Only dropped the bike twice, which is two times more than it has hit the ground since I have owned it. This should give you an indication of how technical the trail is. Once at the BOTTOM the worst downhill - steep decline, two foot drops off rocks the entire descent - which I managed to complete upright and then promptly dropped the bike crossing a 6-inch log across the trail. Go figure.
Then there was this 20 foot long pool in the trail.... engine under water but still breathing, I gunned it WFO about the time the front wheel found a big rock and ripped the bars out of my hands. Splash! I managed to hit the kill switch before it could flood out, righted it, and rode out looking like some mud covered bog-monster. The rest of the group enjoyed that immensely.
I could tell I was holding back the fellas on the fancy orange bikes, so I bailed onto an intersecting blacktop. The GPS sent me off onto a dirt road called Bowen Creek Rd. Realize, I am thoroughly knackered by now. So, I'm haulin' ass down Bowen Creek Rd. for miles. And miles. When I finally come upon a toothless fella on a four wheeler. "Keep goin'", he says, "66 is a couple miles ahead. Just cross the river and it's right there." I thanked him for his help and continued on. Until, I saw "cross the river" didn't include a bridge.
Yes, I rode through the river. And yes, I was a contender for the Gold in sphincter tension, but it went a long way toward getting the bike clean again.
That God for ibuprofen.
17 comments:
Sounds like you had your own kind of "Screw it! I'm goin' ridin'" day!
Though from the sound of it, the ride nearly screwed him.
Just got back from Northern Mi... if you can stomach crossing the line there are 100's of miles of ORV trails up there that look like a hell of a lot of fun. Nice cabins and/or places to throw a tent too. I imagine though that the brothers Cherolis would sooner be caught in a gay bar than that far north.
There are a lot of hillbilly transplants in Michigan, Cuz. The upper penninsula is supposed to be sparsely populated with regular folk. Of course, ya' gotta go through a lotta yankee hell to get there....
There's plenty of regular folk in Michigan as long as you stay away from metropolitan areas. If you ever get up this way, stop by. (You don't have to go anywhere near Detroit.) :)
By the way, that looks like it was a pretty ride. Nice country there.
Gotcha, Wendy. On the checklist,
Check the Michigan DNR ORV trail website (click on the squares to see a map of that area). The northern half of the LP is riddled with trails, as is much of the UP. I did a little trail riding around Rose City back in my youth, and can also recommend the area around Wolverine/Indian River. I believe there are also trails running through dunes along some of the northern coastline.
If you go, I advise doing so in the Fall, as the trees turning color will offer some awesome views along the way. But if you go after the leaves have already fallen, you have the advantage of kicking up a screen to blind those riding behind you, so it's a toss-up.
Huh. The things you find on the Internets, these days...
Ever heard of the Aero Sled? From this slideshow
...and it just keeps getting weirder and weirder....
I want one. Without the snow requirement.
Soviets are invading the UP!
That first one has to be the ultimate bug-out vehicle, though...
...yet another off-road trail resource, for all states: Dirtopia!
Or me, whatever.
EVERYBOBY rides orange...
Wow, that sprain Nate mentioned must be worse than he thought.
{{eyeroll/smile}}
What are the orange bikes?
KTM
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