|
MountainBikeReview.com's Forum Archives - - Passion -
|
|
78 mile river ride, no bikes, glacial pics (12 posts)
|  78 mile river ride, no bikes, glacial pics | AK Ken
Mar 6, 2002 6:26 AM | | Clare's knee was buggin her yesterday so we opted for a ride up the Yanert River on snowmachines instead of bikes. The first five miles on the dogsled trail about beat me to death. My new Joker/JrT is a lot plusher on those whoopdedoos than this Arctic Cat, but once on the river the going was smooth.
I was just whuppin along creating a 75 mph wind chill in the zero degree air when I remembered that even smooth ice can have divits like this that don't show up till too late to avoid them at those speeds.
35 miles from the house is the toe of the Yanert Glacier from which the river issues.
Even though you know that the temp is below zero and has been for months, you notice your footprints filling with water. You hear rock fallings, and remember that creation continues apace.
It was a nice ride overall, not a bike ride, of course, but still enjoyable.
Unlike my next activity, which is to drag myself to work.
Ken |
| For me to go 78 miles ...... | Rev Bubba
Mar 6, 2002 6:31 AM | | I'd need to be on Route 80 west and then I'd have to stop for the tolls over the Delaware River. Your posts make us easterners realize just how big the rest of the US is. The whole state of NJ is only about 140 miles north to south and maybe 70 miles wide. (still, lots of good technical riding within our borders.) Thanks. |
| For me to go 78 miles ...... | MtbPhrEek
Mar 6, 2002 8:08 AM | | Awesome pics.
And a point of reference for Rev Bubba (not braggin about Texas's size) but going west 140 miles wouldn't even put me, from Houston, in san Antonio or Austin and if i head north it wouldn't put me in Dallas either. South maybe Corpus Christi but not sure. East from he for a 140 puts me somewhere in Louisiana. |
| To put it in perspective, Texas is the second largest | AK Ken
Mar 6, 2002 6:41 PM | | state. If Alaska were divided into two states, like North/South Dakota, Texas would be the THIRD largest state.
Ken |
| Well, the 78 miles was round trip, but | AK Ken
Mar 6, 2002 6:48 PM | | it sounds like we have turnouts bigger than some eastern states. From what you've said, I think Denali National Park is bigger than New Jersey. It's 6 million acres, with about 140 miles of road frontage north to south, then maybe 160 miles wide.
There is a road that goes 85 miles into the park to Wonder Lake, which is roughly the geographic center of the park.
Then south of DNP is Denali State Park, and so on. I think there's about 53 million acres of Federal land in Alaska. The largest national park is Wrangell-Saint Elias, with 12 million acres.
Ken |
| I am so Jealous..... | Voelkel
Mar 6, 2002 7:11 AM | | I have only snowmobiled about 30 min this winter due to the low snowfall amounts Minnesota has seen. I think Des Moines has got more snow this winter. Thanks for the nice little write-up including those fun machines. |
| Only 2 snowfalls this winter in IA with... | Deadhead Archer
Mar 6, 2002 9:53 AM | | any measurable amount (I think a total of 14 inches of snow all together). Both snowfalls melted within days. We got dumped on Fri-Sat (8 inches total), which all melted yesterday with mid 40 temperatures.
Not too much snow this season. Predicting 60s on Friday, and a half day at work means I might get to go thrash the local trails (if it doesn't rain, 60% chance). |
| Almost no snow this year, but there must have been | AK Ken
Mar 6, 2002 10:57 PM | | quite a bit the year this tree was cut!
Ken |
| your why I continue to lurk | hackwriter
Mar 6, 2002 7:53 AM | | Yup that's the truth ruth. Those pics are magical - take me away. Between you, the occaisional North Shore pic fest, the rich guy's videos (pete I think) and the good natured flaming it's almost always worth the mouse click to take a stop by. Thanks again and keep them coming. That is one beautiful part of the World.
Peace |
| Tanx, Hack, preciate the kind words, | AK Ken
Mar 7, 2002 5:58 AM | | here's another pic for you.
Ken |
| That is one hell of a toe | Spike
Mar 6, 2002 12:10 PM | | I think the glacier stubbed it.
Thanks for the pics.
Spike |
| Just a pinky toe, actually | AK Ken
Mar 6, 2002 11:08 PM | | The dark ice cave is just a tiny sliver of the toe. It's the triangular black spot to the upper right of the snowmachine.
We couldn't get up onto the glacier proper due to the lack of snow and abundance of rocks, but we touched a few eons of snowfall compressed into some pretty firm ice.
Ken |
| |
|
|
