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Box Turtle Road ???
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 15:16
by The Harm
So I've heard lots of guys talking about box turtle road. So I downloaded Safiri route and was planning on trying it out this Saturday morning. Can anyone tell me what to expect on this road any updated conditions like tons of mud??? If anyone want to go with me I'll be leave from lawrence on Saturday morning around 9 am
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 16:00
by JaySoy
How about "Box Turtle in the Road."
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 16:40
by Hayden
I beg to differ!! THAT IS NOT A BOX turtle!!!! Keep all fingers away from the front of that thing.
Hayden
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 16:46
by JaySoy
So you are telling me it wasn't smart to have my hands and camera 6 inches from his face?
hmmmmm whoops.
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 19:19
by KC
Troy and I were swimming in a creek near our farm. I'm thinking he was about 11 which would make me about 9. What must have been the largest snapper I have ever seen came swimming towards us. All we could see was his enormous scaly shell and top of his fat scary head. We couldn't have jumped out of that water any faster!! We ran the 1/4 mile back to the house, screaming all the way that there was an ALLIGATOR in the creek!
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 19:26
by troy
Thanks for the memory, Kyle!
Great photo, Jason! Glad you survived the encounter.
Harm, you ride a KLR650, right? I can't speak to current mud conditions, but I will say that in my opinion, some have hyped the difficulty of that road. I will agree that it is probably the roughest road I've personally ever seen in Kansas, but it is a road. Now, muddy and badly rutted, it could definitely provide a challenge. Dry, however, I really don't see you having any issues.
Let us know what you find.
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 20:42
by Hank Moody
troy wrote:Thanks for the memory, Kyle!
Great photo, Jason! Glad you survived the encounter.
Harm, you ride a KLR650, right? I can't speak to current mud conditions, but I will say that in my opinion, some have hyped the difficulty of that road. I will agree that it is probably the roughest road I've personally ever seen in Kansas, but it is a road. Now, muddy and badly rutted, it could definitely provide a challenge. Dry, however, I really don't see you having any issues.
Let us know what you find.
Troy, is right the rep of box turtle is over blown. It is rutted but is diffently an average rider on a KLR should be fine. This type of road you will encounter often if you do one of the rides in Arkansas.
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 20:59
by iyeager
If I'm on my KLR by this weekend, I might break 'er in off-road with you. I'll keep you updated.
Ian
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 21:45
by The Harm
Thanks for the heads up Troy. I'd personally like to say my dual sport riding skills have increased tremendously since the Atchinson ride last year. Although I still hate mud. I have atempted to increase my skills by hitting harder terrain and doing some motorcross riding. If I can ever figure out how to share pics I'll post some pics of my rides in douglas county and trails in butler county. Even though I anxious about hitting Box Turtle road, I'm still going to try it and do everything I can to increase my abilities. I know the KLR is heavy and not the greatest dual sport bike. I still enjoy it. Maybe after my Subari WRX is payed off I'll get an even bigger stable of bikes. As of right now I plan on learning on the KLR. If I can ride the KLR through half the stuff I plan on I might be a semi-decent dual sport rider. All I know is I love motorcycles and I love back roads!!!
Re: Box Turtle Road ???
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 22:08
by safiri
The Harm wrote:So I've heard lots of guys talking about box turtle road. So I downloaded Safiri route and was planning on trying it out this Saturday morning. Can anyone tell me what to expect on this road any updated conditions like tons of mud??? If anyone want to go with me I'll be leave from lawrence on Saturday morning around 9 am
There is one intermittent stream crossing on Box Turtle. If it has rained, that will be a mess. Near the north or west end if IIRC. Hayden, one heck of a rider, ended up backwards after sliding through it several years ago.
Once up on top of the hill (southbound? eastbound?), the road can be muddy, but not too bad. We did after a lot of rain and I got through as a newby. Took some time, but I stayed upright.
One of the "dangers" is that PI (poison ivy) inhabits the edges of the road. Some places you have a choice ... easy route with poison ivy on my pant legs or harder route without.
As posted, Box Turtel Road is a road. It is difficult for a road, but not difficult when rated against trails at OHV or USFS areas.
Posted: 05 Jun 2007 22:17
by The Harm
I don't get poison ivy!!!!
Posted: 06 Jun 2007 07:47
by safiri
Neither do I, but you have been warned!
Posted: 06 Jun 2007 09:45
by The Harm
Thanks for the heads up, though
Posted: 06 Jun 2007 12:12
by iyeager
I roll around in PI for fun. It invigorates me.
Ian
Posted: 06 Jun 2007 13:54
by ajayhawkfan
Where is Box Turtle Road?
Posted: 06 Jun 2007 14:18
by troy
I spent 10 years sipping poison-ivy tea to build up an immunity to it. At first, I would only use 1/100th of a leaf in 6 ounces of boiling water. I could only do this once a week and only after a steroid shot.
Now, I use the leaves as toilet paper. Sometimes I wrap bunches of the leaves together and use as a shower brush.
Posted: 06 Jun 2007 14:33
by The Harm
west of Topeka
Posted: 06 Jun 2007 15:32
by ajayhawkfan
troy wrote:I spent 10 years sipping poison-ivy tea to build up an immunity to it. At first, I would only use 1/100th of a leaf in 6 ounces of boiling water. I could only do this once a week and only after a steroid shot.
Now, I use the leaves as toilet paper. Sometimes I wrap bunches of the leaves together and use as a shower brush.
I thought you also smoked the stuff.
Posted: 06 Jun 2007 15:34
by ajayhawkfan
The Harm wrote:west of Topeka
West of Topeka
That is quite a large area. Can you narrow it down a little.
Posted: 06 Jun 2007 16:13
by safiri
ajayhawkfan wrote:The Harm wrote:west of Topeka
West of Topeka
That is quite a large area. Can you narrow it down a little.
South of Manhattan
North of Wichita
East of Kanorado!
Yeah, I'm a smartass. As soon as I get Lars a bottle, I will attempt to find BT Rd on Google Earth.