Hail to Texas DR

[Georgiapeach]

Ok, so we did in fact make it to Outlaw today. Called Ken, looks like it might not rain til later do you still want to go? Yup, ok we're going. Meet him at the Chevron on Spring Cypress and 249. After we meet, I see a drop on the windshield, crums, it's raining, another couple of drops, then more as we roll into Montgomery. I hope Ken still wants to ride (I'm kidding right?) We turn onto the road to Outlaw and it's raining fairly steadily by now, lightly, but steadily. Let's unload and at least take one run. So we hit the trails right away, and really it wasn't that bad, especially in the trees. I follow them down one of the trails after about half way through I see a red arrow...this means trouble for me, but I go for it anyway. Up comes a medium size ravine, I enter easily, uh, oh, going up there are some REALLY big roots, I fixate and half way up I slide out just a little and go down. So this is why I like the CRF 100 so much: The guys are totally out of sight, I pick the bike up and push it up the bank to a place where I can sit on it to kick. Of course I have to wait and finally it kicks over. Follow some blue trails and catch up to them. This little bike rocks -- I can fall over, pick up it, push it uphill with not much effort then get it going again. You gotta love it. We get back after the first one and it's still not raining so hard, and we go around again this time following the big road. After a few wiggles in the sand and avoiding a large number of mud puddles, we roll back into the pit area. That's when we see it, hail. Well at this point my pants are soaked and we are all muddy, so Mark and I decide we have had enough. Ken thanks us graciously and we load up, but he hasn't quite had enough...on the way back home we see him in the distance turning into SHNF - what a guy - he just loves to ride and it doesn't bother him one bit to be wet and pelted by little ice crystals. Here are some pics and I will put a link to my youtube hail video later. I'm glad we went, we still had fun and I hope Ken did too.

Ken's CRF 150 before unloading:

Us loading three very dirty bikes in the hail:

 

[Tekisasu DR]

Hi Georgia,

Thank you for hosting today's ride.
I re-jetted and changed gear ratio of the CRF yesterday, and wanted to test it during this weekend so badly. It worked very well as I hoped.

I was going to offer a cup of coffee or something at King's Coffee on the way going back, but right after took off from Outlaw, I found that SHNF opened today. I just could not regist to test my new toy a little more . I will buy you coffee at next time .

Ken

 

[Tekisasu DR]

Some photos from SHNF today;

Amazingly, most parts were in fairly good condition, and even the rain (hail) stopped while riding.

Yup. Almost good condition.

Yup. Almost...

Ok, I admit. Some parts were muddy. Some ruts were deep. I needed to get off from the bike and push at one spot.

Some paddles were wide enough and were not avoidable. At least one was deep.

But this little bike is so easy to handle in paddle & mud. It was rather fun to ride in this kinda condition.

One bridge got a name. It says "Butterfly Bridge".

Seems the forest got on fire recently. Strong smell, some spots were still smoking, though, probably the rain (hail?) extinguished it already.

Hope we can do it again sometime soon!

Thanks!
Ken

 

[dbdolan]

Looks like a blast.... but in the cold, rain, and ice crystals..hmmm you all are Some of those SHNF trails/ponds look like those swampy ones over by Thumpers house around Lake Houston.

 

[Tekisasu DR]

Over all, it was not that bad. My fingers in wet glove being exposed in the cold wind were only the place got frozen.

Oh, regarding the ride, yup, it definitely reminded me the Thumper's ride as well.

 

[Tourmeister]

The fire is intentionally set as part of the "controlled" burns done every year by the Forestry Service. Sometimes the smell/smoke can get pretty bad up here in Huntsville if we get a wind from the South...

 

[Tekisasu DR]

The fire is intentionally set as part of the "controlled" burns done every year by the Forestry Service. Sometimes the smell/smoke can get pretty bad up here in Huntsville if we get a wind from the South...

That's what I thought first, but some were not completely put out so I started to doubt.
The smell was some kind of incense, and actually I liked it...

 

[Tourmeister]

They don't put them out. They let them burn out. Often times they will smolder for weeks.

 

[thumper]

Oh, regarding the ride, yup, it definitely reminded me the Thumper's ride as well.

Hmm..Well let me tell you something. I/myself being the upstanding trailrider that I claim to be would have never ridden in such deploreable conditions!

IT JUST DOESN"T LOOK WET ENOUGH!

Look's like y'all had a great time. I saw y'all's post and really wanted to go, but I've been neglecting things and decided to stay home and watch it rain and do absolutely nothing about the neglecting. So with that out of the way, I'll be right back out there next weekend.

Hey Ken, that's a neat bike you got there. Are you gonna plate it so your not stuck to the trails?

 

[Georgiapeach]

Here's the video to prove we 'did it in the hail' it's a raw segment, nothing fancy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3SletYuzjg

The mud puddles at Outlaw were nothing like SHNF, all of the ones we encountered could be ridden around and none that I rode past were that big. You guys are very brave to even think about going into something like that.

 

[Greasemonkey]

Ken you were real lucky to catch the forest open.Usually a sprinkle and it's closed.Wished I had known,years back we waited for the rain and took off to the forest.It was always open and the chance to roost your buddy was hard to pass up[not like I would do that]...

 

[Tekisasu DR]

Hey Ken, that's a neat bike you got there. Are you gonna plate it so your not stuck to the trails?

Probably not. Cost too much for not much benefit...

Ken

 

[Tekisasu DR]

Here's the video to prove we 'did it in the hail' it's a raw segment, nothing fancy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3SletYuzjg

The mud puddles at Outlaw were nothing like SHNF, all of the ones we encountered could be ridden around and none that I rode past were that big. You guys are very brave to even think about going into something like that.

Wow, the small camera can take good quality video! I am amazed!

Mud ride is not so difficult especially with small bike as long as the mud has solid bottom. Do you want to try with us at next opportunity?

Ken

 

[Tekisasu DR]

Ken you were real lucky to catch the forest open.Usually a sprinkle and it's closed.Wished I had known,years back we waited for the rain and took off to the forest.It was always open and the chance to roost your buddy was hard to pass up[not like I would do that]...

I did not expect they opened on that day. I saw only three people at a trailhead parking lot except me while taking entire east side loop except the NW stretch.