back @ Wild Oak TH near Stokesville and within jet pac range. 4G 2 bars way out here.
Thurs I went back into town. I did my wash. I stopped @ SBC and talked w/ Tim. He suggested riding Braley Pond, I accepted. Shenandoah Valley is rolling cultivated fields, woodlands, flat, rolling to steep. Rocky. I drove to Braley Pond TH and picked a primitive camp spot. One site had a big tent set up but no one there, I suspected an abandoned camp, or maybe 1 set up as a p;pace holder during the week for a weekend saved spot. The spot next to it had 2 beer cans in a row on the picnic table, nothing else. I thought the beer cans could be a place holder. I checked them out: empty and air temp. OK, open site. I am inside my van when I look out the open side door and see the right front fender of a USFS LEO rig. I stepped out and greeted him. He asked about the beer cans, I told him they were there when I arrived. He said Good because if they were mine and I consumed them in public I would have been guilty of having an open container in public, a state law. Whew. I asked him if wanted the cans as I was volunteering to pack out 2 Keystones. Nah, he said, just pack them out when you go. I crushed them and dropped them in my trash bag. He asked other questions about camping in the forest. My Sedona LEO training stood me in good stead as we sparred. No harassment on either side. He left and I mixed a moonshine cocktail and drank it inside in a pint glass. Car and truck pulled in to the not to be abandoned camp site disgorged several people. We were separated by a thin screen of trees and that’s the way it stayed.
Plan is to ride from camp the Braley Pond loop. I studied the map then took off on the wrong gated road. My way reconnected w/ the access road and all was pedaling good. This loop is typical of a single piece of trail: ride the road to the top then down the dirt. The access road dumped me out on US250, I turned right and headed towards a pass in the ridge. 2 miles and 800′ b4 the pass where there is a historical site from the Civil war, confederate troops, some 3,000 strong built an extensive breastworks to defend a Union attack from the west is the Mountain House rest area and a lower access to the single track. Back in ’08 I rode to the pass and the upper trail down to here, today I am mortal. Again, first visit was right after the oaks dropped their leaves which covered the trail. Today the trail was bare. I found the tree I did the pole dance around that saved me from a downhill header. Tread was a mix of cast in rocks and very disconcerting loose rubble.
The above is pretty typical of the riding here: tree cover.
I finished back @ Braley
The water in the solar shower was tepid for a parking lot shower.
I drove up to the pass and hiked the historical trail around the breastworks. Tree regrowth since 1862 clear field of fire buzz cut.
I drove back down to Mountain House and behind a TH for Ramsey draft, 6200 acres of designated wilderness. I scored the isolated spot for the night. temp dropped during the night, @ 8:28AM is was 49 degrees.
I need groceries and water for riding and staying out here again. I drove into Staunton on US 250 that routed downtown bordered by old public buildings. Town settled 1735. Goal was grocery store. A guy was looking at my van while parked in the lot. We struck up a riding conversation. He told me about Wolf Ridge which is right near where I am. I evaluated it for a ride but I wanted to call SBC to learn of beta. Instead this guy shared. I selected it then drove following GPS map. Wonderful country back roads.
I parked right off the gravel Tillman road where the trail dead ended at the road. Route was a road ride dropping off to a rough double track till the ST split off climbing up to Wolf Ridge. What a grunt. My body gives what I can talk it into giving. I stopped a few times to catch my breath and walked some until I made the ridge. Then the ridge ride was a treat in back woods riding; the trail needs to be brushed back just to get thru, let alone seeing the tread. Rocky chunk. Part way down the ridge the trail has been reconstructed to eliminate the fall line route. Machine built wiggle and waggle down to rejoin the old trail and back to van. I drove the 6 miles of drying out well maintained gravel road to the TH where I am. I put the solar shower on the hood while I was riding. The hood absorbs heat that transfers to the bag. Today I had a warm shower.
A couple rode into the TH on 29 hard tails. Their ride was bodacious and all on a hard tail. Ouch.
Tomorrow I plan on riding the rock gardens of Lookout again.
I download my bank account into Money and reconcile the transactions. I assign an category to each. I asked for the money spent on bike in June: $2,281. Great big month but digging new wheels, a 2X10 drive train, carbon handlebar, new shorts, and a new Wingnut pack to pick up @ sister Lynn’s in Ohio. YTD $4,333. This bike life is not cheap.
Saturday night I am camped in a deserted trail head parking lot on the eastern edge of the George Washington NF. Life is good. The side door is closed to shut out the chill.