Okay... here we go...
Originally, I was going to be trailering up with another rider, but he had to drop out a few days prior to the trip. I decided to go ahead and trailer up alone.The only problem is that I am NOT a morning person and the thought of leaving real early Friday morning and trying to stay awake in the truck alone as I drone down the freeway is not a pleasant one... So I convince Dad that I need to leave work early, head home to pack and load up the bike, and I'll head for Dallas this evening to visit some long time friends I have not seen in a long time. Amazingly he goes for it.
I dash home, toss some clothes in a bag, grab my riding gear, load the bike and manage to get on the road by about 6:00pm. I call my friends to let them know I am on the way. I get in early enough that we enjoy a good evening of catching up on events. Come Friday morning, I head out about 9:00am. The traffic up US 75/69 is terrible and there is a lot of construction. This is pretty much the case all the way to I-40 where I cut East and head to Clarksville where we will base for the weekend. I arrive at the Days Inn around 3:00pm to find only a few other people already there. I get checked in and start unloading.
While I am unloading, a few more folks arrive. It is a really nice afternoon and I am thinking that there is no point in wasting a good afternoon... I might as well go for a ride! Ken "flcbrxx" agrees to go with me so we head out of town about 4:00pm in search of nearby fun. Almost immediately we are unpaved county roads heading North out of town. These are the straight kind that run between pastures at the foot of the mountains. We hit Hwy 103 and keep heading North, cutting East at CR 76, a fun paved road. Next we headed North on CR 178 to the start of Wiemer Rd. Now this turns out to be a fun road, one I had stumbled upon a few years ago while on a
similar trip to this area. The road gets narrow and rough. With all the recent rain, I am expecting it to be quite messy but it turns out to not be very bad at all, just some big puddles and erosion ruts to make things fun. The road is only about 4 miles long, but it climbs almost the entire time, rising right at 1000 feet from start to finish. I also expect to see trees down, possibly blocking the road, because of a particularly bad ice storm that hit this area this past winter. It is not until we get a little higher up that I even start to see any signs of the storm, but there are no trees or downed limbs blocking the road. Soon we reach the top and the road comes out on Hwy 21 just South of Ozone.
I don't really have a particular route in mind so I just decide to head up 21 and see where my mood takes us. We round a corner and I spot the Burger Barn. It occurs to me that I could use a drink so we stop in to grab a coke.
Ken and his XR650L
It is about this time that I remember that I never filled up before we headed out of town. I am 145 miles for this tank. Now for most KLR people, that might not be much of a concern. However, I had some carb work done on the bike a while back and since then it had been running quite rich, putting me on reserve about this time. Before this trip, I dropped the needle one notch and went down on the main jet to a 136. The bike has been running good but I had not had a chance to test my mileage prior to this trip... There is no gas to be had in Ozone and I really don't want to waste the time to run all the way back down to Clarksville...
It turns out there is a little station down the road, just at the base of the mountain, if we can get there before it closes... So off we go!
The run down 21 off the mountain is fun, even on a KLR, even on knobbies. The D606 tires really run well on pavement
We make it to a little country store, I think in Hillcrest, about halfway back to Clarksville. There are two old pumps out front and we made it in time. I fill up, adding 4.5 gallons, which would seem to indicate my mpg still sucks. However, I think this was still the same tank I was running prior to the last set of carb changes, so it might actually be better than it looks
Anyway, I top off and set to thinking about where to go next...
What I like about using the GPS is that I can see a fairly large area at good detail. I can see what look to be fun roads, pick a destination somewhere on the other end of those roads, hit "Go To" and let the GPS create the route, tweaking if I have a particular road I want to run. So I just pick a spot East of us and hit Go To, and we are off and running again.
We head North up 21 and just before the start of the climb back up into the mountains, we cut East on FSR 1471. I am putting along enjoying the beautiful evening when I come around the corner to find a little waterfall in the road and a good chunk of the road washed away!
What you can't see here is the 18" or so drop before the water...
