Sounds like an amazing ride Sarge, well done and good to get out after a spell. Any time you can top a century mark out of your own driveway it is a very good day indeed!!
With the addition of 6" of snow I was looking forward to my next ride. After plowing the driveway and tweaking my clutches, I was off by 10am. I had read to look for trail 349 but wasn't sure I'd make it that far up for the day.
Leaving the driveway, I made it down the access road to the main trail...a quick romp thru the field section and I knew my clutching adjustment wasn't where i wanted it...i was trying to gain another 2-300 rpms on top and after my main adjustment in the primary weight I decided to wind my secondary a little tighter...it only changed my rpm shift pattern and would later cost me just more fuel.
Anyway, I worked my way north to my testing grounds, ie reservoir, and confirmed I wasn't getting my target rpms on a wide open run...oh well. From this point, I have a favorite trail headed into pillsbury state park. Once in pillsbury the trail was freshly groomed but had the familiar "yahoo" Mark's of someone blasting every corner. I was riding at a great pace and headed deeper into pillsbury towards the Bradford junction. I lost the Yahoo tracks and was now on freshly groomed trails riding solo. Out of pillsbury and down the connector trail, I was now on untouched fresh powder. This last storm was just what our trails needed!
I stopped at the main intersection headed towards Bradford and made the decision to work my way up towards Andover to the " bigger" trails. I took the lookout trail which has a great viewing area and stopped for a few pics. The trails were empty and just full of fresh powder. I marked my trail on the gps and head up. I found myself on the same trail I rode last year with my cousin headed towards mt kearsarge...its not my favorite trail but it's the most direct route to where I wanted to be. I was still on fresh powder with no other tracks so i lost the trail a couple times. Starting to climb some elevation and seeing kearsarge, I was thankful for the 141" track not having to worry about digging in.
I was now at the base of kearsarge and made the wot run up to the parking area for some great views. The wind was blasting the area and was definitely making for a mean wind chill. After a short snack I flew down the access road headed towards Andover and some fuel. I was bummed the trail wasn't groomed as it had seen some traffic and was getting sloppy...still not bad but I was anticipating wide groomed trails here. I worked my way up to corridor 2 and followed my gps to a gas station a mile down. Back on 2, I stopped to calculate my return ride back. Looking at the gps I would need to make a big loop west and south vs retracing my tracks. The loop would actually bring me onto trail 349 which I read was freshly groomed and in great condition...decision made...the loop.
Rt2 was excellent, it was now groomed, long, wide, straight and fast...I was glad of my choice and knew I was making good time...I was now seeing less tracks and fresh grooming Mark's. Sure enough, I found the groomer. He let me pass and we both gave the thumbs up!
Shortly after I took the left onto trail 349...it was recently groomed and was just adding to an already stellar day. Following it south I soon came upon some type of motocross track right off the trail...I could see sled tracks all over it and thought what a cool place for a little informal wpr dash for cash!
349 is a good long trail and it brought me down towards sunapee. At one point I was on the side of a ridge and could see the lake in the distance...pretty cool. The trail was great and it eventually led me to my familiar area of Newport and Goshen. It's funny how I felt I was "home" but still miles away. The sun was still high and I made it back as planned with daylight. At the last minute i decided to take the connector trail which I cleared and would lead me directly across from my driveway...I was worried it might be to thin and was ungroomed...it was deep! I'm glad I was alone...my off trail skills need some work lol. I made it to the driveway with a smile and had logged 126.5 miles for the day. This ride was right up there with my personal best since I've moved here. Cant wait to share this loop with some members at some point! Sarge 388
