We bibmled along the ping river, looking at the swollen volume and the amazing force of the water as it gets sluced through the various gates along the way.

The weed of a couple of weeks ago has nearly gone, – way on down stream I guess.

Dropped off another cache today (number 6) at Wat Patana Tdua Yang and ‘Rosemary on the right’ is the clue !!! Ha ha, you had to be there.

Anyway, a nice little jaunt on the flat, no stresses & strains of daily life, a really relaxing day.

Get the gdb file here …

He lives near Ban Thi and we didn’t have to go far before we found a bit of the countryside, across the canals, in the foot hills and around the various waters in the mountain valleys there.

A nice little ride, ending up at Wat Hang Bat which is undergoing a make over but the real attraction here is the view point tower giving an excellent view across the entire Chiang Mai valley.

A short ride of 75kms.

Get the gdb file here …

Today instead of a Wave, I was on a DTracker and it was perfect.

Tarmac, concrete, cobbles, ruts, pot holes, loose pebbles & bolders & talcum powder, this bike got me over the varied surfaces with fun, comfort and confidence.

Within the middle stretch, after Bo Kaeo, is where I took most of my photos today looking out over the massive amount of mining going on with the accompanying road damage either side.

My journey ended with torrential rain which was also a lot of fun, quenching the scorch of the searing last few months.

A note for Big Al, the Harley rider, this is a definite ‘no-no’ route for such a bike.

145km round trip.

Get the gdb file here …

Here I followed this up towards Mae Pha Haen Reservoir and the kiln where I made my first Cache hide of the day.

I then took the 2024 up to the 1229 where I took a right & up over the mountain.

At the 1230, I took a left up to Tha Nuea where I stopped to see the temple developments there. Amazingly, the entire car park now has a roof and there is a massive poster of people with tattoos, maybe that’s where the funding for the roof came from ?

I then watched a guy unload his digger from a trailer with refined skill.

Further up the 1230 I visited the View Point & made another Cache hide. This location is right in the middle of a loose stone section of a few kilometres but with care, is ridable.

At the top of the 1230, after all the cows & their splatterings on the tarmac, I turned left back onto the 1317 & then a right towards Huay Hong Khrai, passing School for Life etc along the red dirt track.

At the end of this section, I turned left down to the centre of the Royal Project and made my way to the Zoo where I made another Cache stash!

From here I rode south & out of the project, over to San Kamphaeng Hot Springs area and then down the 1317 towards home.

A nice little ride of 150km.

Get the gdb file here …

Art, Yui, David & I met at Miguels in Nong Hoi and took the 106 down to the 121 & turned right for Samoeng.

After a couple of posed photos passing the beautiful blooms along the 1269, we finally made our way through the curves & twists of the west side of the loop up to Samoeng.

After a stop & a drink, David & Yui headed back to Chiang Mai via the 1096 to Mae Rim but Art & I took a slightly longer route via the 6033, up to Samoeng Nuea and then down to Pong Yaeng on the hard pack track which was seeing progressive development, much of it now being concreted as we rode it.

I said farewell to Art at the 1096 and I turned right back towards Samoeng and eventually turned left & back down the 1269.

This part of the journey was a little different for me. I made my first ‘Hide’ of a Geocache.

After hearing about this hobby a few years ago, I never got around to it due to being so darned busy with dogs in the meantime. But now with more time on my hands, I have decided to take up this game / interest / obsession (haven’t understood it fully yet!) and this week I prepared my first little waterproof plastic container along with a log sheet, some instructions for any finder of it & some novelty objects to start of the cache.

Get the gdb file here …

Down the 121 from the 108 until the Ping River and I turned right onto the river side road and stuck with the river to my left. Along here I found a delightful little coffee shop run by a dear little old lady who served up a very tasty iced coffee. I continued further until Ban Pak Bong where I crossed the bridge and took the 1156 south.

I found myself a riverside restaurant with a view over the river watching the dredging process and looking at Wat Phrathat Doi Noi on the the small hill on the far side. After a short stop I continued down the 1156 until it meets the 1010 at Wang Phang.

I turned right and then picked up the riverside track just over the bridge and continued south. Along here I took a couple of dusty excursions to get closer to the river and they were well worth it.

Near Sop Tia I crossed the river again and joined 3004 until the next bridge where I visited Wat Hat Nak. After a brief walk around the building site, I crossed back over the river and continued down to Nong Pla Sawai & visited Wat San Chedi Rim Ping, an altogether more magnificent and creation with an outstanding old archway & Chedi.

