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On the ride was sparklr, Kitimat KLR, Kermode_KLR and myself. We met at the Onion Lake pull out just after 5:00 pm, well, that is when I arrived. We headed off up the Upper Kitimat FSR and took a side road, the Schist Creek FSR (please correct me if I spelt this wrong).
That was a great road, hard packed with a few small water bars to make it entertaining. There were a couple half decent sized washouts as well - keep these in mind for later.
First photo op on a bridge over a nice canyon river:
Even though the DR was outnumber 3 to 1, it was very happy to make new friends :hb:
We headed up one spur to see how far we could go. This was an awesome spur, it was lightly overgrown with a nice mix of hard pack, loose rock, water bars, and gravel.
We continued to make our way up this trail until we hit a point and decided to turn back and check out another spur. On the way out, Kermode decided to test my skills and put yet another obstacle in my path:
So I helped him complete his obstacle making manoeuvre by helping the KLR out of the rut and went back to my bike to take my turn. I did not play by the rules as I busted brush on the side of the line and circumvented the boobie trap. No one said the DR has to play by KLR rules
So down we go and take another spur. This was one of the best roads I have run. Nice hard pack with some great washouts to play through. That's right 2T, I am actually enjoying these dips in the road. I was enjoying them so much that on the last one I took an inside line and passed Kermode, ripped by sparklr, and tried to be super cool with a fancy turn in the middle of an uphill road and dumped the doc on it's side. Judging by sparklr's laughing, I guestimated I got a 8.9 for artistic effort.
On the way down I just could not help stop for a pic:
This is beautiful country, some that I have never seen. I am used to interior mountains and terrain, not coastal. It was beautiful to ride through that area and take it all in, the smells, the views, the sounds. The ride down would have been more fun if the sun had not been right in my eyes pretty much the whole way. I was taking it kinda easy since it was a tad bit hard to see. On that note, I approached the final washout before hitting the Upper Kitimat FSR and saw Kermode and sparklr waiting on the other side. I thought "well that is nice of those guys to wait and point out where the washout is". Once I pulled up to them, I heard the story that Kemode did not see the washout and hit it at 60+ km/h :shock:
After that scare we stopped and chatted at the Onion parking lot for a bit and then moseyed to West Lake for a group photo op:
The road into the campsite was amazing, nice tight hemlock and lots of potholes to swerve around. I was feeling so elated from the nights ride that I was feeling at one with the DR. It would swerve when I wanted it to, zig this way, zag that way, curve by this tree, and slide around that corner. That is the feeling I strive for, when you become one with the machine and it goes where you want it to my just looking and focusing on your route :hf:
After the photo, we all went our ways with Kermode and myself ripping back to Terrace.
Again, I have to thank sparklr for the two rides and Kermode and Kitimat for taking the time to show me some new turf. I was in Terrace for 4 nights and rode for 3. Now that is one great way to beat being a slave to the hotel :clap:
Have a great weekend everyone.
