Friday, April 8, 2011

I Saw It. I Did It. I Conquered It.

Distance 30 miles. 
Time 3 Hrs.  (includes walking time)
Max Speed. 31MPH
Click any photo for big. Click again for bigger.


The intention was to ride the usual route to the Fall River, Ma. boundary line and back.  I had never been on this section of Hicksville road before today's decision to give it a go.  I was really enjoying this new route and was grateful that I would not be riding this nasty section like Brandon and I did last year.  Then I saw the sign.  Last year when riding solo at the other end of this route, I crossed paths with another biker.  We were going opposite directions and stopped to talk a bit about biking.  I told him I was going to try the dirt road up ahead.   "Don't" he said,  "you will do lots of walking".



Now I'm wondering, is this the other end of that same road.  I do have two choices, go right or straight and the sign doesn't tell me which one the warning is about. Actually I also could have backtracked, but us bike riders hesitate to do that.  We're adventurers right? The route going straight looked too much like a driveway into the woods.  I went right and even though the road was dirt, I was thinking "this isn't so bad. I soon found the the sign maker wasn't being facetious. (the only English word with all the the vowels and in order)  It was bad, and I did have to walk a bit.  Quite a bit.  But it was and adventure and really nothing more than a pain in the neck as opposed to being dangerous or anything like that.

Water Supply for Fall River Ma.

The road wasn't bad at all before the turn off to Quanipaug Rd. 

Quanipaug Rd got bad quickly

 Then it got worse. Not a good road for a carbon fiber road bike.

This whole adventure was around two miles.  Some walking, some riding.  I got a hoot out of it, but obviously wouldn't do it again.  These photos by the way, weren't the worst part of the road.  Motor vehicles would have difficulty in a couple of section, but walking them with a bike was no big deal at all.


Quanipaug Rd. eventually brought me right to the spot I was talking with the other rider last year. The place where the guy said, "don't go there".   I saw it, I did it and I conquered it.

1 comment:

  1. Interesting story of discovery. Since I no longer have speed aspirations, I find these kinds of exploration rides entertaining and rewarding.

    Thanks for sending me the link. I'll be following.

    ReplyDelete