[Freedomflyer]

We went on two rides this last weekend, the 2nd was after church to an area called Pipestone. I've been avoiding that area since we started riding due to the fact that it is a very popular area #1, and #2, when busy there are people going all different directions. There are trails for motorcycles, ATV's, and street legal 4x4's all interspersed together and crossing over one another. The motorcycles being the biggest concern in my opinion. We just experienced just a small touch of what I had heard about the day we went. We started at a staging area or trail head called 4 corners. From there rode to a really cool landmark/ attraction called ringing rocks. It is a pile of rocks that looks like an enormous mining truck dumped these the pile on the edge of a hill. This pile covers about 2 acres and is probably 60-70 feet high. The weird part about these rocks is if you hit them with a hammer it sounds as if they are made of metal. They are like huge gongs or anvils, each with a different tone. If the any part our the rock is separated from the main body it will not ring or gong. People have tried to remove them from the Poole to take home and once they are dislodged from their position they won't ring our gong. There are only 3 places in the world that have these rocks, one is here, a place in Pennsylvania, and the 3rd is in Australia. I have lived 60 miles from them almost my entire life and had never been there before. Very interesting landscape not what we are used to riding in. Pretty cool!

 

[fishfiles]

Beautiful pics , very interesting about the ringing rocks , looks like a fun ride ----- that pile might be extraterrestrial , maybe a pyramid that was blown up with a Quack'ter-beam LOL

My granddaughter collects rocks , I gave her a double drum rock polisher , and when ever I find cool rocks I give them to her , maybe she will become a geologist ------- last weekend I was looking boxes at the flea market and found this cool rock that was really smooth , and there are three finder dents in it , my thumb and first two fingers line up perfect with the dents , the guy gave it to me and I was playing with it and dropped it on the tile floor and it cracked a chunk off , bummer , I think someone held that rock for many years and rubbed it with their fingers

 

[Freedomflyer]

Fish, I was telling a friend from North Dakota about them and he said the same thing LOL. Very strange how they work, you can also strike them with another rock and they will ring, not quite the same as with a hammer but still the same concept. This link is not us but will give you an idea of what it sounds like.

Bummer about the chip in the rock, it sounds like you have a true hand rubbed worry stone, they sell those things all over the place but sounds like yours is one that someone rubbed themselves.

My daughter had a propensity to collect rocks when she was little, she's been out of the house for 8 years and we're still finding rocks here and there, even at 25 when we go hunting she's always picking up different rocks and looking at them.

This Pipestone area is 30,000 acres (47 sq miles) of scrub, Rocky mountain Juniper, and Pine trees with over 75 miles of trails and who knows how many miles of road ways for Jeep or off road vehicles, the best part is it is BLM land and open all year(mostly) depends on snow load. There is always something open. The altitude for the trails ranges from 4500 ft to 5500 ft so somewhat lower than most of the trails we ride.

As we left the Ringing rocks area we hit some of the lower trails on our way to an old Granite quarry where they cut slabs of granite for courthouses around the state. We stopped and had lunch at one of the trail intersections, while we were there there were about a dozen or so motorcycles blasted by, way too fast in my opinion, but we didn't see one other atv on the trails anywhere. I'm sure part of it is the time of year, fair weather riders I guess.

 

[fishfiles]

That ring is wicked , it sound metallic , wonder if the rock has a large amount of iron in it ---- nice pics

 

[Freedomflyer]

After eating lunch we worked our way to the quarry, the landscape and trail change pretty dramatically as we work our way towards the quarry, dropping down into ravines with pine trees and huge boulders sticking out of the ground. Since Montana is called "The Treasure State" there are all kinds of different mines all over the state, along the trail in one of the ravines there is an old mining cabin along with a few pieces of equipment that were left behind.

 

[Freedomflyer]

This would be a great place to be on a hot summer day.

