Quote Originally Posted by north woods gal View Post
I do find it interesting to ride on all these various off-pavement surfaces, though. Riding conditions on our gravel and sand roads change almost by the day, depending on how much rain we've had (that affects surface hardness), how much traffic has been on the road (those deep ruts left by vehicles are real bike traps) and, of course, any kind of road maintenance (freshly laid gravel and so on). Add to that the fact that you are riding in some really remote backcountry areas and, well, going back to pavement is kind of tame. Biking these back roads really is a great way to get to know the country. It can be a workout, though. Pedaling though 8 miles of wet sand isn't for wimps.
That's so true! When we lived in Belize, we rode beach cruisers on packed sandy roads that periodically had huge puddles, or got plowed, or rock put down, etc. So you never really knew what to expect on a day to day basis. It was always an adventure, and I am sure riding the back roads with regularity would be the same! Even on the forest service roads we rode in the national forests down in the southern US states, from one mile to another they could vary incredibly, from nicely packed to deep, scary gravel, to potholes and ruts and washboarding...a little of this, a little of that!