Thanks Wizard for the clarification. I have ridden my bike in from the spillway, but that was many years ago. I still prefer the shorter hike down the hill from Bowen Ranch. I personally have never had any problems with Mike, but I'm quite familiar with Katrina's viewpoint. I'm still unclear whether he is paid by the BLM to act as a watchdog. Does Mike have another job? How does he support himself? These ae just rhetorical questions that have arisen out of my own curiosity. What's this deal about Deep Creek being a "lawless" area? According to who? What officially defines a "lawless" area?