But over on the right we are able to ride down the edge without problem
I suppose that if I had really be running a little quicker, so long as I did not panic, I could have just ridden right off the drop and likely cleared the water and kept on trucking... The problem is that my luck rarely works that way
So on we go, continuing East on FSR 1444. The road starts to climb again and rises about 1000 feet within about a mile and a half. We hit CR 38 and keep heading East. This is a fairly high speed section of wide gravel, winding through the woods along a ridge line. At one point, we are in a place that looks real familiar...
There's a road there just to the right of that brush pile... full of slippery muddy memories...
I shudder to think how much time and effort went into building this cool stone fence
Realizing we are at a dead end, we turn back to CR 38 and keep heading East until we drop down off the ridge onto Hwy 123, a fantastic paved road! We scoot on down to Hwy 164 and head West. It is still relatively light out and I just can't seem to make myself head back to the hotel just yet... So I start looking at the GPS again...
Where Hwy 123 meet 292, we head North on CR 145, then to CR 150. Then we pop back out on Hwy 21 at CR 174. We cross over 21 and head back into the woods with the sun coming down into our eyes through the trees. Ludwig Lake is just South of us and we are going to skirt around it then cut South back down to Clarksville. It's after 7:00pm and I am starting to get hungry... We soon reach CR 77, which is a nice little paved road that runs right back down into town. When we arrive at the hotel, there are more bikes in the parking lot. We rode about 70 miles or so and it was nice!
Day Two:
So morning arrives WAY too early. I make my way across the street to the main parking lot where everyone is meeting to discuss routes. Here's how the next 20-30 minutes goes...
Me: "What route are you going to ride...?"
Anyone: "I dunno, which are you riding?"
Me: "I was hoping to follow a group and not lead this time, so I don't really know."
Anyone: "I think I'll follow you..."
Me:
And so it goes...
The group getting ready to go in numerous directions
When it comes time to head out of the parking lot, I have become the defacto leader of a group of about 6-7 riders. My "plan" is not to have a plan. I intend to just wander my way East and see what we find. It appears that this plan suits my followers just fine
So I figure we'll head North and run Wiemer road again since most of the guys have not done it yet and it is a nice way to start a ride. So off I go with the group in tow...
We reach Wiemer Rd., and the fun begins. Then we hit 21 and head North through Ozone. At this point, I am thinking we'll work our way in the general direction of Deer, over near where Hwy 16 hits Hwy 7. There is a nice little cafe over there that would be perfect for a lunch stop. There are just SO MANY roads choose from though! I settle on FSR 1405 and we cut East. We are on the dirt for only a mile or so before we come to the first water crossing...
Calvin "Mutlisurfacerider" making his way across in style!
He saves it
Albie "Hood Ornament"
Ken "flcbrxx"
I spent all day with him and can't remember his name...
Shaun?
The little falls back up the creek... very scenic spot
Once across, there is a home on the right and there are several dogs standing around barking at us. The owner comes over and chats a bit with Calvin. Turns out that this guy was born and raised in Dallas and moved up there to get away from it all. Nice guy, cool place! On we go... Heading down FSR 1421.
And we soon come to another water crossing... I pause to consider the situation. I can see the bottom all the way across and it does not look real deep. Right in front of me is a short stretch of water that looks to be the deepest, then there are some dry rocks with a good stretch of water on the far side that looks pretty shallow. Well... I head in...
The front tire goes totally under water
However, I get on the gas and it rides up out of the water onto the dry rocks. The only problem is that now my rear tire is under water and the bottom is VERY soft! When I try to give it gas to climb on out, the back tire just digs in and I start sinking in place, losing what momentum I had and the bike starts falling to the right. I eject so as not to get completely dunked, and the bike falls on its side. Fortunately, the kill switch cuts the engine. I look back at the group and AMAZINGLY there isn't a single camera pointing at me!!
Calvin dives in to help me get the bike righted. Water is pouring out of the exhaust... Here we are barely an hour into the ride and my boots are full of water
Oh well, this is what it is all about! Calvin steadies the bike while I hop on and fire it up. Water shoots out the exhaust, but it is running fine. Calvin pulls while I try to stand and push, giving the bike gas, and slowly it climbs out of the trench. The rest of the way across is nice and easy and I pull up to make room for the others, then grab my camera...
