Photo 13 ... It is never too long before encountering another stream crossing ... here we witness Indy demonstrating perfect riding technique for the foot deep water ... good part is that you get rid of much of the mud you're carrying after one of these! Most of the crossings are rock bottomed and therefore relatively easy to traverse ... only the occasional larger stone causes any excitement. As mentioned previously, carrying an extra air filter and spark plug is prudent for such environs.

Photo 14 ... Some trails were absolutely brutal! We opted out on trying this one ... while it is difficult to assess the steepness of the incline in this photograph, take my word for it, this baby had all the makings of disaster written all over it! The erosion gully in the center was over 5 feet deep about half way up the off camber hillside ... the erosion gully was sloped at greater than 60 degrees ... the center was muddy clay mixed with rocks and then covered with leaves ... yea, I can picture many of you folks right now ... your tongue is hanging out, your palms are sweating, you'd give it a try ... but patience my friends, we have a whole day ahead of us ... its not nice to break your ride too early in the day!

Photo 15 ... Indy [left] and Neal beneath a huge outcropping of sedimentary rock. Although all the leaves are now gone from the trees and the countryside is a bit washed out with regard to color, it does have one advantage ... you can actually see more of the terrain. Indy has been down here in the summer and he tells me that when the trees are in full bloom, you can barely see any of the terrain such as this.

Photo 16 ... Mile after mile of near perfect riding conditions ... this is a T in the trail about half way up a mountainside that is actively being forested ... the trail leading up to this point looked exceedingly fresh, was very rough, soft and muddy in spots ... at one point we passed a foresting machine. As you can see, when it rains, it gets muddy very quickly ... the conditions go from reasonably good traction to quite slippery because of the clay soil composition common to this area. The trail straight up the mountain in the foreground is my one failure ... it is a series of switchbacks, each flight becoming steeper and more rocky until it finally emerges on the top where the road becomes 'reasonable' again ... or so I am told by Indy and Neal, both of whom easily made the climb and profusely described it as: "GREAT FUN!" I simply ran out of momentum [and courage] about 80% up the hill ... where I came to stop the hillside was so steep I couldn't stand up ... so, I slid off the back of the seat and held on to the bike for support ... together we slid downward, first sideways, then finally in the forward direction ... after three flights of bulldogging I managed to find a spot I could remount and restart my bike and ride the rest of the way back to this exact point.

Photo 17 ... A great purview of the valley below ... we are actually perched on the edge of a huge rock cliff and to my left, the trail runs directly up to, and if you're not paying attention, off the edge ... it was at least a 300 foot fall straight down!

Photo 18 ... Early in the morning of Day 3 ... today we head to the north and with intentions of following the Cumberland River west into the forest ... we take a side adventure on a small single track leading off the main trail ... it heads down a steep, rocky hillside and emerges in a hidden valley occluded by this gargantuan outcropping that Indy and Neal are posing beneath ... but there are more secrets to unfold!

Photo 19 ... The valley beyond the preceding outcropping is a box canyon serving up this delightful waterfall pouring into a perfectly formed, natural, reflection pool. All of this scenery is completely hidden from the main trail which skirts the valley on the ridge above the waterfall to the left. The temperature was at least 15 degrees cooler down in this natural depression which likely explains the many campsite remains in the area.

Photo 20 ... Neal heading up another of the countless ATV trails ... the pines add a great deal of color to the otherwise bland decor of the winter forest scene. As you might guess, there really isn't much flat territory in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Many of these trails are dead ends but they still present a great deal of riding pleasure when you remember what MI can be like this time of year.

Photo 21 ... I am posing within a giant cave leading into a rocky ledge alongside the trail. If you examine the upped edge of this ledge you can see that the soil layer is really quite thin ... the vegetation and trees have developed a complex strategy of entanglement that enables them to cling to the mountainsides.

Photo 22 ... Hey, a sandy road ... feels a bit like Michigan! This is a KY road that follows the Cumberland River and appears quite well traveled ... many spots folks can fish from along the bank.

Photo 23 ... Oops! Another side trail turns ugly ... here we see Neal assessing my chances of surviving an attempted ride down this gully ... again, photography tends to forego depth as these rocky steps are really quite steep and lead to something even worse ... check out the next photo!

Photo 24 ... Here is the bottom portion of the trail before it climbs the other side of the gully ... Indy and Neal are explaining the complex line I will need to take in order to arrive at the bottom while still alive and in control of most of my appendages. As indicated by the photography ... my closest approach to this trail was via the telephoto viewfinder on my camera ... that's why I am still here reporting this ride to you!

Photo 25 ... The three amigos nearing the end of another perfect riding adventure. In the background is the mighty Cumberland River ... the sound of several nearby rapids can be heard above the resounding silence of the surrounding National Forest ... definitely calling us to return in the near future. We hope that these photos and accompanying dialog have provided you a "taste" of our adventure and together we now share some of these experiences that only DS riders can truly enjoy!