Omkoi - R 105 link-up, finally completed

[KTMphil]

Didn't work out as planned, but never the less completed!







more to come

 

[KTMphil]

Some breathtaking views west of Omkoi as a reward for horrendous trails



View attachment 20981

 

[mikehohman]

Looks like Justin is going in for a kiss, 555. Bet it tasted of tobacco... Great pix!

 

[KTMphil]

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

 

[KTMphil]

Looks like Justin is going in for a kiss, 555. Bet it tasted of tobacco... Great pix!

She offered him her pipe after wiping the spit off it.

 

[KTMphil]

Leaving Chiang Mai in a southwesterly direction, it's hard to dirt ride immediatly without encompassing the "death valley trail" ( http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-forum/thailand-ride-reports/947-ob-khan-np-death-valley.html ) - which this time of year would probably be impossible, so we headed a little further SW first in search of more friendly, rainy season dirt.

 

[KTMphil]

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

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

 

[bsacbob]

Just a bit left.

 

[KTMphil]

Further along, an easy stream crossing

 

[KTMphil]

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.

Just a bit left.

View attachment 21002

 

[KTMphil]

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

Nice views of the waterfalls in Doi Inthanon National Park

 

[bsacbob]

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 ?

 

[KTMphil]

Getting late in the day and 110km still to do, it was tarmac down R 1099 to Omkoi

 

[KTMphil]

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 ?

It carried on that was the agony of it, but late in the day so we had to respect their knowledge

 

[KTMphil]

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!!!

 

[KTMphil]

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









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

 

[KTMphil]

It's probably your best option for eating in Omkoi too

 

[KTMphil]

......More to come on the next days adventure

 

[bigntall]

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.



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.



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.




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.

 

[LUFC]

"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...........

 

[2wheels]

Slip sliding away - YouTube

 

[KTMphil]

Morning comes in Omkoi, we have a plan & an intended route, so off we go

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

 

[KTMphil]

& then not so dry (as it should be in the heart of the SW monsoon)

 

[KTMphil]

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

 

[KTMphil]

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

& 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.

 

[KTMphil]

2km west of talking to the lady and this was supposed to be easy

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

 

[KTMphil]

Not bad at all (& none of had seen these views before)

& little damp, but manageable for the time-being

 

[KTMphil]

 

[KTMphil]

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

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

 

[KTMphil]

More to come tomorrow .....

 

[merantau]

Wonderful photos. You're out there having a great trip. Incredible country. Thanks for sharing.

 

[KTMphil]

A few stream crossings here and there

 

[KTMphil]

Plenty of bridges some make-shift bamboo just for the rainy season'

Photo: David Bailey

 

[KTMphil]

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

Deep rivers, only passable by bridges

 

[KTMphil]

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

 

[KTMphil]

"Looks a bit nasty ahead boys"

No kidding & the tree to the right was covered in biting ants

 

[KTMphil]

A wrong turn earlier and some farmers hard at work

That rice was green

 

[KTMphil]

Insulin break

 

[KTMphil]

Deep into a Karen tribal area & these locals dodn't even speak Thai

 

[KTMphil]

Getting hot and dehydrated out there

Lots of landslides

& roaring rivers