BLM3422 Hydrology Road s(u)
 Middlebury
Hill is a windswept plateau top, open in three directions
and a sheltering grove of aspen in the remaining
direction, where it counts the most, and that is the west,
because that's the direction from which the wind blows in
Wyoming - practically always and with great force. The
name "Middlebury Hill" is marked on BLM maps and
refers to the northern summit on the Wy71/FR401 between
Casper and the Battle
Lake Pass road.
Several unpaved roads meet on top of this curiously stark
Continental Divide crossing. They all reach about the same
maximum elevation. But this BLM track is the highest
by a few feet. A rough, not ridable track on the opposite
side of FR401 goes a little higher.
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1.(mile00.0,6820ft)sTART-END
EAST-1: Saratoga, jct Bridge St - 5th Ave
2.(mile10.0,7470ft)intermediate summit on Jack Creek
Rd
3.(mile11.2,7290ft)jct with CR640 on left
4.(mile12.2,7270ft)jct Jack Creek Rd - BLM3422
Hydrology Rd
5.(mile23.2,8250ft)highest point on Jack Creek Rd
6.(mile24.3,7760ft)profile turns left onto Sage
Creek Rd.
7.(mile26.8,8080ft)this is one option to turn from
Sage Creek Rd onto Hydrology Rd
8.(mile28.3,8110ft)TOP
9.(mile41.5,6820ft)START-END EAST-2: jct Jack Creek
Rd - Hydrology Rd, same as point 4
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Approaches
From North-East. You can really use any
of the approaches to Middlebury Hill to get to the start of
BLM3422. But the profile starts in Saratoga and goes up CR500
Jack Creek Road, because that's what I happened to use for
this loop ride (but not in this order).
The name Saratoga brings up images of refined estates and
mineral baths, and they do have the baths here. Other things
seem quite different. For example leaving the town along
Little Jack Road, you pass a old Hoyt Axton touring bus, and
then in a trailer backyard, a brick hanging from a chain. The
sign below it reads "Wyoming wind gauge". Later
during the ride I had to think back to this.
This can be a torturous climb with the wind blowing gale
force wind in your face, and a short very steep uniform ramp
in a stark, featureless inclined plane of sage. And it is in
the field of view for hours before you get there. The same
goes for any motor vehicles. A plume of dust precedes its
arrival by several songs on the mp3 player. But then - to
compensate - the clouds back over Saratoga make for a great
light show with the Laramie mountains behind them
After the top of the plateau is reached (in my case in the
pouring rain which was now accompanying the wind), the road
descends 290ft to the junction with Co71. Turning left this is
a summit point. But the profile turns right (north), where the
route finally reaches the crest of Middlebury Hill. Looking
closely you can find a CD trail marker next to the road. But
they are very small. On each side of the highest point a short
access road goes up BLM3422. The highest point is where they
meet, and from there there you also get a great view north
over the sharp edges of the plateau.
From South-East. (described
downwards). This little used BLM track has a good surface at
this point. It follows the divide for about a mile and a half,
and has sweeping panoramic views, that just cry out to be
cropped into an extreme wide format. After the divide turns
right, the road makes a sweeping left turn instead and enters
a sage study area. A reservoir becomes visible, roughly the
size of a puddle when compared to this sweeping landscape.
The road makes its way down to the reservoir. There the
surface of the road becomes a little more grassy. Taking the
scenic route around the reservoir, the route eventually climbs
out of this area through a narrow ravine containing a rare
grove of trees. Once on top again, fast dirt roads lead mostly
downhill to the junction with Jack Creek Road, with more
sweeping views onto the Sierra Madre, the foreground a
speckled mix of widely spread cows and the occasional dot like
bush. The junction point is still about 12 miles from Saratoga
Ride with this point as highest summit
MOSTLY UNPAVED ROADS
( < BLM3328
Miller Hill Rd s(u) | Separation
Peak s(u) > )
BLM3422 Hydrology Road s(u) : Middlebury Hill >
BLM3422 Hydrology Rd s(u) > Jack Creek Road east > a few
miles around Saratoga > Jack Creek Road west > CR405
Jack Creek Road(shp) > Wy71 north back to starting point:
58.7miles with 3460ft of climbing in 5:39hrs (Garmin etrex30
m5:15.6.21).
Notes: the only pavement on this ride is close to Saratoga.
But Wy71 is hard medalled. Surprisingly I saw a single motor
vehicle on BLM3422
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