Ok Fred, normally you beat me to putting up a ride report...not this time! I got my long and difficult ride home out of the way (walked that LONG distance from the garage to the house :nener: )...
The day started off with a peak at the thermometer - Zero Degress...brrr.... I was begining to doubt the wisdom of this ride! At least we planned a late start to allow the temps to warm up! Just before 10 Am I ran into Atlanta to buy gas...as I turn towards home, I see this monster of a Ford truck with a WR450 in the back...hmmm seems this must be Duckboy...not to likely there would be another idiot planning a ride today. I follow him into my drive (I think he was wondering what the deal was actually). A quick introduction, and we had his bike unloaded and into my garage. Shawn needed to freshen up his ice screws before our ride - so he had planned to arrive early. We were about to head out to ride a bit while we waited on Fred, and Fred pulls in.
Shawn and I headed out to ride my grass track and woods loop real quick while Fred geared up. Eugene had a fresh top end and a new flywheel weight to try out, so he really did not want to wait! About 3/4 of the way around my loop, I had a brake issue to address so once Fred caught up , we went up to the garage again - a quick bit of wrenching and we decided we would ride north on the MCCT and ride the Atlanta "B" loop. The first 5 or so miles are on some back roads...just miserable cold! :coocoo: (remind me... why were we doing this?? ) Before to long we get on to some trail, initially some wide stuff then eventually onto the nice skinny stuff.
Fred ends up out in front ...he clearly was not comfortable with something as I was able to stay right on him (that is quite rare for me!) At a quick stop he commented about just not being comfortable...not sure about the trail etc. Evidently just saying that got it out of his system - that was the last of me being able to stay with him!
Throughout our ride we would swap who was in the front to let each of us have a shot at some virgin snow. When you were in the lead - man it was outstanding! Just some super riding. When you were #3 - it was pretty crappy. At times the snow depth was WAY more than I expected - 12+ inches. Whoops could be a real challenge - you might get some rythem going on, dancing across the tops, then suddenly that next whoop would have a particularily deep drift of snow on it - you would sink into it and suddenly loose all momentum...so much for having any rythem!
I did a nice bit of snow sampling early on - a whoop section was going along pretty good, then I dropped the front end into the bottom of a whoop and right into the groove that Shawn was laying down - over the bars I went! Later on in our ride, I found a tree I really felt a need to take a bark sample from as well. I totally plowed down two small poplars, snapped them right off at the base, then wedged the bike between a pine and another tree! There it sat, upright between the trees. Shaw came along, and in a matter of seconds we had the radiator shroud zip tied back into place - prior to that it was sticking out perpendicular to the bike...didnt seem that would be a good way to ride. Fred of course didnt drop a bike the whole ride, Shawn - I am not so sure - I never actually saw him drop it though!.
We worked our way around the loop counterclock wise. Along the west side the trail runs along side, back and forth across ORV route. I wimped out a couple times here (I am having some major tendonitis problems in my elbows - my elbows were toast by then) - so on a couple occasions I took the route and met Fred and Shawn at the next crossing. I think I really ticked off Shawn at one point - I got in ahead of him, which left him running in that crappy 3rd spot :nener: (sorry - I couldnt resist!)
All to soon the loop was done, and we were headed south on the MCCT. Then that frigid road section... :coocoo: (remind me why we are doing this again?). None to soon, we were back at the house. A bit of bench racing over a bowl of chili, and those poor saps that dont live right on the trails had to start their long drives home!
We did a total of about 45 miles...actually a rather nice ride!
I think Duckboy has some pics he will post later on. Nice meeting you Shawn - lets make sure we ride again!
(anybody got a spare left side radiator shroud they want to part with? :ugg: )
The day started off with a peak at the thermometer - Zero Degress...brrr.... I was begining to doubt the wisdom of this ride! At least we planned a late start to allow the temps to warm up! Just before 10 Am I ran into Atlanta to buy gas...as I turn towards home, I see this monster of a Ford truck with a WR450 in the back...hmmm seems this must be Duckboy...not to likely there would be another idiot planning a ride today. I follow him into my drive (I think he was wondering what the deal was actually). A quick introduction, and we had his bike unloaded and into my garage. Shawn needed to freshen up his ice screws before our ride - so he had planned to arrive early. We were about to head out to ride a bit while we waited on Fred, and Fred pulls in.
Shawn and I headed out to ride my grass track and woods loop real quick while Fred geared up. Eugene had a fresh top end and a new flywheel weight to try out, so he really did not want to wait! About 3/4 of the way around my loop, I had a brake issue to address so once Fred caught up , we went up to the garage again - a quick bit of wrenching and we decided we would ride north on the MCCT and ride the Atlanta "B" loop. The first 5 or so miles are on some back roads...just miserable cold! :coocoo: (remind me... why were we doing this?? ) Before to long we get on to some trail, initially some wide stuff then eventually onto the nice skinny stuff.
Fred ends up out in front ...he clearly was not comfortable with something as I was able to stay right on him (that is quite rare for me!) At a quick stop he commented about just not being comfortable...not sure about the trail etc. Evidently just saying that got it out of his system - that was the last of me being able to stay with him!
Throughout our ride we would swap who was in the front to let each of us have a shot at some virgin snow. When you were in the lead - man it was outstanding! Just some super riding. When you were #3 - it was pretty crappy. At times the snow depth was WAY more than I expected - 12+ inches. Whoops could be a real challenge - you might get some rythem going on, dancing across the tops, then suddenly that next whoop would have a particularily deep drift of snow on it - you would sink into it and suddenly loose all momentum...so much for having any rythem!
I did a nice bit of snow sampling early on - a whoop section was going along pretty good, then I dropped the front end into the bottom of a whoop and right into the groove that Shawn was laying down - over the bars I went! Later on in our ride, I found a tree I really felt a need to take a bark sample from as well. I totally plowed down two small poplars, snapped them right off at the base, then wedged the bike between a pine and another tree! There it sat, upright between the trees. Shaw came along, and in a matter of seconds we had the radiator shroud zip tied back into place - prior to that it was sticking out perpendicular to the bike...didnt seem that would be a good way to ride. Fred of course didnt drop a bike the whole ride, Shawn - I am not so sure - I never actually saw him drop it though!.
We worked our way around the loop counterclock wise. Along the west side the trail runs along side, back and forth across ORV route. I wimped out a couple times here (I am having some major tendonitis problems in my elbows - my elbows were toast by then) - so on a couple occasions I took the route and met Fred and Shawn at the next crossing. I think I really ticked off Shawn at one point - I got in ahead of him, which left him running in that crappy 3rd spot :nener: (sorry - I couldnt resist!)
All to soon the loop was done, and we were headed south on the MCCT. Then that frigid road section... :coocoo: (remind me why we are doing this again?). None to soon, we were back at the house. A bit of bench racing over a bowl of chili, and those poor saps that dont live right on the trails had to start their long drives home!
We did a total of about 45 miles...actually a rather nice ride!
I think Duckboy has some pics he will post later on. Nice meeting you Shawn - lets make sure we ride again!
(anybody got a spare left side radiator shroud they want to part with? :ugg: )
