I joined an outstanding group for a ride North of Phoenix, AZ into the Bradshaw mountains in search of Issac Bradshaw’s grave.
There is a lot of history that can be found out about this area with a simple Google search for Bradshaw Mountain History. The Mountains were named after the Bradshaw brothers William and Issac who died in the late 1800’s.
After unloading we all met at the airstrip/staging area, located just north of Lake Pleasant. There was a good turnout since it was a gorgeous sunny day.
After a short drivers meeting to make sure everyone was on the same page, we loaded up and hit the dirt road to the trail. Of course we had to make a stop at Castle Hot Springs Resort as we were passing by. It opened in 1896 and was visited by prominent U.S. families and Presidents. It was nice that the property care taker came out to say hello and give us a short history lesson, although she would not take us to the hot springs for some reason.
Across the way is an old stage coach stop, that is still in excellent shape. I happen to love seeing the old buildings and mines and getting to find out some of the history.
Here was an interesting site we saw as we were going up a wash. A cow had dug a hole to get water. He was not about to leave his hole just because some side by sides were going by. This is quite common for wild burrows, but I did not know cows did this as well. I guess it makes sense as they need water too. We just gave him some space and he did not seem to be bothered in the least.
The narrow canyon had some outstanding rock formations around every corner.
I swear I could see our leader, Paul smile as we got to the narrow off camber rutted out section of the trail. He is an extremely experienced leader that likes the trails to be a bit on the wild side which is right up my alley! My 30×10.00R-14 Rage Thunder tires are a very good mix of performance and comfort when navigating the tight corners in the canyon. They track very predictably in the soft sandy washes as well as the rocky hard pack sections of the windy trail. The grip the provide is fantastic!
After a few hours of beautiful desert mountain trails we arrived at Issac Bradshaw’s grave site.
He lived from 1819 to 1885.
After a lunch stop we were back on the twisty trail to make a loop back to our staging area.
It’s pretty cool to look in your mirror and see a train of side by sides behind you.
I absolutely love desert riding in AZ. The mountains are so beautiful against the crisp clear blue sky, it is inspiring.
One more stop along the way to wash down the dust as we take in the history of an old windmill.
As we were standing around a mule deer bolted up the face of the mountain in a matter of a minute or two. What fun to see wildlife along the way.
As we get near the end of our trip I can’t help feeling saddened that our ride is coming to an end. With a view like this out my windshield I just want it to go on forever.
Another successful days ride! No flats and no breakdowns; just a fun day with great people.
Remember to always enjoy the ride as they are all numbered, and to always buy your tires and wheels from Discount Tire.
Don McNeilly
Discount Tire
