Family Bit
Couple bits of riding today... First off, headed out to Lake Kaniere in the car, bikes on back, and out Milltown Rd, parking just over the Arahura River. A car pulled up, a guy who does a bit of support on the Wilderness Trail, and said "you're not supposed to take dogs" but after chatting a while (him enjoying our bikes a lot!) he kinda said we'd probably be okay - keep him on a lead etc. So, rode in and up 4wd bit to start then onto the plush groomed switchbacks that flowed up the paddocks in and out of scrub and eventually into some nice bush. Rode thru to Cowboy Camp where we stopped and had a drink and some fries (and were told that the dog would be attacked by cattle - "Just don't say I didn't warn ya" - he wasn't.) and rode onwards a short while to the big gulch and swing bridge (MacPherson's) before turning back and rolling, mostly down, back through Camp and more down all the way back to the car. Happy Jet trotting along off the lead for the last while - slowly getting slower (and very worn out sleepy tonight). No MMR cos it failed due to lack of reception when we started, but I think it was probably only 4 or 5 kms each way, with a bit over 100m total climbed.
Me time
Then about 3.35 I headed out on my own, back towards town from where we're staying, then around the giant wheelbarrow and up Hau Hau Rd, climbing, climbing, around into Blue Spur Rd and hung a right on Reg Cox Drive. Gravel climbing here, let a little air out of my tires, and climbed up til I hung a left on Seesaw. Great wee blast down this, some fun steep chutes ending up down in the valley around 4pm.
Last time I was in here I'd hung a right at the bottom here, and headed up the valley, but this time I figured I'd try left and check out the Blue Spur Range Rd as a climb. Ugh... Long. gravel. grind. When I thought I was maybe nearly at the top I checked out Trailforks and found I was only half way up, so kept on grinding. A couple of quite steep pinches that had the legs and traction trying it out a bit. Finally reached the 'top' and rolled down a bit to where The Edge peeled off.
This was cool. Steep and narrow, next to (on the 'Edge' of?) a rough as guts skidder/quad track dropping a fair bit of altitude all at once. This led to Gravel Pit which had one option with "Caution Caution" above it. I had a phone call here so while I was talking I clambered down to see... Steep into a sheer vertical drop of a couple metres into a good roll out, but I wasn't game so took the bunny route to the left instead. Fun drop down still, over a couple table tops then around a bit and into the next one, Stags Drop. So named due to a gnarly couple of rocks drop near the start - scarred by chainrings. The rest of the trail was fun a few cool drops, looping down and around to Bad Boys which was also pretty cool. Then The Cutting which was variable, but good, the odd bit of climbing but lots of fun features and drops and stuff. Map My Ride obviously lost it here, and has me all over the place.
End of Cutting led into Logarithm, which I didn't realise til too late was heading down into the valley again. Ugh, more climbing?? Oh well, fun descent, some steep bits and was a bit more raw than the other trails, obviously newer, as it's not in the 2014/15 Kennett's book Hung a right at the bottom and headed up Elevator, which gets you up pretty quick but had a short walking section, but the fat bike gives pretty good traction on these steep bits. At the top I passed on doing the Cutting again (didn't feel like I had the legs anymore), and just cruised the 4wd road (Reg Cox) down(ish).
At the exit of Cutting (also the exit of Slow Girls - still didn't ride that), the 4wd has a bit of a climb that tired legs didn't like, and eventually I got back to where Seesaw heads off - opposite this is the steeperer entrance to Tunnels. Down this rather steep chute into a hellish looking rock filled gulch, which then turned into interesting slick(ish) clay ruts and more steep rounded slick rocks. Great fun! Blasting down and around and back and forth and then across (obviously following an old water race) for a while and then ups and downs and more downs finally to the tunnel. Cruised through this kinda chest/belly on seat, and onwards down sweet trail eventually across a flat to a gravel road. MMR completely lost me in there with a couple of big skips.
Hung a right on the gravel road, looked longer ahead of me than I'd remembered, up around a bend, a right on Hau Hau, a couple more bends and climbing bits (one of which I added air back into the tires)and back up to Blue Spur Rd. Back onto tarmac for a high speed blast down hill back past the refuse station and finally to the giant's wheelbarrow and a short blast through Preston's Bush trails, across the road and back along to the house, just over 2 hours since I'd left.
A very wobbly gps track, only 510m climbed, and 23kms in 1 hour 47 (so, not a hell of a lot of stops).
Last time I was in here I'd hung a right at the bottom here, and headed up the valley, but this time I figured I'd try left and check out the Blue Spur Range Rd as a climb. Ugh... Long. gravel. grind. When I thought I was maybe nearly at the top I checked out Trailforks and found I was only half way up, so kept on grinding. A couple of quite steep pinches that had the legs and traction trying it out a bit. Finally reached the 'top' and rolled down a bit to where The Edge peeled off.
This was cool. Steep and narrow, next to (on the 'Edge' of?) a rough as guts skidder/quad track dropping a fair bit of altitude all at once. This led to Gravel Pit which had one option with "Caution Caution" above it. I had a phone call here so while I was talking I clambered down to see... Steep into a sheer vertical drop of a couple metres into a good roll out, but I wasn't game so took the bunny route to the left instead. Fun drop down still, over a couple table tops then around a bit and into the next one, Stags Drop. So named due to a gnarly couple of rocks drop near the start - scarred by chainrings. The rest of the trail was fun a few cool drops, looping down and around to Bad Boys which was also pretty cool. Then The Cutting which was variable, but good, the odd bit of climbing but lots of fun features and drops and stuff. Map My Ride obviously lost it here, and has me all over the place.
End of Cutting led into Logarithm, which I didn't realise til too late was heading down into the valley again. Ugh, more climbing?? Oh well, fun descent, some steep bits and was a bit more raw than the other trails, obviously newer, as it's not in the 2014/15 Kennett's book Hung a right at the bottom and headed up Elevator, which gets you up pretty quick but had a short walking section, but the fat bike gives pretty good traction on these steep bits. At the top I passed on doing the Cutting again (didn't feel like I had the legs anymore), and just cruised the 4wd road (Reg Cox) down(ish).
At the exit of Cutting (also the exit of Slow Girls - still didn't ride that), the 4wd has a bit of a climb that tired legs didn't like, and eventually I got back to where Seesaw heads off - opposite this is the steeperer entrance to Tunnels. Down this rather steep chute into a hellish looking rock filled gulch, which then turned into interesting slick(ish) clay ruts and more steep rounded slick rocks. Great fun! Blasting down and around and back and forth and then across (obviously following an old water race) for a while and then ups and downs and more downs finally to the tunnel. Cruised through this kinda chest/belly on seat, and onwards down sweet trail eventually across a flat to a gravel road. MMR completely lost me in there with a couple of big skips.
Hung a right on the gravel road, looked longer ahead of me than I'd remembered, up around a bend, a right on Hau Hau, a couple more bends and climbing bits (one of which I added air back into the tires)and back up to Blue Spur Rd. Back onto tarmac for a high speed blast down hill back past the refuse station and finally to the giant's wheelbarrow and a short blast through Preston's Bush trails, across the road and back along to the house, just over 2 hours since I'd left.
A very wobbly gps track, only 510m climbed, and 23kms in 1 hour 47 (so, not a hell of a lot of stops).
No comments:
Post a Comment