out of town for week, recreating but not with a moto.
the sheridan lake group sites will be the closest to fuel and beer with three forks being about 2 or 3 miles away.
yeti--what is the word on the group site?
looking forward to riding with everyone. ;D
So, I called the 1-877 number for reservations...they said that Sheridan Lake doesn't have any group sites...WTF ??? I got another (local) number for Sheridan and left a message on their machine, waiting to hear back.
I have never liked the outsourced camp reservations system the parks use and who would when they charge $23 a night for a basic tent site just to cover their cut and that is at Sheridan with no showers or running water.
Well, here's what I found out:
SHERIDAN LAKE, NORTH COVE GROUP SITES
Max 25 people = $50/night
Max 100 People = $150/night
Max 60 people = First come, first served/no rates available online
No showers, no electricity, no RV hookups, vault toilets....kinda "rustic" I guess you would say. But, we could probably get away with the "max 25" option, and if there is at least 10 of us, that's only $5 per night per person. I can book for Thursday-Sunday if anyone plans on coming early...if we are sure no one is coming on Thursday, we can just book Fri-Sun.
Apparently it's only $2.50 per person/per night in the Badlands, but you gotta pay $10 for a park pass. Might be something to consider...would definitely be new scenery.
Anyway, if anyone else has any bright ideas, let 'em rip!
What? No comments all day?!
My $.02 - The more I think about it, the more I'm beginning to appreciate Fish 'n' Fry. Showers, real bathrooms, electricity, beer, beer on tap, free beer on tap, diner (mmm, breakfast), expensive firewood...what's not to like? ;-) Seriously, we could just make one of the days (say, Saturday) an official "southern hills tour". I don't mind riding an hour or so on slab to get to some new scenery, some might not feel the same though.
I'm beginning to think that FnF might be our best bet again this year...unless, excess has an "in" at Wild Bill's and can get us a better deal $$$ wise. Should I give the folks at FnF a call and see what kind of deal we can get, or does someone else want to contact them first?
Brian is the one that negotiated the original $6 rate with the previous owners and that is part of teh reason they did not give it last fall because he the new owner did not know we where coming.
OK, I spoke with Michelle at FnF, what a nice gal! They are willing to give us a rate of $7 per person, per night for tent campers. $19 per night for RVs. What do you guys think?
thumbs up all the way! FnF and a southern hills tour! winner winner barley-pop dinner
FnF sounds good to me too. Just waiting for the time to come. Can we pay when we get there, or do they reqiure a prepayment for a set number? Thanks to all who have made the calls and got the info out. this is pretty impressive for such a loosely organised group. Looking forward to riding.
QuoteCan we pay when we get there, or do they reqiure a prepayment for a set number?
You pay when you get there for the # of nights you plan on staying, that's it! Oh yeah, and everyone is required to buy a bundle of firewood! ;-)
Quotethumbs up all the way! FnF and a southern hills tour! winner winner barley-pop dinner
Well, that's two positive reviews..anyone else care to chime in? I told Michelle at FnF that I would give here a final decision by the end of the month, so we still have some time to decide. But, I would like to get a decision as soon as possible so I can get the word out on ADVRider.
QuoteJust waiting for the time to come.
Dates are June 17-20. I plan on being there Thu (afternoon) - Sun (noon). :chug
Since I'm not even sure I'll be there, my opinion shouldn't matter much, but the price (this time) and conveniences of the FnF sound good to me.
It would be nice to go further south, but yeah we can just ride down there.
I can bring up a pickup load of firewood thurs. night..... free
Quote from: Sportfaller on May 06, 2010, 07:17:47 AM
I can bring up a pickup load of firewood thurs. night..... free
Well, last time we were there, we went out and gathered some wood and the owners made us get rid of it...no outside wood allowed. Something about bringing in bugs...probably just want to sell their (expensive) bundles. Not sure if this would be allowed or not if it's properly dried and split...I'll call them and find out.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
OK, talked with Michelle...she said that they normally wouldn't allow it, but would let us do it (cause we're special! ;D ) if I could assure her that the wood came from the Deadwood/Northern hills area. The reason they don't allow outside wood is because of pine beetle infestation, makes sense I guess.
So, where is your wood from Josh? Deadwood, right?? ;-) What would you be out $$$ for the wood? We could all chip in and split the cost! Thanks for doing that, I hate camping when you have to be conservative with the campfire. ;D :evil
I will vote 'aye' for the FnF, fwiw. Just how expensive is a bundle of wood anyway? I am on vacation, I can't imagine a bundle or two of wood would kill my experience.
most places a bundle is 5 or 6 bucks for 5 small pieces that you'd burn in 10 min. Its a little bit of a racket, IMO. I'll probably not be camping thurs night, but figured I might come up and chill, could easily bring wood up, free. Working in the logging industry (forester for the sawmill in Hill City) I have an endless supply of firewood, and trust me, I'll be the absolute LAST person to be dragging bug infested wood around the hills, my entire job has revolved around gettin rid of the little bastards the last 2 years.
I am more than happy to chip in for whatever is needed. I am not sure if I will be coming thursday night or friday yet. I will be pulling a camp trailer, just need to know if I have to make reservations of my own or what. No big thing either way, but would like to camp with you guys or as close as possible.
FnF sounds good to me. Also need to know about RV reservations.
I like it,thanks Yeti. Always thought the issue last time was more of a miscommunication but I thought he should have made it right instead of sticking it to most of the group and giving the deal to only a few.
Bottom line is it is close to everything needed and since it has rained almost every year the shelter is worth the cost alone and add in the fact they have let us use the grill when needed. The accomodations are tuff to compete for this purpose and even though I would never personally choose to pay to camp right off a highway for myself I have not found another place in the hills that fits the bill better than Fish n Fry.
If anyone could figure how to put adds up on this site I am pretty sure we could get a better deal than we have by letting them advertise. I know google has a program but my lack of interest in fine technological details has put it on the back burner but I am open if any of you have that type of interest?
Quote from: fringefan on May 06, 2010, 09:02:26 PM
I like it,thanks Yeti. Always thought the issue last time was more of a miscommunication but I thought he should have made it right instead of sticking it to most of the group and giving the deal to only a few.
Bottom line is it is close to everything needed and since it has rained almost every year the shelter is worth the cost alone and add in the fact they have let us use the grill when needed.
OK, FnF it is!
QuoteFnF sounds good to me. Also need to know about RV reservations.
QuoteI will be pulling a camp trailer, just need to know if I have to make reservations of my own or what. No big thing either way, but would like to camp with you guys or as close as possible.
I'll start an official sign-up thread so we can get a count, but I will need to know how many RV spots we will need so I can let Michelle know before hand. She did say that we will most likely be in the same place we were last year, and the RV spots directly in front of the camp spots would be ours, so they will be very close together.
QuoteI have not found another place in the hills that fits the bill better than Fish n Fry.
After sifting through quite few other sites, I'm right there with you! I'm actually looking forward to some Camp 5 action! :evil
thanks for doing the legwork yeti. we appreciate it!
No problem! I actually enjoy this kind of stuff...been planning a weekend in Vegas for about 3 months now, my wife thinks I'm crazy with all my spreadsheets, notes, links, reviews, etc. ;D