I used to do that trail off of Usery Pass, Joe. Comes out on the backside of the Salt River. Not for the faint of heart, but a nice trip through the wilderness, for sure.
I had an old International Scout, though. Thing was like a damn billy goat and could take those trails. Don't think I'd do it with two wheel drive. Only tough spot for me was that canyon area of the wash that was all sand. Just pedal to the floor and run fast over it and pray you didn't dig in.
There are a couple of nice trout holes on the backside of the river, just above the Blue Point area. The river undercut the bank and formed a nice deep hole for a good distance. Used to limit out on fat rainbows just casting a small Mepps spinner in a 1/2 hour or so.
Actually forded the river near there in the Scout a time or two, but that's scary as hell. Had water breaking over the hood and no snorkel. Plus, the algae on the river bottom is slippery as hell and you'd loose traction and the current would push you down river.
Ah, the crazy shit I would do back then to catch a fish! Those were the days, though. Long before they policed everything down in that area and Salt River Rec even existed. Pretty much pure Sonoran desert back there and we'd always find tarantulas and snakes wandering the trails.
Funniest thing we ever saw was creeping along a trail and there was a big lizard laying in the sand on the trail. Out of the bush, comes a huge king snake and he's hauling ass to get that lizard! The lizard scurried up the trail, but the king snake is faster and just about nabs him. All of a sudden, the lizard stands up on his back legs and starts running like a human! He quickly out ran the king snake and the snake just stopped in the trail with this sort of "Oh shit, now I gotta find something else to eat!" look about him. I swear, it was something right out of a National Geo video.
Good times back there!
