It seems like there is an unlimited supply of gravel roads in the White Mountains. Derek went on an exploratory ride from camp one day and found a nice little loop that even incorporated some singletrack. He tends to ride his mountain bike on everything, just in case. Also, because it’s more comfortable. Most of this ride could be done on a gravel bike fine, though the singletrack had some chunky rock sections.
The town is called Pinetop for a reason. Expansive forests of pine trees and, surprisingly, a ton of oak trees stretch out for miles and miles. A thinning project always seems to be going on somewhere and you can see evidence of it in the area. But what else is going on?
In 1975, Travis Walton, age 22, was a member of a seven-person logging crew led by Michael Rogers, The year prior, Rogers won a bid for a federal contract to thin out small trees from an area known as Turkey Springs (where we are camping) in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest when he underbid two other contractors. On October 16, a Forestry Service inspector visited the site and concluded the job could not possibly be completed by the deadline. Failure to complete the job could lead to a $2,500 penalty and a disqualification from bidding on future Forestry Service contracts.
On November 5, 1975, logging crew chief Michael Rogers reported Travis Walton missing to the Navajo County Sheriff. Six witnesses claimed they were driving down a forest road when they witnessed a lighted object above the ground near the roadway. Travis got out of the truck and ran towards the object, which shined a light on him. They reported driving away in fear, only to return 15 minutes later to find both Travis and the light missing. Much searching ensued and then miraculously on November 12, shortly after midnight, Walton placed a collect call to his sister’s home from a payphone in Heber, Arizona about an hour northwest of his disapperance.
Walton claimed that he lost consciousness when struck by a beam of light, and that he awoke in a hospital-like room, being observed by three short, bald creatures. He says that he fought with them until a human wearing a helmet led Walton to another room, where he blacked out as three other humans put a clear plastic mask over his face. Walton said that he remembers nothing else until he found himself walking along a highway five days later, with the flying saucer departing above him.
Sounds like a hoax to me. But here are some ride pictures.
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