Ping riverbed with Russ & Colin

[KTMphil]

Blistering hot day (in Hot funny enough), I think Colin's thermometer was showing 40 C. Being the end of the dry season and no rain recently, we went to take a look at the Ping riverbed and the confluence with the Nam Mae Chaem river



In what is in rainy season - "The Ping River"

 

[KTMphil]

R 108 south of Chiang Mai to Hot is torture. Bottle necks, traffic lights, single lane, really not fun. There are some fantastic roads to the east of R 108, near the Ping river, which will get you south to Hot in a much better state of mind

 

[KTMphil]

The old bridge along one of the irrigation rivers

Has been replaced with this in the last year or so

Helping the irrigation along

 

[KTMphil]

Finally, after some cute tarmac through rural villages some dirt tracks

 

[KTMphil]

Colin had come north to Chiang Mai 3 days ago and took a quick peek at the Ping river around the Hot area, it looked really low, so seemed a good idea to go an explore it

Russ

The riverbed texture was a very strange consistency. It wasn't sandy, wasn't hard, it felt like a thing layer of stones with mud underneath (which it could well have been). The front wheel was reall hard to control even leaning way back, it dug deep.

 

[KTMphil]

We rode south as far is we could in the Ping riverbed and came to a dredging/ sand reclamation operation which was impassable

Pretty decent views even in the haze

 

[KTMphil]

Options now were to turn back, or come out up the dredging bank. This was steep and loose, not nice at all. I came up the right track, got lucky and made the top first time, Russ tried the left track and had to turn back down and re-try with the right track and got up.

Russ getting more of a run up for the second attempt

We were getting the attention of the locals now

 

[KTMphil]

The Captains turn

He tried the left track which was a mistake ...wheels-a-spinnin

& stationary and just dug a hole

Reverse down and another try

Real soft down there, turning around's going to be interesting

Yep- Front wheel buried

Russ to the rescue

Such a nasty consistency, the bike would stand up on its own. Would be fun getting this out on your own

Kodak moment for sure

Easy gently

The locals were loving this

 

[KTMphil]

Second attempt on the easier right track - BIG run up

No problemo

Locals were pleased he made it too!]

 

[KTMphil]

With water right there, looks like they manage 3 crops of rice a year here

 

[KTMphil]

With the dredging operation blocking the way south we couldnt quite get to the confluence with the Nam Mae Chaem river, so scoot on the road south to the other side and give it another try

 

[KTMphil]

It worked! We made it to the confluence of the two rivers, looks like some friendly cows liked it there too

Colin off to check out the confluence

When we got back to the bikes a bull had been licking and trying to eat the liner to my helmet. Bull saliva has an interesting viscosity & now this was really nasty to put on

 

[KTMphil]

Hot doesn't have many good eating options, there's a few 7-11's or a Khow Soi restaurant at co-ords:



N18.19782



E98.61210





Lunch with some key individuals

 

[KTMphil]

Mission accomplished, we followed the Ping borth to stay of the painful r 108, a broken bridge on the way

Hadn't seen the unusual Wat San Khuang Kham before, worth a look if your headed south of Chiang Mai, co-ords:




N18.51252


E98.86146

- then back to Chiang Mai, great day out with some easy going, key individuals

 

[Ally]

Phil ! What a great ride you looked to have had today, well done, a fine example of a decent ride so close to your doorstep.

Glad that Colin was able to retrieve his bike, indeed it wold have been a bit difficult on his tod.

Nice pics especially the bull licking the rim of your helmet, thats a bragging story for sure!

Ally

 

[KTMphil]

Thanks Ally - can confirm bulls have very bad breath (worse than people that want to tell you secrets) --- will wash the liner today, nasty

Phil ! What a great ride you looked to have had today, well done, a fine example of a decent ride so close to your doorstep.

Glad that Colin was able to retrieve his bike, indeed it wold have been a bit difficult on his tod.

Nice pics especially the bull licking the rim of your helmet, thats a bragging story for sure!

Ally