I then took the 3058 and some river hugging tracks further towards Hot where I was looking for a familiar Mae Soi Phatthana Bridge, as I wanted to visit a piece of land we own near by. I take the 4316 until it does a sharp right and I take the dirt to our land.

This place was gorgeous a couple of years back until some silly idiot neighbour burnt it to the ground. The Lamyai trees were quite mature and it was a pleasure to go down there and walk around in a wilderness. Since then I haven’t been back & we just left the place to go to ruin. Shame.

After a brief stop I rode through to the 4009. If I wrote 20 expletives, it would not do the joy of this road justice, I guess I just have to say it’s a bit of all right.

I visited Huai Muang Ton Lang Reservoir but there was no sign of water and if there was, the house / shacks that have been built there would be washed away.

I rode the 4009 north until it met the 3004 and then the 1010 at which I took it back to Wang Phang and found the 1156 back towards home and then the 4200 to San Patong & Hang Dong.

The distance today was 185 km and the roads were a little of everything, I had wet, dusty, straight & curves. I had scenery and good food, I had some interesting photo stops and above all I had a brilliant ride.

Get the gdb file here …

We rode down to Saraphi where I took the lead & showed the guys a river side route through some village roads & bypassed the usual traffic holdups in the city of Lamphun.

Coming out on the 106, we rode south to Ban Hong, caused a sensation at the 7/11, had various discussions on some very diverse topics and then pressed on to Doi Tao.

At the car park, the view across the valley was slightly clearer than a few weeks ago but just as dry. Today, led by the ever adventurous Kevin, we rode onto the bed of the valley, joining the cattle and experiencing the undulations of the partched dry flood plain.

After Doi Tao, we headed for the cut through to 4038 and then south towards 1087.

Along here, there was a chance to top up with fuel and also an opportunity for Slash to prove his skills, on road & off ! Following the road plough he decided he’d had enough & bronko’d across the border of the road. You can take the piss out of Slash but never the boy !

At the 1087 we turned right & into the Mae Ping National Park, at the entrance, the guys worked their charms on the gatekeepers, we went through without too much hinderance or messing about with money.

Kaeng Ko View point gave us a birds eye view of the changing weather conditions, the sky building with storm clouds and lightening cracking across the opposite mountains. Wind picking up and the water turning from calm to showing white tops on waves.

The rain started to lash down on our return to the park entrance and immediately the roads began to steam. The rain eased and we arrived for a top up in Li almost dry, after the wind from the massive nearby storm blew a furnace upon us as we rode.

From the 106 we took the 1274 and then the 1184 north towards Lamphun. We nearly escaped the rain again but as we climbed through the brilliant twisties, we crossed the path of the storm and this time we were well and truely soaked to the skin, standing beneath sparsely leaved eucalyptus trees.

We took the interesting little road 4010 which runs to a piece of water on the map called Mae Moei Reservoir. Kevins habit of not leaving a stone unturned (especially near water) turned up some wildlife and Colin enjoyed capturing the beautiful little snakes on camera as well as under his boot!

A brilliant ride, a fitting excursion to celebrate the close of Slashes holiday and a distance in excess of 420 kms.

Colin fly’s out tomorrow evening, 31 March 2010, so we are having a bite to eat with him at Miguels on the Lamphun Road from 17:00 – 18:30. Anyone interested in stopping by will be very welcome.

Get the gdb file here …

Met up at the Kafe @ 9 but eventually after much discussions about a wide varietyy of things, we set off on the road 2 hours later!

We took the 1001 to Mae Ngat, saw the water, or lack of it, pressed on to the backdoor of Mae Kuang and then further on to Phrao for a top up at 7/11.

The 1150 was a delight, despite the abundant loose and the raging fires actively adding to the smog on the mountain top.

We enjoyed a rare moment or two as we passed through some pockets of cool, fresh air that reminded me of the forest climate found in Chae Son in the cold season but they were shot to kingdome come on the next bend in the road.

Back down on the flat we joined the 118 and headed for Chiang Mai & into the sunset.

No excuses for a lack of photos, it was a wonderful ride.

The Phantom is now clocking up an amazing 800,000 kms.

Get the gdb file here …

Here there is a new road going in, pointing directly towards Lamphun and currently ridable.

I took this road down to the crossroads I had stopped at in June 2009.

Well, today there is tarmac but you still cannot use the bridge.

So I turned right onto the riverside road and made my way down to the 1156, 1031 & then the 106.

My destination was Lampang and I took the 1184 all the way down & then the 1274 to the 1 just south of Lampang.

