Cow Creek

I found a great 1.5 hour ride from my house. It’s got twisties and elevation changes, a nice relaxing slow “sight-seeing” section with plenty to see, then on the return trip, the twisties again, but from the other direction. I’ve been down Cow Creek before (video) but this time was a lot more fun just because I am a lot more comfortable riding now. There are a couple potential water crossings (they were dry this time) that lead up to some tight turns and they were a little tricky the last time I went this route. This time was a breeze, however. The slow-speed maneuvering practice really pays off.

The weather was absolutely perfect for riding – plenty of clouds overhead to keep the lighting interesting and the temperatures down, a very light wind. I really like Cow Creek because there is no traffic to speak of. I saw two cars and one person out for a morning walk.

The highlight of the ride was seeing my first-ever skunk in the wild. I was riding at around 25mph and I saw it crossing the road from right to left up ahead. By the time I passed him, he was on the edge of the road and I saw his tail flip up. I scooted out of there pretty quickly then had to laugh to myself.

After Cow Creek, I headed back south to meet up with 1431 again for the ride back. That stretch of 1431 is the most fun part IMO of that road. I kept it in 4th gear the whole time, which kept the bike in a nice powerband. I saw more people riding their motorcycles than ever before on 1431, which was pretty cool. But I honestly was getting tired of waving at everyone. Still, I stuck my hand out at everyone to not be a jerk.

Anyways, this is one of my favorite rides and I am sure I will be doing it many more times.

Time: 1H 35M
Odometer: 65.36 Mi
Moving Avg: 41.0 MPH
Max Speed: 68.1 MPH