Lost in the West

[Lem Lamb]

The better part of the day that's worth more than one can buy at a drug store counter.


The winds tappered off just enough for a grand stand closing too one awesome day.


Mixed thoughts and feelings as our brothers and sisters in the Crows Nest Pass will not be able too do this in the following yesrs too come "if" the GOA takes UTV/OHV out of the picture down there.


I guess the folks with good health and those with a whole day off from work could hike up there too take it in, but the rest who live busy life styles will have to buy air craft ultralight too take in what was once an enjoyable sport of relaxing sight seeing.

 

[Lem Lamb]

Nill for critter tracks from the 4000 ft mark up as the snows too deep for any wild game too find food. Defiantly none above the 5200 too 5500 ft range.


Cold and high winds dosen't seem to allow any critters too take this on up on the Plato. Rummaging for food source is tuff going up here.
Been able too see this first hand many times in this in Alberta and Utah East as well as Colorado West mountain ranges,,, tuff pickings for moose in sections of BC too.


Tingess of red sky night for quaders delight. The furry critters will be sturing down bellow in the dark valleys for sure.


Hard too imagine that I've covered many trails down there over many years, and only hope too continue to do so for years to come.
Would the day come that folks with disabilities and no access by units like snowmobiles, OHV'S, motorcycles be told that they can no longer go too areas like this.
Shame too think that this could happen.

 

[imdoo'n]

how true.

 

[Lem Lamb]

Simple little unit that improves the quality of life that our fore father's worked so hard too have, as many of them struggled too hard ships of long ago.
Our generation gained this foot hold too improve on travel and quality of life and work too allow both too fit into today's life styles.


This will be a game changer too the older folks in Southern Alberta as they loose out on their back yard play ground.
Less time enjoying the out doors as they "might" now have too travel greater distances too other areas of Southern BC too spend dollars out side of home land Province.


Kinda upsetting too the mountain bike and hiking folks too as these trails will over grow too not allow access to them either in years once the units are band from the system.

A home Province place called Siffler Falls is an example of no humans as 98% have over grown. Nill for humans go there as it a waist land of Wolves a stablushed in 1954.

Land that benefits no humans and a waist of old growth forest that cost us all multi millions of dollars per year containing endless forest fires year after year.

Place IMO only should of been logged out every 40 to 50 years for quality lumber in stead of becoming a tinnder box of forest fire waiting too happen again and again.

Strange too have a rich Province like Alberta waist it's resources for the good of nothing.
No hoofed critters back there as the Wolfs get all of them.

Just thoughts of what us that live in the out doors see first hand.

Pal Don in thoughts of change too sleds and OHV users in our Southern part of the Province.

 

[Ronaha]

This NDP government is a crusader for "special interest" groups so they only work for less then 10% of the population, they don't care about the other 90%,that's why they seem to be Stone Age and kill off all good life.

 

[Lem Lamb]

BC long weekend is a go.


Bring on the mountains.
Donkey has never been to this area, so he's thrilled to check it out.


Warm weather over the last few weeks is causing slide areas. Not kool.

 

[Lem Lamb]

Massive area of endless.


Ye Ha, always good times when the sun is shining.


Onda was working double over time on a day like this.

 

[doorfx]

Nice pics!! Do you have a camera or do you use for phone?

 

[Lem Lamb]

It was some tricky with UTV tracks in the play area, but lucky it was all up-hill on the way in that prevent me from dropping into a non-escape bowl. Ha. "wise too plan fore-sight in advance.

Smokey Dog cook as normal. It was a work out finding wood as the unpacked trail was way over my waist. LOL.
Dam near give up on the idea, but Donkey and Kow needed too eat.


And what a view too rap up the day. Awesomeness at every turn.




So Onda is a 1/3 the speed of sleds and limited to 20 too 25% ish of where the sleds can go. But one plus over all is the smooth ride on dished out trails too play areas.
And I was able too clip the edges for even a smoother ride.

