Ulysses Club - Offroad to Pai, back via Muang Khong

[The Bigfella]

Five of us (it was to have been a bigger group, taking several dirt novices... but......) left from Rider's Corner at 9am on Tuesday 2nd February. The plan had been to do fairly simple tracks, avoiding the singletrack to introduce the novices to dirt riding... however, the plan changed somewhere up the road and we did the singletrack instead, which was a lot of fun, but wearying for my 65 year old bones. Deere was both Ride Leader and Cinematographer. He's taken some great video - some of which I will post later on in this thread.

Neil, Gordon, Deere and I were on CRF rentals from Rider's Corner. Deere on a Rally. Justin has his own CRF, which, like mine, has Ohlins on it. His has a bloody ginormous rear sprocket too... which explained why I could get ahead of him on the tar, but he blitzed me on the dirt. The fact he's a much better rider probably helped there too.

We pulled into the PTT on the Canal Rd, and I decided to up the air a bit so I could have some fun on the tar. Front and back at 11psi is a tad low for rocky dirt too... so I upped it to 22 psi, which I left there until the next day when we got into the National Park and the slippery roads.

We did the shortcut to avoid the 121 / 1269 intersection chaos. Woo hoo, first dirt

Just as we came off that, some Farang nong on a Forza pulled out on my right from a gated property, without looking, and wanted a share of my turf. Hmm. Welcome to Thailand.

On the 1269 to Samoeng, the usual elephant was out beside the road trying to earn a feed from passers by

I flogged the crap out of my CRF for a few minutes and just scraped enough of a gap to do a u turn and get the guys going past

That's Gordon and Neil

Next up, Deere and Justin

When I asked the guy at the servo in Samoeng to "fill 'er up" - I didn't really have this in mind

We flicked right onto the 4021, which is familiar territory, and then up into the hills. Lots of intensive agriculture around here. Garlic in this case

It was all concrete roads and nice views

Including some steep stuff

I liked the way these guys were protecting the road surface as they moved the dozer. Sacrificial bamboo to stop damage

Getting narrower

And higher. February is a great month for rides like this. Very little smoke and good temps. Leave it too long and the same is unlikely to be said in March

Ahh - this is it. The start of the dirt

We stopped for a water in - water out break and got bounced by a convoy of workers coming in from the fields for lunch. Oops

Not that we should be concerned. Big brother was watching too. Amazingly, there's two cameras up on that post.

There were still patches of concrete roads as we climbed (sorry about the dodgy images... most shot on the move)

and the occasional small village

More big brother cameras by the look of things

... and away we go

 

[The Bigfella]

Its beautiful, up in those hills

But there's ominous signs. More concrete coming.....

Maybe we've got a few years yet, with good stuff between the concrete bits?

You could try 20 times and still miss getting the rider in the focus. One handed photography, on the move, on a bumpy trail......

and yeah, then you have to hit the rut, one-handed and at speed

It's nice, up in the pines

In case you hadn't noticed.... it's all Gordon and me here. The fast guys had buggered off ahead - but I got some shots of them after drink breaks or corner stops

Again - trying to keep up with him and get some one-handed photography done... hmm... fun?

This is Justin, waiting to pounce. Actually, he's one of the best guys to ride with. He never overtook me once without me having waved him through. Never any risk to the guy he's passing. I suspect his downhill mountain biking helps his skill level too

This is Gordon - not long before an encounter with a rock

I'd waved him through and there was long grass in the centre of the track. It concealed a bloody great rock - and not just a loose rock, this was the head of a buried rock. It stopped him dead in his tracks. Good ding in the frame too. I'll post a shot later. Don't know why, but I hadn't fitted a bash plate to that bike. Maybe because it was Tum's road bike?

Neil didn't spend much time behind me

Finally... a photo taken whilst stationary. Gordon's flip up helmet decided to fall apart. No bits lost, but it took a few minutes to sort out.

More rocks, but lower and more exposed than the one he found

Not a lot of mud.... but there were a few damp patches

Lovely views, of course

and we were getting back into the agricultural areas, before the main descent

with bigger villages

wider trails again too

That's Pai in the background. Not too far to go, which is good, because I just gulped the last of my water. I'd have to take twice as much, or more, come March

We only saw a couple of fires, small ones, except for this one out back of Pai

High country blossoms are fading

We didn't go up, but presumably that's a helipad up top there

Lots of work going on in this field

I was that knackered by the time we hit Pai, that I can't remember the name of the restaurant Justin took us to. It was damn fine tucker... but a late lunch at 3:40pm. Neil headed back via the front road at this stage, leaving four of us to prowl the streets of Pai on a quiet Tuesday night

We had heard that the TTK had changed hands and increased prices, so we checked into an old favourite. The Brook View. Four rooms at 400 baht each. No brekkie, but coffee and biscuits. My room's view....