 

[Freedomflyer]

We left the cabin and worked our way out of the ravine up to the quarry and another beautiful view, as we visited with our friends they told us a bit about the history of the quarry and where the granite was used. It wasn't like it was a huge quarry and they were shipping granite all over the country, it was just a small operation with a very small crew of about 5 or 6. These men cut and loaded slabs of granite for county courthouses around the state onto rail cars that were on tracks that had been specifically laid for this purpose only. It wasn't a high quality granite, in fact it was more porous than what was normally used in this type of application so they didn't cut any more than what was needed to be shipped around the state. In any event it is an absolutely beautiful new area that we are going to explore further over the years to come as there are two mountain lakes that are at higher elevations throughout this trail system. Looking forward to it.

 

[Freedomflyer]

The mountains in the background are called the Tobacco Roots, we have taken a really nice ride on some trails there, also on the far left waaaaay in the background is another range called the spanish peaks where we've taken multiple rides as well.

 

[Freedomflyer]

From here we worked our way back to the trail head as we were running out of day light and needed to get back since our friends don't know the area well enough to navigate it in the dark. As we headed back we encountered some pretty rude motorcyclists, these guys were the epitome of rude and stereotypical jacka***s. They were freestyle riding cutting through the trees off trail and came up behind us crowded us, didn't really allow us to pull over and passed on the outside of us in a pretty narrow area. We pulled over at the earliest possible opportunity and there really wasn't any need for them to do what they did, pretty frustrating.
We made it back to the trail head loaded up and reflected on the great afternoon we had and watched the sunset while visiting, was a great day and we are looking forward to the next time we are able to get over there, should be great!

 

[mrbb]

From here we worked our way back to the trail head as we were running out of day light and needed to get back since our friends don't know the area well enough to navigate it in the dark. As we headed back we encountered some pretty rude motorcyclists, these guys were the epitome of rude and stereotypical jacka***s. They were freestyle riding cutting through the trees off trail and came up behind us crowded us, didn't really allow us to pull over and passed on the outside of us in a pretty narrow area. We pulled over at the earliest possible opportunity and there really wasn't any need for them to do what they did, pretty frustrating.
We made it back to the trail head loaded up and reflected on the great afternoon we had and watched the sunset while visiting, was a great day and we are looking forward to the next time we are able to get over there, should be great!

that is one of the most frustrating things I find when out on any trail, or HI way for that matter
them knuckleheads that have to drive like there in a race and don't care about risking your vehicle or YOU in passing in dangerous places or time

a part of me gets it too sadly,a s I too was once young and dumb and didn;t know any better and enjoyed taking risks
but as we get older, I think we all learn there is a better way to do things
all I can say to this to be honest is, yrs back when I was a knucklehead want a be racer type, I had WAY better skills, reflexes, and eye's, that allowed me to do a lot of things that looked dangerous, without much danger, as I also had a LOT of experience and skills
I still don't condone this reckless driving, but a part of me does understand it
the big thing to me that I find different from back then as to now is,
it was never really talked about much, nor was the info every where like it is not to NOT do such things
so I guess back then you could sort of say, you really DIDN"T know any better, where as these days, on public places and trails, its well known you shouldn;t be a idiot passing others and putting ALL at risks
but the same can be said for those that also HOG roads, Trying to POLICE others but being a jerk, and NOT allowing folks to pass, lane blocking and ?? to be rude in there own way's

this is also a pet peeve of mine with folks on hi ways, slowing the flow of traffic, due to they feel THERE right and YOUR wrong! or what ever it is they think??

life really isn;t and shouldn;t be this hard or dangerous at times, move over, idiots will always be willing to go past you and let em go I say!

 

[fishfiles]

Post 5 , pic 5 , looks like a sheep dog in the window , is that an abandoned homestead ?

Really nice pics , seen any snakes ? You'll must have Mojave Rattlers and Sidewinders , I have heard the Mojave is a bad one to get bitten by , the most poisonous snake in North America , might have to go farther west for them ?

