alexuk
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2011
4 of us rode up cross country to Mok Fa
mok-fa-dirt-loop-nnw-of-chiang-mai-t320.html
As it was 3pm ish and phil got a puncture, we carried on on the pai road a few km,east to
Sop Poeng, and when we found the right turn off, took the tarmac road for 22 windy kms until
we got to Sop Kai.
The weather was looking ominous, so we decided to keep moving, and turned
left over the bridge, onto the wide dirt track heading north west toward Muang Khong. Its a
4wd track you follow,staying on the main track for about 10km,it turns into a concrete road
which goes downhill where you turn off right, N19 18 15.3 E98 43 35.0, onto singletrack in
the forest.The concrete rd carries on a couple more km to a village with a bridge or2 over
the Mae Tang river.
Theres a small suspension bridge there,with an option to go through the stream..
So the singletrack is very nice in the dry, but it had started to rain a bit. It didnt take
much rain for the track to get real slippy, and after getting caught on a downhill section where we couldnt stop, we carried on real slow in 1/2nd gear with our bent shifters.
The track is being cleared to make a 4wd track,but there's a few too many boulders at the moment
for that, though it's a few feet wide, the line is mostly a foot wide,polished and slippy
slippy, so I was trying to find traction in the rubble and leaflitter beside it. We slid
down to a gully with a little split log bridge, wetand slippy,
Trying to get some footage of Chris sliding down the hill,and the surprise slippy bridge
but we got over ok, and it wasnt far then to Muang Kong village.
Muang Kong is a big village, where some of Chris's Lisu relatives live, and we were able to
spend the night there, which is real handy for the riding.
There is petrol there, shops etc. and a concrete road all the way, past the mountain, back to Chiang Dao.
We met Chris lovely wife there, and had some rice and vegetables I hadnt seen before for
supper, had a wash,slept on a mat.There were no mozzies there,and in the morning had a walk
around and breakfast before checking the bikes and filling up.
We wanted to do a loop up to Wieng Hang, this gave us plenty of options for escape routes if
the weather turned on us.
Chris had been part of the way up to Nam Hu in his car, so we got on the right track easily,
and headed north west. Therewere a couple of junctions,but the gps got us through to the main north/south track and Nam Sun.
It's doable in a 4wd drive from Muang kong up to wieng Hang.
We carried on to the other tracks and then went a couple more km to the main road at Wieng Hang
and had some chicken fried rice, gasoline, saw this massive leaf insect about 6inches long, and found an M/c shop a few hundred metres up from the restaurant to adjust my chain, then headed back to the tracks and south, about 35km, back to Muang Kong.
The first 10km or so to Huai Ya Sai is marked as 4wd on the map. There was a fork where we
had to go left down a slope.
The part on the map marked motorcycle only is now being made into a road, however there are
parts which can only be done by motorcycle. Like the new suspension bridge.
never appeared, the new road must have moved it or taken a new line.
Theres a lovely section here that goes in the woods through several streams, and past a big
red house on the left. It's all remote countryside with hardly any habitation.
So no big river crossing now-except-there's a new bridge being built, a lot of earth has
been moved, and we had to ride the new banks to the bridge site. That is a building site,
there is a big(50metres) area of still water to cross,with a wall of wired rocks either side
which some scooters crossed on.The locals signalled to us to drive through but I wanted to
check it out 1st. Soon a local tried it on his scooter, but stalled halfway when it got
deeper. This didnt put Chris off though(since he wanted to beat the guy on the scooter) and
he crossed first. The water got deeper a few metres from the end,my bike sounded like the
exhaust went under, but I dont think it did. Thijs went next and I got him on camera. The
water was over his seat.
back to Chiang Dao. Which gives stupendous views of the mountain, and is lovely and fast and
windy and hilly and only takes an hour,if you have enough petrol....
Where was Chris?
a few minutes later he showed up. His fuel light was on so he was taking it easy,we went on
then my bike died, I had to put it on reserve. yes we should've filled up in Muang Kong.
It's a lovely road but I had to take it easy,try to stay in top gear and not accelerate. It
wasnt hard, but I should've coasted down the mountain, as I ran out of gas a few km before
Chiang Dao. Thijs and Chris both made it to a fuel stop just before the main road, and
Thijs brought me back a half litre to get me going again.
