WoodsChick
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2005
- Location
- Oakland
- Moto(s)
- GasGas EP280, CR125, Husky WR165, 2 SM610's, FE250, 2 TR650's, FZR400/600, GSXR750, KTM 450EXC
- BARF perks
- AMA #: 489282
Eric and I did a bit of riding and camping this weekend up at Middle Creek in the Mendocino National Forest.
We loaded up the bikes (his KTM LC4 640e and my Husky SM610) and left from Lower Deer Valley, hopped onto upper Deer Valley Road, then hit some trails in search of a nice warm camping spot near water.
For those that know the area, we hit some connector trails and finally ended up on Trail 12 to 17 to 37. These photos were taken at the junction of 17 and 37...
The perspective in the above photo cracks me up:lol: It makes me look tiny and the Husky look huge!
I was a tad reluctant to ride my 610 on 37, since it was sporting the 5gal tank (full, I might add...) a totally shot rear tire, and was fully loaded for camping, but my fears were without merit. As long as it didn't get away from me on the downhill stuff (it picks up speed like a cement truck
) it was a blast to ride! There is one section before the big creek crossing that is pretty tight through some...I don't know...it's not manzanita but similar...and I usually blow a turn or two there on the KTM but the Husky sliced and diced that stuff like it was nothing! It was nothing short of a revelation! Eric said I was going pretty good through there. The Husky is lower, has a much tighter turning radius and a shorter wheelbase. A total joy to ride:thumbsup:
There's some good downhill right before the creek crossing, visible behing Eric and the bikes...
And the semi-rocky road up the other side...
I'm almost embarrassed to post these, as the water is only about 1' deep at the most. Bike were disappearing beneath the waves and being swept away at the Sawmill Enduro here in `03. Eric saw a guy totally disappear beneath the water that day. He chose a different line. Luckily the race got called before I got here. Anyway, it was Eric's turn first...
Then mine...
The twisty climb out of the drainage was some of the most fun riding I've done in some time. I'm always amazed at how capable and nimble
the SM610 is.
We explored along a nice creek...
And found a nice place to camp...
Went looking for firewood and Eric got to use the handy-dandy folding saw I got him a few years ago...
I went looking for flowers and butterflies while Eric labored
More to come...
WoodsChick
We loaded up the bikes (his KTM LC4 640e and my Husky SM610) and left from Lower Deer Valley, hopped onto upper Deer Valley Road, then hit some trails in search of a nice warm camping spot near water.
For those that know the area, we hit some connector trails and finally ended up on Trail 12 to 17 to 37. These photos were taken at the junction of 17 and 37...
The perspective in the above photo cracks me up:lol: It makes me look tiny and the Husky look huge!
I was a tad reluctant to ride my 610 on 37, since it was sporting the 5gal tank (full, I might add...) a totally shot rear tire, and was fully loaded for camping, but my fears were without merit. As long as it didn't get away from me on the downhill stuff (it picks up speed like a cement truck
) it was a blast to ride! There is one section before the big creek crossing that is pretty tight through some...I don't know...it's not manzanita but similar...and I usually blow a turn or two there on the KTM but the Husky sliced and diced that stuff like it was nothing! It was nothing short of a revelation! Eric said I was going pretty good through there. The Husky is lower, has a much tighter turning radius and a shorter wheelbase. A total joy to ride:thumbsup: There's some good downhill right before the creek crossing, visible behing Eric and the bikes...
And the semi-rocky road up the other side...
I'm almost embarrassed to post these, as the water is only about 1' deep at the most. Bike were disappearing beneath the waves and being swept away at the Sawmill Enduro here in `03. Eric saw a guy totally disappear beneath the water that day. He chose a different line. Luckily the race got called before I got here. Anyway, it was Eric's turn first...
Then mine...
The twisty climb out of the drainage was some of the most fun riding I've done in some time. I'm always amazed at how capable and nimble
the SM610 is.
We explored along a nice creek...
And found a nice place to camp...
Went looking for firewood and Eric got to use the handy-dandy folding saw I got him a few years ago...
I went looking for flowers and butterflies while Eric labored
More to come...
WoodsChick
Funny you should mention that, Brian! We were talking about that ride after we came down the hill and crossed the tiny trickle of a creek. As I was making my way down the hill through all the ruts and stuff by the homestead I was thinking to myself how absurd it would have been to try and tow Scott up that hill (or vice versa, as the case may have been) and I had a pretty good chuckle going by the time I got to the bottom. I did tow a Husky 450 out of there with my KTM last May, though. It wasn't a lof of fun but it was a hell of a lot less eventful than my first attempt
It just lit the fire for me to get off my butt, round up some buddies and go up to the mountains again. 
You don't carry beer on trips like these, you each carry a flask of scotch or something similarly hard 