 

[Freedomflyer]

LOL, no someone put a stuffed animal in the window, yes it is an abandoned homestead. I should have posted the pic with the stuffed animal more visible, that's what's great about being out here someone can put something like that there and nobody messes with it. Yeah, I have no clue how long that place has been abandoned my guess would be well over a 100 years.

As far as snakes, we didn't see any that day, it was pretty cool, if we do see any this time of year they are pretty slow and sluggish, usually are stretched out on a road or something sunning themselves, it's about this time of year that they go into hibernation. We don't have any Mojave Rattlers or Sidewinders here, we do have the Western Diamond back but they aren't an aggressive snake and won't bite unless provoked or are stepped on. I think I posted a pic a while back of a HUGE rattler a guy out here caught and turned loose, I'll post it again, now this one I would've killed in a heartbeat. I don't know what would possess someone to turn something like that back out, especially where he caught it. The reason I know he turned it loose is a friend of mine knows this guys daughter and she said he goes looking for them all the time and likes to document what he catches, kind of like a catch and release fisherman. NOT!!!!! Fish don't kill you!:grin

 

[fishfiles]

I remember that big snake pic , that's huge ------- that dog in the window caught my eye , that is a really cool cabin , you'll ever do any metal detecting ?-----

what about cougars/mountain loins , you'll ever see them when you are riding ?

I was talking with a friend this week who has 90 acres in a cat siting hot spot around here and him and his wife seen the big black cat in the daylight @ 10:00 in the morning run across his road a week ago , he said the same thing as me crossed the road in one leap , twice as long as his truck is wide, tail as long as his body and solid black ----if you ask ask LW&F and they don't exist , but everyone keeps seeing them

 

[GirlsRideToo]

Absolutely beautiful country with fabulous views. I feel like I've been on vacation. The old cabin is amazing and that dog in the window is too funny. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Freedomflyer]

Fish,
We do have cougars (Mountain Lions) they are a scary predator in these parts, I personally haven't seen any but have heard them. About 20 years ago I went snow camping with my brother up in the area that I posted the pictures of the snow ride, we cross country skied in about 6 miles pulling a sled with our supplies. It was very cold, snow was probably 5 feet deep where we camped. Having never done it before we picked a spot under a big tree where the snow wasn't as deep, laid down a tarp and set up the tent, laid out our insulated pads and sleeping bags and set to digging out the picnic table and camp area to build a fire. After that was completed and we had a fire going we made some dinner and just fed the fire and visited. When we decided to go to bed we got into our sleeping bags and just couldn't get warm in fact we FROZE. While we were laying there we heard the most terrible sound I had ever heard out in the forest, it sounded as if a woman was being attacked and assaulted, the screaming and screeching was horrific. Neither of us had hear anything like that before, we got out our guns went back outside to the fire and made it huge! We had flames about 20ft high, it was so hot it melted the snow 15 feet outside the fire and all the way down to the ground:laugh:. We were pretty scared. We found out later that's what it was.

The next night we cut off a bunch of pine boughs and piled them in the tent about 15" deep, that night we slept soundly and toasty warm with the added air space under our backs.
I have friends who have encountered mountain lions while hunting, have actually been stalked by them, The animals that we are most concerned and worried about are Grizzly Bears, they are not allowing any Grizzly hunts so these things are not afraid of anything or anybody and we are have an abundance of bear attacks. Since there is nothing that can hurt them other than man or another bear they have become bolder and bolder over the last 5 years. We can kill them if they charge us but them we have to prove to Fish and Game that it was a legitimate bear attack. I guess if one of your ears is hanging from head like this guy from my home town they'll believe you.

