Adventure Half Day

On Saturday while lost in the Toon I took a call from HQ who was kind enough to see if I had the day on Sunday for a mountain trip. Unfortunately responsibility and regret would keep me off of the early train, so instead I took the mid day one solo to the Uwharrie's Badin Lake Recreation Area. I had heard from a drunk little birdie that some old/new trails were now open to bikes in the same area as the Uwharrie ORV. I drove in off the HWY109 and took the dirt track 576 to the 597, then 597A to a ridge that may have been marked as Moccasin. I soon found a place to leave the car where a single track'ish trail crossed the ridge and the trail was not marked off limits to pedal bikes.

Here is the entrance to the start of my ride. Within a hundred yards the rock came out of the ground offering new stimulation. Just passed this section there was a fork in the trail that I went left at. The dirt track descended a bit then stayed on a hill before dropping down again into a dead end where the track just petered out. Adventure day, turn around back to the fork and take the right option that you missed.

Up the hill on the right split there was a small section of horse damage and then the trail rose slightly. I came to an unmarked intersection and went up left being drawn by this bizarre rock outcrop on top of the wooded hill. There were some neat lines and chutes to ride over and through at this unusual formation. The Granite's apparent grid structure gave off a sound feeling of density when I stopped to listen to it.

Gravity. Okay I am messing with you.

These well over my head sized granite fins although not as big as the petrified sand stone ones in Arches Nation Park were similar in shape and placement. Time Lapse from above picture. After exploring all the way across the ridge that the rock out crop was on the trail seemed to disappear. I turned around and backed out to the car, crossed the fire road and took the other single track which started off black dirt and flowy.

This trail wound around for a bit then climbed up and over a crystal covered hill. On the back side of the first hill there was a fun descent that had some technical lines that were strewn with rocks that were around about the size of Liberace's Head.

I got off of that first hill into a low spot then the climb started again. I was able to ride some of it and I pushed the rest. On top of the second hill the trial meandered around and started dropping yet again. I plodded my way down and just when I could see where it flattened out I heard something amazing so I stopped to pay closer ATTENTION. My riding away from the car stopped here. If all goes well I will have a film for you tomorrow so that you can see and hear what happened next.

I backed out to the car the way I came in and looked at the clock. I had been out for about 2 hours but I bet I did not cover much more than 8 miles. Fortunately the fun meter was pegged the whole time and the feeling of being lost not lost in the woods over rode any concern of not getting mileage in.