Two days (or was it four??) of being ride blocked had me jonesing to get in the saddle. Having said that, for some reason, I had little desire to ride local gravel or roads. Even thoughts of riding my local(ish) singletrack loop left me sighing under my breath for some reason. Hmm… How ’bout a quick drive north and roll some snowmobile trails and seasonal ORV roads? Sure, why not…
I needed something different and some new scenery. Today’s ride was the ticket. While it wasn’t that long, or that hard , it was different and that was the goal.
At times the sandy double track was like riding on a beach and was a bit too much for my 2.1 tires to handle, bringing me to a complete stop. But for the most part, it was pretty smooth riding. I even had the chance to briefly explore some adjacent ATV trails before my tight schedule forced me home.
Every time I ride these trails I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to take them on atop something fatter– whether it be a fat bike or a 29+ rig like the Surly Krampus. I of course then follow those thoughts up by wondering if one of those bikes is worth it, or if slogging along on my regular bike is just fine? Right now, the lack of funds tell me that my 29er will have to do.
There are so many snowmobile, ATV and ORV trails and roads to explore here, sadly I don’t always have the time or the right equipment to make the best of it. Before you know it rifle deer season will be here, and then winter, and I will be back to just THINKING of where all those roads might lead me.
NOTE: You may have noticed that garish Gatorade bottle I was carrying today. Yeah, it’s not a “legit” bike bottle, but it IS a 32 oz. bottle, something rare for many bike bottles. But guess what? It’s cheap and it works EXACTLY the same as other bottles in that it carries water and quenches thirsts, ha!