[admiral]

Not yet!

The good news is I made it further than I did a couple of weeks ago.

The bad news is I still can't make it to my intended target. But the flooded creek is pretty!

Out for a spin with Mrs. Admiral and the road felt extra squishy. We're only 4 miles from home so we aired up the tire a couple of times and made it home.

This tire has 0 psi. The sidewalls must be very tough which is why I probably didn't have a complete failure on the outing.

Then the ritual to make things right.

 

[Fred]

What, no visible hammer?
I do like your simple motorcycle lift/stand. My garage and work space are crowded so that looks like an attractive option. Make?

 

[admiral]

I'm getting old and my muscles are very sore today. Took Squirrel the XT200 out for some trail scouting. I found stuff blocking the way.

Even though this tree was hollow(ish), it still took me over an hour to clear it. Even the "little" slabs I cut weighed around 100 lbs. This was a big dang tree.

This is a designated 50" or less trail so I cleared it wide enough for an ATV to get through even though it meant the extra effort to do so!

This one was above my head to clear...literally. I let this one go as a motorcycle and ATV can sneak through underneath.

Now this one was a little more manageable. Still, I managed to use a swear word.

The only issue is it was right at the start of a steep climb on singletrack and I didn't even get bonus points for making it. BTW, I did clear the branches off the trail before proceeding haha.

I used a stronger swear word when I came to another stick in the road.

Cleared after much huffing and puffing!

Threw in the towel. I was only about 1 mile in on this trail and was running out of time (and probably gas) and had to meet Mrs. Admiral. With several miles of trail to go and with a strong potential of more deadfall, I tucked tail and turned around. I'll be back. I was actually surprised I was most likely the first one through on these trails today. The snow level is much higher so I thought this would have been cleared already and I would have a leisurely cruise in the woods. Yup, not so much!

 

[admiral]

...and one final note. I retired the Fly Maverick ATV boots. This was my 3rd pair over the years but they don't make them anymore. This pair had seen better days with the middle strap getting ripped off and my fix with a zip tie and shoestring. Prior to the zip tie and shoestring, the protruding piece of plastic acted like an air scoop redirecting cold air, water, dirt/dust, and was directly into my foot.

And thanks to a post by Loghouse (I'm pretty sure that's who it was), I got my replacement boots. Forma Terra Evo or something like that. They still have the toe, ankle, and heel protection I need. I bought the high tops to help protect the shin area previously exposed between the low-rise Mavericks and my knee and shin guards. They are also a little more flexible for walking but I don't plan on hiking the Appalachian or Pacific Coast trails in them.

 

[admiral]

What, no visible hammer?
I do like your simple motorcycle lift/stand. My garage and work space are crowded so that looks like an attractive option. Make?

But it's what you can see you didn't mention!
I got the stand as a gift several years ago. I don't use it much as it's not as strong as I would like. The top plate is to thin and it can bend easily. Maybe I should reinforce it with another piece of metal or wood and it would be better. I wouldn't recommend this lift model but if there is another stronger one out there they are handy. My method is to tip the bike over, place the lift/stand underneath the bike and then pull it back straight up. Then I can push the lift handle (with my foot) to lift it. So all-in-all, probably not much different than a stationary stand minus the lift function. I'll see if the brand name is on it.

 

[ejfranz]

View attachment 227231
I have also have a pair for my adventure riding. They take a bit to get walking comfortable, but have more protection than the Forma Adventure boots. Be aware that the plastic side guards held on by the Allen bolt will pop off and the Allen bolt just spins when you try to take it off to remount the guard. Forma did send me a new pair when I complained to the dealer I bought them off and as they did not want the old pair back, I gave them to my son. If that plastic guard gets caught on the side of you bike it will come off and I even ride with my pants over the boots. I ended up getting some motocross boots for riding the DT and Scorpa.

 

[admiral]

Early Season Riding in the Mountains
Footage from a couple of different days riding and facing the challenges of early season riding. The snow stopped me from making it to one trail I've been planning on riding/clearing and I ran out of time while clearing another trail and had to turn around. Note: it can be rather challenging trying to turn around a bike on a steep banked singletrack trail.

 

[Fred]

Preparing for entertaining company can be hard work.
Admirable admiral, thanks in advance if you're planning rides on these trails.

 

[Ski Pro 3]

Beautiful country you have there!

 

[reddave]

Did you lose the front cowling on that bike in the snow, Admiral?

 

[admiral]

Preparing for entertaining company can be hard work.
Admirable admiral, thanks in advance if you're planning rides on these trails.

I'm getting better at cutting logs but have a long ways before becoming good haha. Some of these are on the ride menu but I'd be riding/clearing them sometime during the riding season already. I rode another trail the other day with one of my sons and it was like riding in a jungle. We did lots of cutting but there's even more to do...
All in the name of fun!

 

[admiral]

Beautiful country you have there!

Looking at the pictures from your riding with 2 Legends thread I think we all live in some wonderful riding (and living) country for sure!

 

[admiral]

Did you lose the front cowling on that bike in the snow, Admiral?

haha. It is kind of "cowl neked" ain't it? Well, Squirrel the XT200 is my main singletrack rider but I do take Scoob the TW when I feel confident I most likely won't kill myself. However, Scoob is down for maintenance right now for spoke repair on the rear 18" mod rim...and I'm too lazy to put the trailer rim mod or OEM rim on. I've got the spokes replaced just need to true the rim the best I can.

 

[admiral]

Idaho Jungle Trail-More Trail Clearing
Recent ride with Stig (son #2). I was actually gonna take my TW200 out on this ride but I found 2 broken spokes on my modified 18" TW rear wheel so I went to my backup XT200. Discovered that a local trail feels more like riding in the jungle during this early season outing than it does in the fall when all the leaves have fallen off the bushes.

 

[Fred]

Must be nice to have a Stig as a saw bearer on those jungle rides.
Looked like good efficient teamwork, but then I watched video at 2X speed.
See any critters out there?