Changing Landscapes

So after my DIY last week on how to stud tires I was in a mood to put them to use. That’s a lie. It is still cold and snowy here so I really don’t have a choice if I want to ride. Got all my cold weather gear on, loaded up the truck and picked up my riding partner for a visit to our usual riding hole. What happened next I didn’t expect at all. This week was a mix of freeze thaw and rain. I knew there was going to be a lot of standing water, but I had no idea what kind of power I was about to see.


Ten days there ago was about 24 inches of snow and snow banks up to 5 feet high in my front yard. I had to dig out my mailbox so the post man could deliver my bills. By Sunday morning I could see grass in spots, but the snow piles were still pretty high. The temp was 28F with an expected high of 32F. Perfect weather for a ride, just warm enough to stay warm, but cold enough to keep the ground frozen. I was hoping the trail was going to be nice packed snow with some spots of ice. That was wishful thinking.

The first 100 yards of the trail was crunchy deep snow that was very difficult to ride in. Once we got to the main trails they weren’t too bad. The hikers had packed it down in spots pretty well and the ice was slick, but with studded tires you can stay upright pretty well and pick up speed on the down slopes. Overall the ride was going pretty well until we got to the creek. Well we refer to it as a creek in the summer, but in the spring it is more of a full on river. With all the melting snow it was more of a roaring rapids.

Have you ever seen the aftermath of a Tornado or Hurricane? You eyes can’t believe the changes that mother nature can make in such a short time. Our usual trail was completely changed by the river over the last week. In one part of the trail there were sections of earth with entire trees erased from sight. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Just a few days before this was my trail I have known for years, and now it’s gone. It isn’t the end of the world, once the water level goes down I am sure a new line will emerge. Maybe even faster than before since it took away a lot of those nasty trees to get in the way.

The trail used to be to the left of these trees.  The new path in the middle is where trees have been removed and a new trail cut by the river.
The trail was to the right where water is now flowing.  The bank was collapsed and a new trail cut by the river.

 

 
This pile of trees are what was carried from up river and collected at this point.

 

So what did this teach me? Well mother nature can be a mean nasty lady. She can make changes fast and with devastating results. So enjoy your trail today because it may be gone tomorrow.

About Author

AdrianLong