|   No vistas just a romp thu some local wood. | SteveFromMaine
Aug 9, 2002 7:35 PM | | Got out of work and decided that other stuff could wait I needed to get back on the bike. I jumped on my trusty wal-mart special and headed up the road to a trail I had discovered a couple of weeks back. Its about 2 miles to the trail head and my legs needed the warm up, by the time I arived at the trail they were ready. the trail is an old jeep trail the winds thu the woods with a few dried up mud holes and a wood bridge over a brook. As I rounded a corner I spied a nice buck sporting a small velvetine rack. He scooted into the brush as I approched and I stopped to watch him go. I listened to him snort several times very loud, then he took off into the wood. I headed up the trail and bounded over the wood bridge which largely resembled a oversized wood palet. I bounced off the pedals as I came off the bridge and lost my momentom going up the steep little hill on the other side and had to walk it. and as I got to the top again I heard the buck snort at me, he had circled around and came right back on me. He held still and I couldnt pick him out Deer know that if they are perfectly still they become invisible in the woods. I would have played peek-a-boo with the buck longer but the hoard of deer flys wizzing around my head drove me me on.
I meandered with the trail till it came back out onto the pavement then spun it back around to check out the side trails that I hadnt yet tried. the first one looked promissing but soon ended in back yard of someones house. the other possiblity was a trail off of a trail that I had explored some of before. This one looked promising as it wasnt as steep as the trail it took off from. the steep one I couldnt ride with out walking 90 percent of it(no legs and low skills). This new trail was just right no so steep so I couldnt ride most of it but steep enough that it pushed me to learn and work out the legs. I bounded over rock and root and threaded thru the ruts. Dabing here and there and dismounting numerous times to walk the bike to where I could start again. finaly I arive at the top where the trail comes back to the pavement and I think wow this is going to be a blast as I turn the bike around for the return trip. visions of ER reruns flash thru my mind as I wind down the trail bounding over the rocks, roots and ruts. Ok so I wasnt going all that fast but If you could see how wobbly I am on a trail you would know it felt like I was screeming. I seamed like it took a long time to reach the top but only seconds to get to the bottom and I only stopped twice on the way down, once to pick my self up after a short ride over the handels and once to stop and swat a Deer fly that was trying to give me a peirced left ear.
I headed my bike back out the way I came in and crossed the road I came out on and headed down the gravel road on the other side that leads to a large gravel pit. I spied a skidder trail that I had seen on a ride before and had mentaly marked it as something to check out. I swung off and road down the hill, it ended in a logging yard but there was another older jeep trail that lead out of the logging yard. I followed this and it soon lead to a shaded brook with a small wooden bridge over it the trial followed the brook for a ways then it went down along the rail road tracks then swung around and connected with a short drive that conected with the main road. I decided that this ride was not over and headed back up the trail to the gravel pit road. I followed a road down into the back end of the pit that leads to a snowmobile bridge over the Little Androscogin river then headed up the trail that leads back to town along the river. the trail is an easy atv trail when I reached the end of the trail and found myself out on the Rt26 pavement I am only about a 5 minutes from the house and I head home to russle up some diner. It was a 2 hour work out and I think tonight I was more tired when I left work than when I finnished riding. Tommorow I'll get in a short ride I am test driving a possible replacement for my Wal-Mart bike in the morning but then my Kayking buddies are expecting me to go paddle so riding will have to wait till monday.
I dont have any bike pictures but if you are desparate for entertainment I do have some Kayaking pictures of some of my trips.
http://www.mtwashingtonvalleypaddlers.org/photogallery.htm
the Deerfield trip was last weekend it was pretty sweet but I say that everytime I go paddling.
Ill try to figure out how to take some great shots like I see posted here but most every thing here is just ruts thru the woods type stuff and I dont have friends that Mt bike. to take pictures of to make the shots interesting. wish I had a camera for that buck tonight but he was gone in a flash and I would only have got a shot of him if I was wearing a helmet cam.
well if I have put anyone to sleep sorry I tend to ramble on and dont know when to shut up. hope to see some of you on a trail some day.
Steve
capere tractus (Seize the trail) |
| Thanks for the Post..... | Battman42
Aug 9, 2002 7:43 PM | | Sometimes I find myself relying on pics instead of words to do a ride report....
When done right I can see and feel the trail from the words alone.
Tim |
| re: No vistas just a romp thu some local wood. | wyleehi
Aug 10, 2002 11:09 AM | | where in me. do you live...i live in southern me. |
| I'm in Western Me, South Paris. | SteveFromMaine
Aug 10, 2002 3:05 PM | | |
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