About a week ago, I tried riding a waterlogged backwoods jeep trail on my KLR... and didn't get very far. ( http://forums.delphiforums.com/NewEnglandRider/messages?msg=8682.1 )
This is the trail in question (click for topo map):
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=43.19044,-71.19922&z=16&t=T
Today, I thought I'd try it again.
It was a few degrees warmer than my last attempt, but still cold. The lakes that had been just skinned over with ice were much more substantially frozen this time.
The first part of the road was nice--- solidly frozen (as I'd hoped) with just a little ice.
But the more sheltered spots had not yet frozen solid. It was instead a cold, semisolid gumbo:
The mud hole that had stopped me last time offered good news and bad news. the good news was that it had drained significantly, and held only a fraction of the water as before. But the bad news is that a 4x4 had blasted trough sometime in the last few days, breaking the ice. I had hoped to be able to ride across the ice, over the mudhole, but that wasn't going to be possible.
I found a stick and probed the water: not too deep at all. I found a few very mucky spots (over-the-ankle deep mud), and noted their position. Because I was alone and wasn't sure what the ice+water+mud would be like to ride through, I didn't blast through, but instead *rolled* though, at very low speed with my feet out as outriggers.
It wasn't bad at all.
I breathed a sigh of relief: the worst was over!
I was wrong.
Crap like that always looks best when it's behind you.
The road then improved quite a bit: better drainage in the hardwood forest:
Even the four-wheelers had had trouble in spots. Here's a makeshift crankcase protector someone built:
It was a pleasant ride for a while.
A *little* while. This is looking down a 30% grade:
Going down was steep ("camera foreshortening; it's steeper than it looks in the photo" etc etc etc) but looked do-able.
But going back up (which I'd have to do) gave me pause. Here, I'm about 1/3 of the way down the hill (on foot); the top third is the cleanest, with a nicely open line on the left.
But the ruts and boulders frozen into the roadway at the bottom and the tree debris frozen into the mud at the top, and the icy spots throughout, were enough of a hazard that I didn't want to try it solo. I'll have to come back here with a riding buddy to press onward. So, my second attempt at this road fizzled to a stop. I U-turned and headed back.
Having already found ways through or around the previous obstacles made the return trip much faster.
And the rest of the ride was pleasant an uneventful.
Eventually, I'll get through. But so far, it's Road 2, Fred 0
This is the trail in question (click for topo map):
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=43.19044,-71.19922&z=16&t=T
Today, I thought I'd try it again.
It was a few degrees warmer than my last attempt, but still cold. The lakes that had been just skinned over with ice were much more substantially frozen this time.
The first part of the road was nice--- solidly frozen (as I'd hoped) with just a little ice.
But the more sheltered spots had not yet frozen solid. It was instead a cold, semisolid gumbo:
The mud hole that had stopped me last time offered good news and bad news. the good news was that it had drained significantly, and held only a fraction of the water as before. But the bad news is that a 4x4 had blasted trough sometime in the last few days, breaking the ice. I had hoped to be able to ride across the ice, over the mudhole, but that wasn't going to be possible.
I found a stick and probed the water: not too deep at all. I found a few very mucky spots (over-the-ankle deep mud), and noted their position. Because I was alone and wasn't sure what the ice+water+mud would be like to ride through, I didn't blast through, but instead *rolled* though, at very low speed with my feet out as outriggers.
It wasn't bad at all.
I breathed a sigh of relief: the worst was over!
I was wrong.
Crap like that always looks best when it's behind you.
The road then improved quite a bit: better drainage in the hardwood forest:
Even the four-wheelers had had trouble in spots. Here's a makeshift crankcase protector someone built:
It was a pleasant ride for a while.
A *little* while. This is looking down a 30% grade:
Going down was steep ("camera foreshortening; it's steeper than it looks in the photo" etc etc etc) but looked do-able.
But going back up (which I'd have to do) gave me pause. Here, I'm about 1/3 of the way down the hill (on foot); the top third is the cleanest, with a nicely open line on the left.
But the ruts and boulders frozen into the roadway at the bottom and the tree debris frozen into the mud at the top, and the icy spots throughout, were enough of a hazard that I didn't want to try it solo. I'll have to come back here with a riding buddy to press onward. So, my second attempt at this road fizzled to a stop. I U-turned and headed back.
Having already found ways through or around the previous obstacles made the return trip much faster.
And the rest of the ride was pleasant an uneventful.
Eventually, I'll get through. But so far, it's Road 2, Fred 0