Lots of 2nd and 3rd gear with 4th and 5th on the hard pack section.

Lem

 

[Lem Lamb]

Nice pics!! Do you have a camera or do you use for phone?

I some times do both, but lately I've been using my cell phone as I can copy paste from it.

I open 2 tabs,,, S&M Lost in the West thread and Photobucket on the other tab.

Then I switch back and forth between the tabs too put up the posts.

Much easier too do with my lap top, but I can post pretty fast from my smart phone.

Just found out I can talk to the phone so I don't have to type the words in. LOL.

Lots of kool things on today's phones. Not missing our old crank phone from our farm days.
Our pick-up ring was 2 shorts with 2 longs on the party line.

We had lots of fun with that old system. Ha.

 

[doorfx]

Have you tried "tapatalk" it is really easy to post pics.

Yep I remember the party line lol

 

[Lem Lamb]

I haven't yet, I'll have to check it out.

A few of my pals on Alberta Dual Sport Forum use it, they really like it.

 

[Lem Lamb]

It was a little shocked in yesterday in the BC mountains, but still a good weekend for a ride.

UTV tracks work awesome on hard and lightly packed down snowmobile trails, but the open bowls of endless hinder the free Willy operations.

Unknown draws, kooley's and ravines "could" make most OHV and UTV operators think twice about venturing into them.

A snow hummick or drifted off edge "could" tip a unit side ways beyond side-hill recovery that we're use too on sleds, lots of throttle gets us out of these binding points as SxS or Quads with tracks don't have this option.

Side-hilling amplifies the trenching on the down-ward side as gravity is a constant. LOL

Weather, snow-pack, terrain all play roles in where one "chooses to venture, and be it" smart or wise" is in the minds or thoughts of each person,,, I for one am not game too find these limiting factors at this time of year. There are better days beyond too find this out.

How deep is too deep might be a question folks ask, this is a 50/50 question as one also might want to ask how long would it take too get mobile after a stuck situation. Ha.

My reply would be longer than an hour or 2... Taking off the riding gear would be the first step as shovel work, foot packing and building a return-too-surface program might take some effort.

My unit would be 700 ish lbs opposed to a 13 or 1500 lb SxS.

This overall outing was low budget as Alberta gas and pack lunches kept the budget below the $200 range over 3 days. Much less if I stayed longer.

Can't wait for road band season too come as my plan is too hang out in the mountains for an extended period of time test piloting the set-up.

There is alot of mountains.


The trick is too bring lots of gas and plan on staying long enough too burn it all.

Lost-ness is what it is all about in the grand plan of living the dream.

Lem

 

[imdoo'n]

sounds like you are finding the does and don'ts of tracks! Ha. i can say we never rode in better than 3 ft of snow, but windblown crusty snow would produce the drop a track and rapid elevation lowering, a bit unnerving to say the least. and i do agree the sinking into snow better than four feet deep may be a long extraction endeavor. as you say it would require a lot of snow packing to get av back up onto better snow. powder may not be your best friend! glad to see you out and about.

 

[Lem Lamb]

Thanks Bro as its good too have solid hard ground too walk on.

The little Onda "could" of been in trouble in the big bowl had I not practiced my depth finding skills.

On the way up the trail I thought how nice it would be for me to get out of the way for the sled brothers and sisters,,, and take the time too clear fallen trees and sticks along its path.
One branch was giving me trouble as it would not brake off where it was suppose to, so it ment it was get off the unit and man handle the situation, LOL.

I steeped off the running board and sank up too my waist, it didn't take long too sink deeper as I graded the foot board of the quad too prevent going further down.

Wholly crap was that deep snow for a snowmobile trail. Deepest I'd ever seen for many a years less Mackenzie or Blue River.

The thought of the snow pack on trail was deep, I could only imagine how deep it was in the lower basins along the ridge line.

