Talladega Nat'l Forest March 2 2022

[norton73]

Yesterday was supposed to get near 80 and i had finished up a few projects, so decided I had some time to ride. Headed over towards Talladega Nat'l Forest thinking it would be quick and easy.  I rode over to Piedmont and then went south on Dugger Mtn Road.  Had one pucker moment when i was flying along at a pretty good clip enjoying the scenery and the sun when I crested a hill and on the other side the road had been turned up by logging trucks and there were big ruts in the mud that had then dried. I stood up and just let the Tenere roll through at speed and made it out the other side upright somehow.

There were a few gates open, so i went exploring and finally came out just east of Coleman Lake, so headed over that way to rejoin FS500.

[norton73]

After a stop at the old church and a drink, I continued south on FS500. About 5ish miles south of Coleman Lake, there was a barrier across the road;



FS 531 crossed FS500 there, so I went east and after a while came out on CR66. I took it south to Heflin and then picked up 78 and returned to the south end of FS500 to see how far I could get. Right after the road starts, there is a small climb and turn. The Forest Service had nicely dropped a bunch of fresh gravel on top of the mud there. With the front end skating around on the gravel and the rear end struggling for traction, I made it through and continued on.

About 5ish miles I came to the other end of the closure at an intersection. FS 537A went east at that point and my GPS showed it went through to CR66 again. The gate was open, and there were no signs, so I decided it must be the approved detour. The road shortly turned to double track, grass in the middle. It went up and over a couple small ridges, a couple were steep with water bars and mud that made for interesting riding on a biggish bike.

As I got down the other side after 3ish miles, I could see CR66 on my GPS, but the road was blocked by recently felled trees and signs every where declaring "No Trespassing" and "Private Property." If I had turned around then, other than it being on a slight slope, it would have been fine. However, there was a track leading off to the north, so I thought that might get me around the blockage and on to CR66. After a couple hundred yards, the track ended in a swamp, nicely camoflaged by leaves and pine needles. In the process of turning around in the soft , slippery leaves and deep mud I dropped the Tenere. I was happy to be able to pick it up by myself, it could have been ugly otherwise.





Didn't take a pic of it laying on it's side, I could smell gas and didn't want to lose any. BTW, the Tenere lays flat when it falls over, my BMW only goes partway and is much easier to pick up.



Got it turned around and returned back to FS 500, now sweaty after lifting that heavy motha.

[norton73]

Headed south on FS 500 again, and decided it was getting late, so rather than going back to 78, I saw another road headed east, so started down it. After a couple miles, the GPS called it "Iron Furnace Road" and then it turned to double track and got narrow. I came around a sharp turn followed by a steep drop, only to find another pile of trees across the road and more "No Trespassing " signs. Now I'm on a steep hill, on a road that is only a couple feet wider than my bike is long, with step banks up on both sides. Making a 16 point turn with a almost 500lb bike on a steep slope, and not being able to touch the ground on the downhill side was a real sphincter clencher! I finally managed it while staying upright and returned to FS 500 again.

Managed to survive the gravel patch downhill this time, only the front wheel was being uncooperative this time.

I decided to stop at the ranger station at 78 to ask about the detour and if the blockage on FS 537A was legal. No one was there, but there was couple people over at the garage, so I rode over there. One of the guys came over and I asked about the closures. He said they were legal, that the roads went across private property. I said they should either close the gates or put up a sign so people didn't detour that way and he said the gates were open until March 15th for hunting. I told him someone could get in trouble down there, especially a jeep or truck or a larger bike. He said that was their problem. He said the GPS data was incorrect and anyone who got stuck was on their own, wasn't the Forest Service's problem.

After shaking my head and wondering how many people would get lost on FS 537A, I rode home via 78 and Pell City.

[norton73]

BTW, FS 537A would be fun on a small bike. The climbs and water bars would be a blast. I need to go back before March 15th with the KLX250/351.

[Merkur Man]

I watched a video of some guy reviewing the T7. He also commented on that bike being way top heavy, when it needs to be picked up from a "sleeping" position.
It looks like your saddlebags did not get any damage. Don't you just love that slick a** Alabama mud.  ;D

[Guidedawg]

I was going to say it sounded like a lot of fun exploration (and I'm sure it was) but sorry it was filled with way too many aggravating turnarounds, some of which sounded like scary work.

[norton73]

I watched a video of some guy reviewing the T7. He also commented on that bike being way top heavy, when it needs to be picked up from a "sleeping" position.
It looks like your saddlebags did not get any damage. Don't you just love that slick a** Alabama mud.  ;D

They are soft bags, so a fall at a stop just cushioned the fall and got it dirty.  A sliding crash at speed might be a different story.

[norton73]

I was going to say it sounded like a lot of fun exploration (and I'm sure it was) but sorry it was filled with way too many aggravating turnarounds, some of which sounded like scary work.

That's why they call it an adventure.


That said, if anything had happened, I was negligent in telling anyone where I was going. A fall with an injury might have meant I could be still out there. In an entire day of riding, once I entered the National Forest, I only saw one other vehicle, and it was a camper with a trailer.  I should probably research some of the emergency trackers for those times my phone doesn't have service.