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These are some of the most challenging and interesting roads that I ride. The are have all the qualities that I look for in a motorcycle friendly road: little traffic, great scenery, hills, twisty corners, rivers, lakes and swamps.
Everybody on these rural roads drives a 4x4 pick-up truck. They know the road and ride it quickly, something like those dang bikers. I keep right going up hills or around blind corners in the bush.
The wild life is more dangerous. I had a black bear run in front of me, a few deer, and a lot of suicidal chipmunks and red squirrels. But the worst are those dumb wild turkeys. They see you coming, but don't move. I drove right up to one, stopped, and honked the horn before he would move. As I about to start up I looked in my mirrors. All I could see was the big chrome grill of a black 4x4 pick-up truck.
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(02-15-2017, 07:03 AM)Nortoon_imp Wrote: These are some of the most challenging and interesting roads that I ride. The are have all the qualities that I look for in a motorcycle friendly road: little traffic, great scenery, hills, twisty corners, rivers, lakes and swamps.
Everybody on these rural roads drives a 4x4 pick-up truck. They know the road and ride it quickly, something like those dang bikers. I keep right going up hills or around blind corners in the bush.
The wild life is more dangerous. I had a black bear run in front of me, a few deer, and a lot of suicidal chipmunks and red squirrels. But the worst are those dumb wild turkeys. They see you coming, but don't move. I drove right up to one, stopped, and honked the horn before he would move. As I about to start up I looked in my mirrors. All I could see was the big chrome grill of a black 4x4 pick-up truck.
+1 on the turkeys. Most everything else can be managed by where and when you ride, but those turkeys can appear out of nowhere at any time.
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On the subject of corner warning signs, up here in the Pacific Northwest we have some forest roads that are mostly or completely unsigned. I'm not sure if they are on state land or national forest, but turning onto them you will see a speed limit and shortly after a sign that says "no cautions," or something like that.
Because the roads are through mountain forests, they have some of the most interesting curves available. You name it, fast, slow, any kind of radius change, smooth, rough, etc. Most were originally roads for log trucks, so the survey was minimal at the time. When they were paved for recreation, the roads were improved (straightened, corners radiused), but not much.
I find these unsigned roads totally refreshing to ride. They require a different kind of concentration and flow than when on lowest common denominator signed roads. It is a unique experience; clear your mind, forget the speedometer or what any warning sign is telling you, rely on your vision, stay poised for surprises, maintain a pace, but also maintain a (healthy) margin. It creates a free blissful state, with the only distractions being scenery and wildlife.
I think the first time I experienced this bliss was riding Yellowstone for the first time, 30-some years ago. It was late September so I had the park roads almost to myself. I was there in 2015. They have much more signage now. Bah!
Gus
