Snow Ride

Snowed today in the mountains over Jim Thorpe. I was told the temperature was 31 and the wind was howling, but we had a damn good time anyway.

As it was I’ve been working harder on throttle control. Trying to keep a steady churn on the motor and not wildly throttle on/throttle off so much. I think I’ve done pretty well with the clutch learning to slip it as necessary or completely cut the power if it gets too heavy handed, but steady power is the next game.

Today was perfect for that. There was roughly 2 inches of wet snow everywhere and I was “breaking trail”. Steady throttle and momentum was key to keep you from laying it down sideways.

Another thing to note was today wasn’t much of a standing day. Though I’ve been working on standing more and letting the bike/suspension do it’s thing, today required more weight on the wheel and therefor your butt on the seat. At least that’s what worked for me.

The hardest part today was seeing where you were going.

Our route. Kind of an out and back sort of day. All those holes and “terrain” features you see is what’s left of the centuries old coal strip mining on this ridge. You really have to see it in person to truly understand what the land looks like now.

 

Loading up to head home. It’s fun trying to get your muddy/wet gear off and dry clothes on in a snow squal.

– b