Coon Fork to somewhere near Hatfield
It was dark by the time we set up camp, so it was a pleasant surprise to see how lovely Coon Fork is. Fall had also arrived while we slept, and we were greeted by fog and a heavy dew. There was no hurry for breakfast or breaking camp, and we headed out mid-morning.
The morning was clear, cool and sunny, and we passed a grader working on Globe Camp Road. A local and his wife were out slow-rolling up and down the road in their pickup, so I talked to them a bit. Apparently a piece of the town's road machinery had lost an expensive, fist-sized nut, so they were out looking for it, and asked whether we would help. I said sure, but I must admit that I spent a lot more time watching the scenery than looking for the town nut.
The rest of the morning was an easy roll to Rock Dam County Park, where we stopped for a lunch break. Nice place, and it would be worth camping there.
Next up we were hoping to try a few Clark County ATV trails, because they're all over the place. The first thing we ran across was a very promising-looking dirt road with a "This is not an ATV Trail" sign at the beginning. Rather soon though, we found ourselves pushing bikes through deep sugar sand. After a short stretch of pavement, we decided to try an actual ATV trail. Same result.
After a water stop and brief look at Wild Rock County Park, the Clark County Forest roads proved to be the best riding of the day. Bald Peak Road and Dam Road 2 were the most notable. Camping is permitted on much of the county land, so it might be worth coming back up to take advantage of some lesser-known spots.
There was another brief stop at Wildcat Park, and we considered hiking up Wildcat Mound, but time did not permit. A couple of the roads were pretty sandy, I think Town Line and Poertner Roads in particular. We were glad to see the last of those sometime mid-afternoon.
Next up was a quick stop to check out the new shelter at the Levis Mound trailhead, where we took on more water and had a snack. Would love to go back.
Just a few more miles brought us to the Warmshowers host that Grant had set up, and arguably the strangest night of the trip. Our host was friendly enough, but once we were shown to our accommodations in the basement (of a very large house), there was no further contact, really. I don't know if there was a miscommunication, or if they just had no interest in socializing with us, but it felt really odd. We cooked and ate our soup outside the back door. Honestly, I might have rather just slept in another campground.
(All of the photos are here.)
After a water stop and brief look at Wild Rock County Park, the Clark County Forest roads proved to be the best riding of the day. Bald Peak Road and Dam Road 2 were the most notable. Camping is permitted on much of the county land, so it might be worth coming back up to take advantage of some lesser-known spots.
There was another brief stop at Wildcat Park, and we considered hiking up Wildcat Mound, but time did not permit. A couple of the roads were pretty sandy, I think Town Line and Poertner Roads in particular. We were glad to see the last of those sometime mid-afternoon.
Next up was a quick stop to check out the new shelter at the Levis Mound trailhead, where we took on more water and had a snack. Would love to go back.
Just a few more miles brought us to the Warmshowers host that Grant had set up, and arguably the strangest night of the trip. Our host was friendly enough, but once we were shown to our accommodations in the basement (of a very large house), there was no further contact, really. I don't know if there was a miscommunication, or if they just had no interest in socializing with us, but it felt really odd. We cooked and ate our soup outside the back door. Honestly, I might have rather just slept in another campground.
(All of the photos are here.)
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