Dual Sport Explore 4-17-2021

[thinwater]

@jrm927 had discovered while map surfing what looked like it should be a dirt loop near the State Line NW of Stevenson AL NE of Scottsboro.  @Pepperlady and I joined him in a discovery quest to find out just how good it may or may not be.  Google showed a connected loop with 3 ways in or out, however when I tried to build a route with my TomTom550 rider there were broken roads that didn't connect in the loop.  So it just would'nt let me.   Pepperlady chose her Dr200se since we knew the possibility for in and outs was high, so she could more easily kick stand spin it.  I had just finished earlier in the week washing and detailing the Royal Enfield Himilayan, it looked better than when I bought it.   Why did I do that?
  So we meet in Hazel Green and work our way through the Mountains headed East to investigate the loop and then end with celebratory victory lap on Crow Mt. 

  The explore was better than we thought it would be.  Found some new dirt on the way before we got there with a creek crossing.  Spotted some more that we didn't take because it would risk us not completing the mystery loop discover.  We only wound up doing half the loop and splitting to Stevenson because we were starving.  Ate lunch at post 2pm.   Some of you probably know the area as James Martin WMA, but we didn't even know it was there.  The map surfing we'd done it just looked like forgotten county rds.  Steep sections, my first sighting of a rattlesnake in the wild, mud, rocks, more creek crossings.  Then it seemed like it only took an hour to get there weaving backroads, non paved rds and a little nice striped 2 lane, but it took us an hour to ride home on 4 lane 72!?  I guess when you having fun time really does fly.   :'(

It was a terrific day, but we didn't get to explore the entire loop and had to do an hour of 4 lane (B-O-R-I-N-G) to get back for a day trip.  That trip needs a campground ride over play-camp-play-then ride home next afternoon.  I guess one could boring slab it straight over run it backwards back, but headed the Eastward direction the intensity builds instead of waning.