Part 2 of the South IDBDR - Didn't make it all the way this time either.
We left the valley at 8:00 a.m. It was colder than expected - as low as 26 degrees - and it felt like we were battling frostbite to get to Lowman. We topped off the fuel tanks there and headed into the dirt roads. Cold wasn't an issue once we were on the dirt roads.
There were a lot of spots like this with snow and ice, many covering the entire road. Had to rely on the mud tracked over it for traction.
Lots of nice views from up above.
Lunch/snack stop at the summit of this muddy road. This is where we made the decision to not try to make it to Yellow Pine. We didn't know how much more mud there would be on the roads north.
We continued on the IDBDR route until we made it to Deadwood Reservoir, then turned south for about 30 miles to make it back out. Riding through the mud and light snow covering felt like "survival mode" much of the time. And we had to watch for hunters in big trucks pulling big trailers who thought the road was theirs and theirs alone. This is the base of the dam, finished in 1931.
Nice view from the summit of the road out.
The road down from the top is along a steep hillside and is quite narrow. Few places for two trucks to pass each other. Fortunately we didn't meet any other traffic in that part. If you want off the edge, it would be a long way down before you stopped.