I went in just out of the picture on the right. The other weenies go in just to the left of that clump of bushes... where it is nice and shallow
Calvin
What the others don't know yet is that they are in for a surprise. Just around the corner from where I am parked, the road continues... but it looks like a "road" in the city of Venice...
As far as we can see, the road is completely covered by massive puddles of unknown depth that take up the entire road. The first has a trail around it through the woods, but the others do not. So we have to go through them.
The first "puddle"
Looking back to the creek
Calvin gets set to go first
So far so good...
So everyone else sets off after him...
And then it is my turn... I set off through the nasty water in first gear, holding a steady pace and keeping a loose grip on the bars. The good thing is that I don't have to worry about getting my feet wet...
The water is splashing up all over the place. Fortunately, it has rained a LOT up here in the last few weeks, over 12" according to the locals, so the water is dirty but not stagnant and stinky. The puddles run for a few hundred yards maybe and I see Ken waiting for me. When I arrive, the group reforms. Looks like we are facing a good hill climb now.
Calvin takes point and I fall in behind him. I stick the bike in first, stand up, and get on the gas. There are loose rocks, branches, some mud, ruts, roots, leaves, etc,... all the stuff that makes for a fun technical ride. The "road" twists and climbs its way up the side of the mountain. There are low hanging branches smacking me despite my efforts to duck under them. We climb over 800 feet in less than a mile. About the time my arms are starting to get tired we pop out from under the trees into a nice level clearing and stop for a break.
Down goes the rabbit hole just beyond these trees...
Already it is getting a bit warm and the humidity is really up there! After about a ten minute break, we head out again. The road eventually widens a bit and runs along Bee Ridge, with some great views, and then dead ends into FSR 1003 at Rosetta Cemetery. Somewhere along the line we have picked up a few other riders
However, they decide to go left and we go right. We head East on 1003 a short ways and slide to a stop at the intersection of 1003 and 1004, then keep going East a bit more to FSR 1216. According to the map, this makes a big horse shoe loop up North and then back South, coming out on 1003 again. It looks twisty and fun, so off we go...
FSR 1216 is twisty and fun! It is narrow but has a pretty good surface. It winds its way out to the end of Middle Ridge and ends in a clearing where there has been some timber cutting in the last few years. I wander around a bit trying to find a place where a road might continue on, but come up empty. So we have to backtrack to 1003, which is cool because the road is just as fun going the other way! Calvin takes off in the lead with the others following and I bring up the rear. I am loafing along when I round a corner and see Shaun picking up his WR450...
He hit this a little faster than he wanted...
There were a lot of spots like this on this road
None the worse for the wear, he is able to continue with no problems
So we regroup at FSR 1003 and head East again. When we reach the other end of where the loop should have come out, we decide to run this side of the loop and see if we can make it connect. Sometimes you get lucky... The run in is fun as well, running out Jim's Ridge, but again it seems to dead end into an area that is currently being logged. We pass by some equipment that is sitting unused at the moment. We wonder down through some ruts and stumps to find a small little road that winds down around the backside of the hill. A quick check of the GPS shows that we are in the right area so perhaps this is the road we want? Down we go...
As we continue down the path, it begins to get narrower and narrower, soon losing any semblance of an actual road and taking on the form of a rarely used ATV trail at best. The branches are VERY low hanging and I am slowly making my way through them. The grass is up high on the sides of the bike. I stop and take another look at the GPS and it shows we are heading straight for a creek with no other roads nearby and our track is taking us away from the direction we want to be heading. So I decide the best thing to do is backtrack.
A relatively open part of the trail where we might turn around
Everyone gets turned around and we make our way back to 1003 again. It is a shame we could not make the roads connect because it would be an awesome part of a route for future rides! When we get back to 1003 we find another group of riders again. I think it is Jbay, Attorie, and one other. So we all head East on 1003 together. We take Pine Ridge Rd, off of 1003 and as the name implies, we run Pine Ridge North to Big Piney Creek.
