The weather forecast indicated that our ride would be free of storms, with temperatures in the mid-50s. We planned our trip using the Big Mountain Lodge in Ferron to stage our adventure. As a reward for our choice, Karen, who works the counter for the convenience store, fixed biscuits and gravy for our group. She makes the best biscuits and gravy. That treat delayed our departure, which was fortunate because the extra time allowed the weather to warm up a little.

Machines loaded on trailers, we caravanned to Castle Dale. On the east side of town, we turned east on the Oil Dome Road and headed for the Swell. We stopped to unload at a junction with the road to the Wedge Overlook. This staging area is surrounded by a buck and pole fence with vault toilets, an information kiosk and shaded picnic tables. The plan was to ride over to Chimney Rock Road and ride a trail that follows the rim of the Buckhorn Draw.

When we were lined up and ready for our ride, the temperature was pushing 50 degrees. Appropriately bundled, we were about to leave when the unthinkable happened. One of our riders still hadn’t unloaded his machine. He approached me sheepishly and told me he had left the key to his machine in his room. His name is being withheld because I have been guilty of the same mistake.

With some quick thinking, I sent him back to get his key and told him that I would meet him back at the staging area in one hour. He left, and I went to the head of the line, honked my clown horn and we were on our way.

Lynn Blamires, Special to the Standard-Examiner

I planned to take the group into the Buckhorn Draw and stop at the famous pictograph panel featured there. Many of our group had not seen this landmark, so the side trip was worth it.

Watching the clock, I headed the group back to meet our friend. Matt Schoss, the son of Dave, president of the NUATV club, was on this ride. He suggested we stop at another point of interest on the way back. It was the name of a member of the Butch Cassidy gang painted on the wall of the canyon in tar. The name was Matt Warner, but the name on the wall was missing a “T.”

I — I mean, we; Steve Handy of Layton was riding shotgun on this adventure — headed back to the staging area. Mr. No Name had his machine off his trailer and was ready. Together, we headed back to meet the rest of our group. I love it when a plan comes together.

Back together again, we rode out to Chimney Rock Road, where we turned south on an unobscured trail and dropped down to one of the famous M&K Tunnel sites. This was a top-secret project back in the Cold War days that the whole town came out to watch. You can Google it for more information, but we saw it as a good place to have lunch.

A honk of my clown horn signaled the end of lunch and the beginning of the rest of the ride. There is a lot to see from the rim of the Buckhorn Wash. We followed the trail around the rim and stopped at points to view the beauties found deep in the canyon.

Lynn Blamires, Special to the Standard-Examiner

Several technical sections on this trail required steep climbs over challenging steps. One machine dislodged a large rock on one of those sections, which caused the next driver to high-center and another to puncture a tire. It only took a few minutes to change tires, but while we waited, I heard stories about passengers who thought they would die on those technical parts.

The rest of the trail wound through the desert pine on a fast, twisty track that was fun to ride. We finished a ride of about 50 miles and headed back to the lodge. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and enjoy the Swell in the spring — the temperature got up to 65.

Contact Lynn R. Blamires at quadmanone@gmail.com.