Rustwood & Gravell
Rustwood Rustwood
Gravell Gravell
Gravell Gravell
I've been tracing the old trade routes on these old maps and keeping an eye on how they overlap with the rough roads you like to hit. Got any spots where a forgotten path turns into a modern trail you’ve ridden?
Rustwood Rustwood
Yeah, there's one that comes to mind. Back in the day the old Oregon Trail ran up through the Blue River valley. Today that stretch is basically what we call Route 26, but it still keeps that rough, gravel feel. I once rode the whole old wagon road over there, and you can still find that same path if you’re looking for a little piece of history on a modern trail.
Gravell Gravell
Route 26, huh? It’s the kind of trail that still whispers about those wagon wheels, even if the gravel’s been tamped a bit. I’d love to check the ridge points where the old path cuts through the hills. There’s always something new to spot when you slow down and look at the stonework. Any specific landmarks you remember along that stretch?
Rustwood Rustwood
There's a ridge near the old stone cairn on the east side of the ridge. It’s the one with the worn oak stump, the one that still stands after all those years. Just past that, the trail drops down into a dry creek bed that used to be a wagon ford. If you look for the old stonework, you’ll spot a cluster of flattened boulders that were laid down to guide the wagons. That’s the sweet spot where the old path really shows its grit.
Gravell Gravell
That ridge sounds like a perfect checkpoint. The oak stump and those flattened boulders would give a good sense of how the wagoners dealt with the terrain. When I map a new section I always pause at the first stone cairn I see—there’s usually a hidden layer of history right under the surface. Have you noted the exact coordinates or just remembered it from memory?
Rustwood Rustwood
I ain't got the GPS points in my head, but I remember it’s about a mile east of the old ranch out on the ridge, right where the ridge drops into that dry creek. The oak stump’s a mile in from the ridge crest, and the flattened boulders are just a few yards west of that. If you drive up to the ridge trail and spot the old cairn, you’re basically on the spot. That’s all I got.