Now, I have never really understood the criteria for naming a body of moving water as a stream, creek, or river. However, it seems to me that Big Piney Creek probably ought to be called Big Piney River...
It does not look like it runs dry very often and we certainly would not be fording it if the bridge pictured above was not present. While we are hanging out, a large contingent of ATV riders appears, probably 14-15 of them, with what appears to be entire families present. They look like they are having fun, but it makes me flash back to
another trip up here...
While waiting for the group to gear up and get moving, I check out the next part of the route
Once we are regrouped, I lead the charge up the hill. It is wet and rocky, but a load of fun! It does not last long though and soon we are descending back down into a little valley. We come to the bottom of the hill and another creek. I stop at the bottom to wait for everyone. Then when I go to turn left at full lock to get back on the road, I feel the back of the bike rise up as the rear tire rides up onto a rock. I can't reach the ground any more and I am moving real slow... Sure enough... I lose my balance and do one of those slow motion "oh crap" tip overs right in front of Calvin. As I bounce off the ground we are both laughing pretty good. Once again he comes to my assistance and helps me lift the bike. That astounding feat of skill out of the way, we are moving once again.
We are now on CR 311 and it runs along the Eastern bank of Big Piney Creek. The creek looks very inviting and the thought of stopping for a swim keeps popping into my head. The road twists and turns, climbing and dropping. I am leading again and at each blind hill I move over as far right as I can get. Sure enough, as I crest one of the hills, there is an ATV coming right at me on my side of the road!
It seems everyone out here thinks the roads are one way, which happens to be whatever way they are heading
Fortunately, I am going pretty slow and the rider manages to get himself back to the other side of the road where he belongs and we wave at each other as he goes by me. Then I recall that Calvin is right behind me and has been riding in the left track, right where the ATV is! Moments later I see Calvin's headlight behind me and all seems well... We pass a few more groups of ATV's and soon reach CR 29 where we turn East again. The climb out of Curtis Creek Ravine to Hwy 16 rises over 1000 feet in about 1 mile. We hit Hwy 16 and head into Deer.
As we are heading into Deer, a large group of BMW R1200GS's and a few other bikes are also coming into town. Not being hungry and not seeing the cafe I was looking for, I keep riding until we reach Hwy 7 and stop to wait on the group to catch up with me. The other group of riders heads South on Hwy 7. I have no idea if any of them might be members of TWT. I take advantage of the stop to look at the GPS and find some more interesting roads. It looks like if we keep heading to the Northeast, the roads remain twisty and cross lots of ridges.
Once everyone has arrived, we head South on Hwy 7 and then cut East on FSR 55. A mile or so out, I stop the group when I miss a turn. We are still at the intersection so we just take a break. It seems that we are missing a few riders again that I did not even know were with our group. Jbay heads back to look for them while we eat some snacks. There is talk of "lunch" and grumblings about "real food" when I mention that we are having lunch right now
We have a great view from where we are at nearly 2000 ft elevation on the side of Owen's Mountain. We can see out between Rickett's and Hudson mountains down through Sycamore Hollow. After a few granola bars, Jbay shows up with our missing riders and we get under way again.
The road snakes along the side of Owen's Mountain for a few miles before it starts a long descent down into the valley below. The road is fairly nice here, wide and smooth. In several places there are some really cool large rock formations and cliffs.
Calvin is way up there to give a sense of scale
See him now?
When the roads starts heading down into the valley, the surface changes considerably. It looks like it has been recently graded and is deep soft dirt with LOTS of big rocks scattered about. The bike is bouncing all over the place. Calvin takes the lead and I see him bouncing through some corners ahead of me, looking like a controlled crash the entire time, until he slips out of sight. I just set a nice relaxing pace. After a few minutes, I see Calvin waiting for us and I ride by, resuming the lead. We soon reach a nice little paced road that runs up into Mt Judea. Perfect! I had not realized we were so close and there is a nice little cafe here where we can stop for "real food."
Eagle Rock Cafe on Hwy 123 in "downtown" My Judea. Good food!
[time to go, more later...]