I then joined the 11 for a few km’s until Hang Chat Police Station where I turned right onto the 3027 and headed for Khun Tan National Park.

The forest here has been damaged beyong belief. Everywhere you look, the forest floor is burnt to a cinder and many of the trees have been extensively damaged.

Eventually, out of the park & back to the 2031, I turned left towards the 11.

Along the 2031 I stopped to capture time standing still in the form of Tha Chomphu Railway Station.

At the 11, I did the U turn & at Mae Tha took the left onto the 1033 and followed this until it meets the 116 at the Pa Ha Intersection. Here I turned left onto the 116 until it reaches the 106.

From here, there is a new road directly ahead, full of road works but not surprisingly, quite busy. I take this road and ride all the way up to the Ping River and the junction of the 1156. I am now at the other side of the bridge I could not ride over earlier in the day, on the north side of the river.

This extension of the 116 and the bridge when open, will allow lorries to link up from the 108 to the 11. Will it be known as The Southern Chiang Mai By-Pass?

Now for anyone wondering why the title “… Tail of Sammy Snake” ? My GPS 60CSx today decided to play games with me. I was happy clicking up the km’s and registering the track I was riding, until I reached the 1033. As I rode along, I noticed the beginging of my track shrinking, diminishing and in effect, mimicing that very frustrating but captivating game, ‘Sammy Snake’. I rode 1 Km, 1 km dropped off the begining. So fearing I would not have a record of the 116 extension to represent on my report, I rode it again !

Amazingly, back at home on the computer, the track uploaded ok & nothing lost. – So I guess it’s all about the 500 points available in on board memory. The unit is set to record ‘More often’ and I guess I just noticed it for the first time & panicked!

Get the gdb file here …

February & March are always a little disappointing for anyone wanting to see any scenery in the Chiang Mai valley and every year it’s the same story, fires, smog and itchy eyes.

Today I took the Yamaha down the 108 to Hot, took a left towards Doi Tao. With my GPS map showing the extent of the flood plane, I made my way to it’s edge down a couple of side turns.

Amazingly, the valley below, the actual flood plane, is immense and the current low of the river that runs through here is shockingly low.

I make my way up to a temple with a fabulous look out and talk to the monk who lives there. The monk told me the view in 4 months time will be much better and the water level likewise. I made a promise to come back as this viewpoint gives you a full view across the entire valley.

At the Doi Tao ‘waterside’ market area, there were plenty of stalls selling the same thing – Fish! But the water level is the lowest I have ever seen it in 5 years. You could hardly see any water at all. The meandering river bed is sparsely covered with a few feet of water. The moored restaurant boats are on dry reed bed and it’s hard to imagine that just a year ago when I came here with Ken & Poo, the massive ferry was making it’s was across here on it’s journey to Sam Ngao.

After fighting off the pressure selling tactics of the stall holders, I continued on to Doi Tao village and then before reaching Pong Thung, I took a right turn and headed down a road I hoped would link me up with a road Colin & I said ‘we should leave for another day’ when we rode this area one time before.

This road soon deteriorated from tarmac to dust and there is evidence of some work being done to renew the surface.

Indeed it was the link I was looking for and I eventually exited near the entrance of Mae Ping National Park on the 1087.

After a stop to watch a guy thrashing the Makham from the trees like a raving lunatic, I took a break with his family having Gluay Tod & iced water. – That’s all they had !

I took the 1087 north east back towards the 106 and found the turning to take me to the massive gold chedi that dominates the skyline around here.

At Sri Wiang Chai Temple / Chedi I found the place deserted apart from a few giggling tour guides and an amazingly large area for parking. The road leading up to the front of this is lined with pillars topped with Cow’s and the beginnings of a tourist shoppers paradise in the guise of souvenir stalls.

Back on the 106, turned left and headed for Lamphun. This road was very busy with loading and conveying of garlic as were many of the roads today.

Let me digress – I had earlier stopped for lunch in Hot. The first shop I went into, ordered Khao Ka Moo & sat to wait. The shop was busy and so was the cook. The entire shop soon filled with smoke as the grilling of something out the back was forgotten and I and a few others got up & left. Across the road, another shop was selling what I had set my taste buds on and despite seeing & smelling so much garlic all day, the cook said they were out of garlic! I was so disappointed and the meal was bland without it. I had been thinking to call this post “The mystery garlic tour”

After reaching Pasang I took a left to San Patong, taking the riverside road for a while which rounded off a really nice days ride.

Total distance 320 kms.

Get the gdb file here …