I love their long-neck statue too

 

[The Bigfella]

For some reason, my Garmin split the first day's track into two. Here's the first 62 km, which is from Rider's Corner to a point on the 4021, 62km out. The peak / troughs are on the way to Samoeng

That's an hour 24 moving for an average speed of 48 kph with a climb of 1,679 metres and a fall of 1,314 metres.

The second part saw us moving for 3 hours 35 minutes over 112 km at an average speed of 31 kph. 3,981 metres climb and 4,097 down.... and yeah, there's some steep bits

This video mixes a bit of both days... very different riding

Day two had us moving for 4 hours 24 minutes, over 180 km at an average of 41 kph (and a max of 110 - on a private road, of course) - we climbed 4,483 metres and dropped 4,638.

 

[The Bigfella]

We got our weary bones moving again with a massage - well, Deere and I did. It helped... as did a damn hot shower, even if the water had to be turned well down to achieve that. We'd "done" walking street and pub street, with tapas and a beer at the corner pub of both streets. Topped off with gyozas and the like. Very few tourists. Very few. Poor town is struggling, but so's Chiang Mai.

Justin took us to the Om Garden Cafe for breakfast. A lovely setting

We'd stopped at the TTK - but they were shut. A pity, because their Middle Eastern plate is a real treat.

It was cool, riding back out on the 1095. We were waved through the checkpoint at the 1095 / 1265 junction - although we'd been waved in the afternoon before. They registered my details (they wanted passport and phone.... I handed over my licence and gave my phone number).... all entered into the computer.

Not much traffic

Into the NP. Stopped - Deere had a quick word. No charge, no details and we were in

Water and air stop. Both out.....

Plenty of nice viewpoints on the way in

Chiang Dao beckoning in the distance

We stopped at the camping spot. It was a bit windy up there. 1,700 metres (either here or somewhere near there)

There was one Mercedes Benz in the carpark... and one tent. I'm guessing they go together

That's looking in the general direction of Pai

It's dirt from near there

Must've had too much coffee. Another pee stop

Nice views, but plenty of evidence of deforestation

I wonder how long until the torching?

and looking in the other direction. What was that about deforestation?

At that stop, I suggested Deere find somewhere and set up the other GoPro on a low tripod for a ride-by. I've got the footage here.... of me wobbling past on a flat rear tyre. I'll post it later.

Yeah - my bike, but here's Justin holding it up for wheel removal

I supervised

Gordon, practicing his Thai pointing skills....

While I was sitting in the shade stand, a bird flew out of its nest in one of the uprights. Tiny thing - not much of a hole to squeeze out of either

Plenty more smoke around here... waiting to escape

A few of the locals gave us a smile

Deere heading down the hill for a repair to the tube. I think we'll pack a spare tube and levers next time. I normally ride alone and always carry at least a front tube. IIRC when I rode through Laos in the wet season, I packed 2 fronts and a rear... might even have been two of each. A front tube will always fit in a back tyre - in an emergency (change it out asap when back in town) - but not the other way around.

and returning

Then it was down the hill and into Muang Khong for lunch. This was a stop to regroup at an intersection. The bloke up the hill is picking oranges.... tiny ones, about the size of a chook egg

55km from Pai at this stage

Chiang Dao's getting closer

That's Muang Khong down there

More dust on the second day

Lunch stop

The lady remembered Deere. He'd been there with a group last February

Just after setting off, there was an Openbill Stork right near the road. By the time I stopped, turned the camera on.... it was going

Back into the hills

I think this is near the swimming hole... but I came to a fence, so didn't really check it out, Might be worth it if we had more time - and on a hotter day

Deere giving the Rally a wash

and checking out the suspension bridge

We did a dirt ride up to here with Eric, Claudia, Colin, Deere and myself a bit over a year ago. There was a great log bridge on that trail - not too far from this crossing - which I've been over in my 4 x 4 too. Now sadly replaced by a concrete culvert.

We headed in to check out progress on replacing the collapsed bridge. All done

There's that body-English again

The Brook Carp were there in force. The internet says these get up to 500mm long - I reckon there were some well over 600mm there.
A lady came out to sell us some fish food, as we got back to our bikes. Sorry lady, too late

A guy reassembling a tourist raft between the bridges

Now to beat the sunset

More concrete

Not long after this, on a concrete section, I met a Thai driver who didn't take heed of the sign. He nearly got me. He was totally on my side of the road, apexing a blind corner.... his mirror nearly scraping the cliffside. If I didn't ride with two fingers always covering the brake lever, I don't believe I would be writing this now. It was fucking close. About an inch... if that.

New concrete going in towards Sob Guy

We belted down the 3052, took the 1095 and 1414 - then down the 4034 and 1001. Back to Rider's Corner in time for the Ulysses Club Thailand meeting on Wednesday night.

 

[The Bigfella]

Nice crunch in the frame. Time to visit Kwan for a couple more bashplates

 

[Captain_Slash]

A nice ride, not smokey at all

 

[The Bigfella]

Yet a day later, smoke descended on Chiang Mai. Bit clearer now