This is why I don't bow hunt these things aren't in hibernation yet during that time, they actually aren't hibernating yet even in rifle season but at least I've got a game rifle to defend myself.:grin

 

[fishfiles]

I have heard that sound before , baby crying / woman screaming , a little different ------- Jeep has the most awesome video of what to do when animals attack ------- There was a black cat sighting last week , about 15 miles from my house , in a spot known to have sitings of both black and brown big cats , it was a good friend that seen it on his 90 acres , him and his wife both seen it , 10:00 daylight , no mistake -----we are coming off the full moon , I bet tonight I can heard some wicked sounds from the woods , might be my neighbors though ----we went to a Halloween party last night and last year's party the Sheriff had to come out , we left early

 

[mrbb]

good info and pic's as always
But I have been in many places with both grizzly's and Cougars, and have NOT always had a weapon on me due to circumstances at times, but I can tell you, when you DO see them in the wild, and have time to prepare or just see them far enough off
to me there some awesome creatures to just WATCH , one of my fondest memories up In Alberta, near the Canadian rocky's
was watching a very LARGE cougar come down a Mt side stalking a mule deer, I got to watch it for about an hour from WAY far off (over a mile away) to about a 100 yards or less from me
it is just amazing how they move and can climb. jump and just move about with such ease
but from my experience like most wild animals, they do there best to stay away from humans as we just honestly smell bad to them, its out own natural smell that deters them 99% of the time
the one's you have to worry most about are the sick and starving and scared one;s, as there HIGHLY unpredictable, and DON"T think that they DON"T get scared, ALL things get scared, its IMO what triggers most attacks, they get startled by you, and well, that scares them as much as it can scare you, only difference is, IF /WHEN they fight, they just have better tools and are WAY stronger
and like most things that stand there ground, they tend to fight as if there lives are on the line, NO holding back, they let loose, until they feel safe again! or in control maybe!

I fully agree ALL wild animals should be HUNTED, hunting is the most proven tool in keeping wild animals in FEAR of humans we have, and it never really costs tax payers a penny, HECK works the opposite way, states MAKE money allowing hunting too happen, by the BILLIONS

I never got why some state parks and private communities, HIRE sharp shooters at HUGE costs, when they can solve same problems for free , or even make a profit, all the more so the places that are always crying budget problems and low funding for"X and "X things!

best advice I ever tell folks when going into places things with big teeth and claws live is LEARN about them things and what they eat and HOW they survive, and DON"T be the idiot, that breaks the basic rules that should be followed when in bear/cougar lands!
knowledge is power folks and can save your life more than it will ever hurt it!

ON a different note, I think another BIG predator that is a problem and growing bigger in many western and northern states is WOLVES, as they too have really NO natural enemies and without hunting them, they can be way worse than bears and cougars that tend to live solo lives, where wolves can be in packs>
ran into a few wolves before, I'm half nuts, so to me it was rather cool to get to see them and be as close as I was, but I am sure it could scare others with a little more value to there lives than maybe I have LOL

 

[_Wilson_]

Ditto! I've heard something close to that type hair raising call before.... Maybe a puma, or bobcat ? I know we have those here.......never got the chance to see what it was, i need to invest in trail cams

 

[Goober]

Awesome thanks for sharing I never heard of the Ringing Rocks.
I know a lot of rockhounds but myself have only found a few interesting Leaverites.

 

[Freedomflyer]

mrbb,
I agree, we have a huge wolf problem here, it is getting to point of crazy. They are decimating our Elk population, and they are HUGE on topof it, some of the ones around here have been reported to weigh190-200lbs, thankfully they opened them up to hunting now it's worth the $12 tag to carry when out hunting. Was hunting on my cousins ranch yesterday and and came across a couple of carcasses that were ripped apart, literally torn to shreds, legs pulled completely from the body, she has a bunch of cattle and loses some every year to wolves so my guess this was probably wolves as well. Her motto even before they opened up wolf season was the 3 S's Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up. They cost ranchers a lot of money around here, and are now getting to the point where they are coming into the yards and up to the houses, pretty dangerous for those with small kids. The Fish and Game should have opened up the season a long time ago, they breed like rabbits.