I'd guess it "might of been 15 to 20 plus feet in the creek beds, and double that along the West facing draws.

I'm sure the little Onda wouldn't drop any-whete close to that, but even 3 too 4 feet down with 4 tracks at 700 plus lbs is a nasty thought.

I took a stab at the one bowl in fear of this, then headed up-wards to the higher bowl too see if it was more packed down by sleds,,, the climb up threw the trees and the angle of its climb put the "Whoooo There Partner" factor in play.

50+ sled dudes and dudets might be a challange of getting un-stuck, and they might not be keen on the dude that left a 10x10 foot hole in the middle of their descending path. Ha

Invisioning issues/ "the puzzle" is part of my riding plan, that way these folks will look back at the crazy guy on the quad with tracks that came out too clear the riding trail and had a good time part way down at a Smokey Dog cook off bon-fire.

Next time out I'll make sure I pack enough Smokey Dogs for all the dudes and dudets.

Quad tractor dude has too fit into the show some how.

Slow and steady pal Lem

 

[Lem Lamb]

I'm a long ways too Lost in the West on this outing


So far in the back-woods that cell phone booster juice can bearly pick-up any signal bars. Ha.


More too follow in days ahead as I'm onto a gold mine of totally un-seen territories that Kow, Donkey and Lem have never been too.

Glad that we picked this area as it offers 2 major rivers, the largest by far cut blocks, and old rustic cabins of days gone by.

No NDP potatoes back then prevent humans from building a nation that they over look as they take for them selves at the cost of us that live off these lands,,, not only me but many of the brothers and sisters on S&M as well as logging, oil & gas, band of brothers next door that live in these trees, plus dirt-works road and pipe -line builders with power line men & women.

All this stuff along the Eastern Slopes of Alberta also adds jobs too the towns and cities America and World wide.

Plan is too share in this as we all ramp up too vote these clowns out of office so the Province can finally get to where we want to take it.

Alberta is a small land, so we best reep the rewards before Alberta joins the ranks of West Virginia & Virginia that is the 4th poorest of the 17 poorest USA states.

Less then 800 days till we send the message that we as Albertans do not approve of deals that happen with out a democratic process.

Lem waiting too post more when I find the trail too the tops of these mountains well above the 6000 foot mark.

 

[imdoo'n]

well i have always said once you reach the top, it is all down hill from there!

 

[Lem Lamb]

Lately on a few threads about the Castle Area becoming a park has taken up "some" of my out-door rec time.
Lots of talk from the NDP government how OHV's cause erosion and are hard on fish & wild life, but no mention of a more active thing that might out weigh or small sport compared too industry.

Funny that the NDP talk a good line in one area, but turn a blind eye in other spots in other areas in our province.
Time to chain-up too have a look see of NDP Government practises under their watch.


This outting was all by a new road into one of the "LARGEST" cut-blocks I've yet too see in our Province,,, this clear cut is 2 too 3 X's larger than any of the Grande Cache cuts that I've been too and seen first hand.


27.4 kms long and 2.5 kms wide,,, some times wider depending on what section one travels.


The trees needed cutting, but this cut-block is too much,,, the other 4 down rivers and the 2 up river are normal compared to this pancake land view.
Erosion will be massive, all furry critters in clueding Grizzly Bears have just been kicked out of their home lands by industry. Funny that it's ok here just outside the Big Horn area, but not in this new Park area.

 

[Lem Lamb]

I'm OK with logging, oil & gas, mining and everything else in the back country, but this is crazy since the new road pushed back here for 27 kms has next to nill for silt cloth too prevent this spring run off from entering the 2 rivers on either side of this 100 too 125 Square km clear cut that is only meters from both rivers



This cut cleared right over all the swamps, boggs, small stream and edges of the creeks

More photos too follow as its one massive cut beyond belief.

Lem

 

[imdoo'n]

Looks like lunar landscape lem?