After spending two weeks in isolation (working from home), my friend Mike and I decided to get some miles on our bikes to break the boredom. I tossed a new rear tire and brake pads on my Vstrom on Thursday and we hit the road on Friday afternoon.
Mike did such a great job of describing the adventure, I've decided to use his write-up instead of my own:
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Since we are social distancing and you may be home with not much to do. Here is a story of two guys on motorcycles.
“Let’s just see how far we can make it, we will just turn back if it gets bad”.... This is likely how most good trail adventures begin and this is no exception. As the city roads lost their size and the country roads lost their lines we moved further out and found ourselves in the mountain valleys following along the twisties of… well somewhere not in cellphone range and this is where our adventure begins.
The decision was made to leave the valleys and head upwards in search of elevation and views. Opting for the poor man's skyline drive, we hit the Blue Ridge Parkway. The steep ascent up Reeds gap was a great warm up for what awaited. We reach the top and turn left. The parkway was clear and we had the run of the place. Dennis set the tempo, speeds increased and chicken strips were left behind on his newly installed rear tire. Finally reaching a place to stop for a quick snack and check in, we noticed the entrance to Bald mountain jeep trail. How long is it? Well the road down is 13 miles, so likely less than that...right? There were a lot of questions about the terrain, but curiosity won.
The trail started off - well, let’s back up for a second...this is the first “real” off road adventure for my Triumph Tiger Xca. So, the trail started off pretty mild as most trails seem to do, but that changed within the first 5 minutes.
Along the ridge line we encountered our first uphill rock obstacle. It was fairly steep, I spotted my line and began the charge. My charge quickly died regardless of throttle input. The blinking light on my dash quickly reminded me that when riding off-road you should probably turn off traction control. Now with my Tiger set to Off Road Pro the bike functions the way bikes did in the 90’s when the bike really didn’t seem to care about your wellbeing. With all the horses unleashed and the wheels free to spin and slide I was quickly up the rocks.
The ups and downs continued with rocks and then we found the mud puddles or on double track trails it looked more like a small pond. We poked it with a stick to check the bottom and if there was one. The base felt firm enough so we saddled up and charged through. With one under our belt and our record: bikes=1 puddles=0 we felt good. Oh wait, another puddle around the next turn and the next and the next. Some of these we charged others we skirted around where cyclists had made small single track paths.
Then it happened - while picking a blind line through a 2-foot-deep hole I bobbled and gravity came alive. This is where I learned that a mid calf gore tex boot works as a fishbowl when submerged in water. I was able to brace the bike enough to keep it from totally dropping, but unable to lift it back in the position I was in. Dennis, being a good sport, dismounted his bike and came back to give me the extra lift to unleash gravity's hold and set me in the preferred vertical position. The score was now tied: bikes=1 puddles=1. This trend (without bike dropping) continued for a few more slow going miles. Between rock gardens and puddles we found sand which tested us more than the rocks and mud. Soft and deep it let the bike wiggle and wonder and chose its own line.
Our first mechanical: while taking a side route around a large mud hole Dennis clipped his side box on a hidden stump. Crack! I heard it and saw the box flop backwards. A short break and Dennis utilizing his knot tying skills and general MacGyver’ness that only an Eagle Scout can manage, it was secure.
Finally, the trail pointed down and the puddles stopped and the trail changed into a different challenge. This is where the trail got chunky and technical with rocks and small ledges.
Line selection was key. Every rock looked like it could slice a sidewall. Some were embedded and some moved under the bike setting you into a new direction. Encountering some rock drops we both made use of the skid plate protecting the underside of our bikes. I had a little more clearance and was able to sneak by with some different playful lines. The Tigers suspension really impressed me.
As the rocks became more tame I had a sense of relief as the trailhead was close and smooth roads were in our site. “Lets just see how far we can make it”.
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