sandmans log

[89sandman]

star date 3-28-09, our one day mission to seek out and explore untouched pow, to boldly sled where no sled has gone before well, i've been there a few times, and a couple of the other guys had been to parts of it. we did run into 2 other sleds in one spot, well lets just say to boldly go where few have gone before. met up with the darkside group and headed up a new way through the trees. me and king kat got seperated, hundred yard visibility in the trees makes it tough i lost my sense of direction, hate it when that happens! usually kind of have an internal compass keeps me on track but once i loose it... also went to erase my waypoints on the new gps and lost my topo map, luckily king kat had his so got us headed the right way. met back up with the darkside group and got headed up the ridge. was still lost until we hit the top. funny how we always top the same spot, headed over to cowbowl and tore it up!!! love looping around the trees and marking up to the cornices, just make sure you've got enough speed, king kat found out the hard way bailed over to the otherside, sweet ride down, thought in a couple of spots may be a little carnage, but everyone made it in one piece. is one sweet ride to the forbidden zone, a little bit of everything all in one. love the short steep technical spots up through the trees, nothing like picking a line and sticking to it!!! and maybe trying to change one or two on the way down carved and marked for awhile, got to look over the top some time, going over in a couple of places would be unreal. king kat seems to have lost his mojo after his crash, didn't leave a highmark one. hard to ride the trees when your confidence just isn't there, know there are a lot of times i just have to will my sled to make it go where i want it to, no time for hesitations or second guesses. have been where he is a couple of years ago, hope he makes it back. headed down through the trees and back to civilization, white out conditions were pretty severe up at the top of kelsay, got into part of the burn and had to track back because you just couldn't see where you were. sweet!!! the bottom west side of kelsay is getting bare, the last mile or so is getting thin. hit the truck right before dark, just the way i like it...

 

[89sandman]

some pics from the ride...

 

[rexbergstromconstruction@]

that ridge looks familiar, should have been there on thursday morning, would have been killer fresh, oh, is that hero's hill?

 

[Turtlehead]

My friend and I Rode with Sandman Saturday and Sunday, We can honestly say It was the best ride we've ever had in that area and we've been riding around there for around 20 years!! I have a few pics I'll post tomorrow.
I cant wait to do it again!!
Thanks again Ron!!

 

[89sandman]

what an awesome weekend!!! weather was picture perfect and great peeps to ride with boondocked on saturday, kind of hard to get around when you can see where your going. snow was starting to compact, had to goose it when going down hill to get over the boulders you were pushing. had my own little stuckfest seminar up at the top of the ridge, i hope you guys were paying attention cause i put a lot of effort into it hit the top and the pow was unreal! was a windblown drop i went off of, was sooo sweeeet about 20 feet straight down sled totally submarined at the bottom. was like floating through marshmellows, the precious almost clawed its way out but just didn't quite make it. heaven!!! rode the trees the rest of the day, was sad to have to leave, I HATE THE ROAD...
sunday brought another day of perfect weather, and a couple more riders to the group. snow had set pretty good so we tore up kelsay and headed west. one of the riders, i'm sorry i'm the worst person to remember names, was a little less experineced then the rest. had to make a pretty good climb to get up on one of the ridges, we all pulled it and sat up at the top wondering how we were gonna get him up. so ted decides he'll go down and help him, he starts heading down and we hear the sled coming up from the bottom. there was a pretty good turn in the middle and was really worried he wouldn't make it but he comes blowing right up to the top!!! sure that took some guts to look up at that hill and pull the trigger, i think the helmut made all the difference went and checked out the view from my favorite lunch spot and then headed over to chris's climb. snow in there was perfect, had a blast!!! always love topping that place and sidehilling, a little something there for everyone. boondocked our way back east for a ways, that ridge is one of rambobs favorites. hit the goat road and ripped it up back through kelsay. no real carnage except for a couple of skidoo belts one went up in smoke using reverse going down chris's climb, you should have seen it, it was smokin'.
ted, great riding with you guys and let me know when your ready to hit it again!!! next time you've got to wear the nmfh, i need a pic...

 

[89sandman]

some pics, what a view...

 

[OREGON700RMK]

Hey, I know that hill but it had some real snow when we were there. Ron, This was taken the same day we hit the Monster last Season.

http://www.motionbox.com/videos/a098dbb51c1be128

 

[RAMBOB]

Robert's Mountain / Roger's Point

Thats Robert's Mt / Roger's Point where that Vid and Sandman's pic were taken. That other Vid thats on the vid posting site thats got the long pull of Birds Point Road is Basketcase.

 

[OREGON700RMK]

Thanks RAMBOB it's good to know the correct name of the different places we ride. I think that Ron makes them up as he goes along. Dan

 

[89sandman]

hey thats the monster, or maybe we can call it the monster basket case dan, you mean the snow wasn't as deep so you could make it to the top so the snow was REAL good??? i'm gonna change all the names anyway...
rambob, didn't know you were still alive since you don't answer any of my PM's!!! i thought a couple of pics from our area might bring you out of hiding. someone had rode up from the Y figured it was probably roger or your good buddie allen give me a call, would love to hear how life on the east side is treating you.

 

[89sandman]

 

[INDEEP]

You almost pulled off a successful porpoise.

 

[89sandman]

jason, does that make it a stuckpoise??? that was some of the softest snow i ever floated into!!! thanks ted for the pics!!! got the one to load last night, now the rest won't download looks like there will be some fresh for this weekend, so a new opportunity to get some more. ted i'm still in need of that nmfh pic...

 

[89sandman]

sweet riding on saturday, snow was about 100% saturation. about as wet as it gets!!! so thick i got burried one time and i couldn't even spin the track, cemented in. me and highmark did a little exploring, did some backside riding. always more places to ride if you have the initative to get out and find them. seems some peeps need to poach our trail instead of making thier own hope whoever it was sees this and realizes what a bunch of weanies they are and learn how to find places on thier own!!! i guess when legends ride the less skilled and abled want to follow thats right i typed LEGENDS
snow down low is almost gone, bottom of kelsay was bare except for the road, and that was getting awful thin in places. good thing i know other ways to get up top, should extend the season for a couple of more weekends. got a chance to show highmark a little of my side. doug, we need to head west, i'll show you where the big dogs ride!!! guess we also need to quit using the road to go up the ridge and head in from the treeline.
got to see some places i haven't before, another way over the ridge, if you've got the guts. one of those places unless you've got to do it probably best to pass on what was it doug said, a lot risked for a little gained, only risk i see is my life and sled, how much could that be worth... did someone say PRICELESS??? or was that just me thinking outloud will post some pics later today.

 

[89sandman]

this pic i call the road to heaven!!! you just about have to be at the top of the world to see it

this one is of a lake in the middle of nowhere, i wonder where that could be???

this one is of highmark getting to know the local vegetation a little better, him and that tree were getting a little too close...

 

[89sandman]

thought i'd post about the last ride since i finally have a little time. met up at windigo, started out with 4, got to the top of the first ridge and had already lost one. he rolled going up the first part of the ridge and decided today just wasn't gonna be his day so he headed back to the truck!!! was a great last ride, we tore it up, went over the ridge 3 different times in 3 different places, sweet!!! got up in the forbidden zone and one of the trees had been hit by lightening and burned to the ground. must have been 10-12 feet to the bottom boondocked the whole day, snow was actually rideable. got back to the truck about 5, the other medford rider, john i think i'm sorry i'm terrible with names, was totally wasted. could barely walk from the trailer to the truck he gave his all, me and greg thought it was just another day up on the hill will post some pics later, have a good one of the burned tree. headed up little river tommorow on the quad, gonna try and find some snow up past hemlock.

 

[gcmci]

I didn't know that was the last ride i already went on 2 more and plan on at least until mid June? hope I'm not in any trouble LoL

 

[89sandman]

keep on riding!!! take some pics and show us loser how real late real men ride a couple of pics from MY last ride...

 

[89sandman]

went riding up out of black creek on sunday. weather was great, t-shirts for sure! seems i didn't quite bring all the things i needed a list of things i forgot, helmut screw for visor, robbed it for one of my other helmuts and forgot to put it back. map, was looking at it at the shop before i left and forgot to put it in my bag, had my gps and know the area very well but still BUG SPRAY, forgot all about my blood sucking little friends, your never alone knife, had it in my snow bag and forgot to switch it, you just never know when you might have to skin a bear. sunglasses, only the brightest day on record! this combined with my afore mentioned visor screw debacle made a great pair. this is the end of my list, i know i'm a loser but what can i say...
tried both ways to get up by hemlock the 2759 way but there was still about 2 miles of snow covered road up past sunset. tried to go up the main road past lake in the woods but the snowline was about a mile plus short of hemlock. could see tracks from some 4x4 quads but the sport quad only goes downhill in snow looped around snowbird way, got about a mile or so past the apple creek junction and hit snow again, was gonna try the 105 road but figured it just was not meant to be. headed over to lookout mt., got about 1/4 mile for the bottom and hit the great white again. nice view there of bailey. gonna get out the gps and find the fairy shelter next time, my buddy says its right next to the road, but i've been through there a lot and have never seen it. maybe time to get some glasses???
gonna ride from cavitt creek on sunday and head up to red butte then over to little river, got the z400 ready for the boy. back to the needing glasses thing, had to have my boy read the jet sizes on the z400 when we were drilling out the air screw plug and cleaning the carb. it was that or get out the magnifying glass, team aarp rules gonna camp up there tonite and hit it first thing in the morning. plenty of campsites still left in the woods a pic of black butte and the little waterfall on the way up to lake in the woods...

 

[OREGON700RMK]

You wouldn't think that you would have any trouble at all finding something called the Fairy Shelter.