Omkoi - R 105 link-up, finally completed

KTMphil

Senior member
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Location
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bikes
2007 KTM 990 Adventure Suzuki DRZ 400
Didn't work out as planned, but never the less completed!


IMG_4867_edited.jpg




more to come
 
Looks like Justin is going in for a kiss, 555. Bet it tasted of tobacco... Great pix!
 
What started all this, was discussions with Lone Rider about a possible way through west wards from Omkoi to R 105. We'd already linked up the easier trails at the southern end of R 1099 ? Mae Tuen westwards roR 105, s far as we knew, no-one had linked Omkoi through to R 105 & now we know why.



Through various forms of research, this is the where LR thought the way through might be & it was a huge help

omkoi link map.jpg
 
It had pissed down the night before, so we knew we were in for some greasy clay but the track down towards Doi Inthanon isn't too bad gradient-wise



9727922013_1c7b075c49_b.jpg






9731152612_b4b182e72c_b.jpg











Some nice, green moss around to keep things interesting, I had 2 big slips on this trail


9727928351_f5e1eff574_b.jpg









9731150524_3bde048da4_b.jpg
 
Just a bit left.

Screen Shot 2013-09-12 at 19.19.26.jpg
 
A quick poke around up Doi Inthanon, then a unanimous decision that the trails up there would be too nasty & continue westwards to Mae Chaem


9731164910_ccb4b91ed8_b.jpg








Nice views of the waterfalls in Doi Inthanon National Park



9727936835_2d99cdd909_b.jpg







9727935005_094691e3c4_b.jpg
 
Yep, so bloody close but we didn't have time to mess around after the locals said it wasn't passable ---- next on the list.

Looks like you made a start of it until you turned back @ Thi Lo Poe, was it a dead end or just what the locals said ?
 
Into Omkoi, to our favorite 400 Bht GH, height of low season, I would have bet my left testicle that they would have had rooms available, but full!!!


9727939799_91ae301b82_b.jpg
 
Next choice, a little pricier is the Omkoi Resort, excellent place, we talked him down to 500 Bht



singha.jpg





You could do 3 to a room if on a tight budget


9727940849_74628c2c04_b.jpg
 
Twas good to get on the bike exploring again. Multi day rides seem so long ago after some injuries. Phil, David and i chatted about doing this trip and my priority was to keep the slick red clay to a minimum as I'm still waiting for the bones to knit together properly and was hesitant to risk falling needlessly on that God awful stuff the Thai's refer to as wet pig skin. Last year I had gone exploring in Omkoi installing a water wheel for power generation in a remote village and it was nothing but wet, deep mud and no clay. Good I thought no slipping and sliding.

Enter the first section climbing up Doi Inthanon and as Phils pictures clearly show bloody awful slick red clay.....complete with green moss for dessert.

P1090270-L.jpg

The three of us spend half a day slipping and sliding about with bail off's and near crashes filling the afternoon.

Thankfully we ended up on a very fun section of single track that had grip to keep me for cursing Phils route choice.

P1090277-L.jpg

David tested the ground clearance on his CRF 250L over this section and confirmed he reached terra firma with the frame rails with a glorious crunching of concrete pipe and metal frame here.

P1090284-L.jpg


Phil had been watching too many Dakar movies and was feeling full of piss and vinegar so was giving the KTM some beans. When he later pulled up his jersey was torn and he'd left a little flesh on the trail. KTM 300 on the pipe 1, cocky ex bond trader 0. This was gonna be the start of all us coming face to face with the ground over the next two days.

Onward through the fog.
 
"Cocky Ex Bond Trader" vs the 300 in the wet is surely a mis-match....

Take it easy B n T, I'll be back next week, I'll pray for your safe return as traction looks to be at a premium...........
 
Morning comes in Omkoi, we have a plan & an intended route, so off we go


9731171416_13060b0300_b.jpg







Lookin pretty dry so far, maybe lady-luck is looking down on us


9731174294_1fe28bc71f_b.jpg
 
After an hour and a half we get to one of the Karen villages we visited before, the ladies smoking pipes is always a treat


9731180642_5efd088a5c_b.jpg







9731181634_458f3a394e_b.jpg







9731183500_01b55b43fc_b.jpg
 
As we have NO idea whats ahead of us, a real good time to top up with fuel


9727961237_c09c92c692_b.jpg





& talk to the smart local lady about what's ahead of us heading west. She says "starts easy, hard in the middle, then easy at the other end", interesting to see what her perception of "hard" is.



9727963785_702770a00a_b.jpg
 
2km west of talking to the lady and this was supposed to be easy


9727965411_0d726feaee_b.jpg









9731193210_c0794bc2c6_b.jpg






But the views ain't bad (Justin & Dave in the distance)


9727969127_b50e6af549_b.jpg
 
Not bad at all (& none of had seen these views before)



9731198334_685a847b3a_b.jpg







& little damp, but manageable for the time-being




9731200010_5d7abf0f0a_b.jpg
 
A village ahead, good time for a chat to try & confirm that this estimated trail goes through. Getting a yes fro the locals, things are looking good



9727979857_fa125911c7_b.jpg






Track we have says go left, doesn't feel right, looks like farm access




Time for Dave to head back to the village and confirm (he speaks the best Thai), Justin turning the KTM 500 EXC around


9731209612_e613702ce2_b.jpg






9731211764_b4e0fb2a63_b.jpg
 
We started getting into the "middle" section, steeper gradients, slippy and no more pickup/ vehicle tracks



9728021111_4b90764420_b.jpg






9731242074_0910ab8c19_b.jpg




Deep rivers, only passable by bridges




9728018335_4491e62588_b.jpg
 
Looked like there maybe was a road here once, now the region was a disaster hardly passable by motorcycle


9731239758_421acfb4d0_b.jpg







9731227708_c974fc96e7_b.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom