sweetfilly7 said:
Love the glorious pics you post. I always check out your photo threads first. The scenery there is great.
How come you don't ride there June - August? I would guess because of insects, but I'm really hoping that's not the case as I will be spending a week up that was in mid-August and was hoping to ride the Barrens for the first time. (Are there maps around?)
Mid June to mid August is peak deer fly season, and deer flies love wide open, hot and sunny terrain like the Barrens. They don't like so much a close-in forest with a solid tree canopy, such as you find at Buckwallow. So I try to make the most of spring and fall on the Barrens, I can ride trails like Buckwallow all summer long. Black flies and mosquitos are not a problem because they can't fly fast enough to keep up with you while riding. And insect repellant is effective against these, although we don't bother with it. I just carry a small emergency sprayer of bug repellant in my pack in case of a mechanical and I have to stop, fix the bike, or walk out.
I have yet to find a repellant that is anything but moderately effective against deer flies, and they also can fly at cycling speed so... no escape! They are relentless, but I have found that if you stop and are still for some time, they will often leave you alone after awhile!
There are often maps in a mailbox at the trail head, but they go fast. I can try to get one and send it to you in a pdf file some time in future. By mid-to-late August deer flies should be waning or even done (if we are lucky)...so I would certainly not skip The Barrens. Thanks for the pic appreciation and if you need any info or help sorting out local rides, don't hesitate to send me a pm.
A few from today...
