gnurob
Member
Sizing up maps, it looked there was a really nice trail between Gaskiers and Saint Vincent's. Actually, it had enough promise to be a standard detour for any Irish Loop trip. Myself, sleepyhead65, HunterSon, and Bueller (Barry), decided to have an adventure.
But first, a quick mention. The next time you're in the area, there is an easy trail along the shore just past St. Mary's, and ending up in Gaskiers. It's easy to pick out on Google maps, and to see from the road. Give it a try. Here's two snaps from the return trip:
The Gaskiers to Saint Vincent's Trail
10k and you can see it from the sky. It must be good right?
Bogland Road, Gaskiers
Not to spoil things, but there is some truth here.
To the Community Pasture Gates
There were three gates in all. The first one is just a few minutes up the road.
Everywhere I've been, locals say is community land, feel welcome to pass through, but be certain the gates are re-secured. Unfortunately the first gate was also padlocked (despite a "close it behind you" sign). A well beaten trail just to the right bypasses that section of fence.
It wasn't a difficult detour, but understandably a concern for the heavy bikes on street tires. speepyhead65 and HunterSon decided to go with the Irish Loop, which was a good choice considering a few other patches along the way.
Bring Your Key
The second gate cannot be bypassed. We were careful to put things back how we found them. It seems the community spirit was getting forgotten.
Making New Friends
So, my theory that the community pastures were abandoned was incorrect. We met a few friendlies along the way that were clearly familiar with traffic. We keep our distance as to not cause the animals any undue stress.
A Few Rough Patches
Most of the trail was very good, but we came across three rough patches. None were any trouble at all for the Buell on 80/20 tires, and my bike sailed over them (got to love new tires!) on Karoo 3's.
I Did a Bad Thing
To the left, a couple metal guards like on corners of the highway. Walking the bike across is dead easy.
I choose the more challenging way...
First, a little panic. I didn't want to dig in.
Second, realizing I can't lift the bike, lots of throttle, and surprisingly enough headway to get to here with not much fuss.
Third, a pretty simple trick to get a heavy bike unstuck from a hole.
The Road Ahead
If you look closely, you can see the road continues, and is in very good shape, after one last boggy section. From some other vantage points, it was clear that the remainder of the trail is as good as the beginning. This was almost exactly the half way point, and its possible we could have sailed through here on our pegs, but I couldn't risk the time with an appointment in St. John's just two hours away.
Lunch Break
After walking my bike across the metal guards (it was so easy), we drove back over the rough patches without stopping, and found this grassy high point to boil some water and have a coffee with lunch.
You can see the second half of the road at the horizon, towards the left.
Tonis was definitely right about the coffee press. Great coffee!
So What's the Plan for Part 2?
The rest of the trail is perfect. No rocks. No ATV hump. And, beautiful scenery to boot. Since we did go after a fairly rainy week, and early in the season, I think this trail has high potential. The one bog we didn't have time to test is my only concern, and it may turn out to be nothing at all.
So, I'd like to go back, and add my own padlocks to the chains. This could easily be a Irish Loop add-on for anyone on 50/50 tires (or brave fellas like Bueller)!
Cheers!
But first, a quick mention. The next time you're in the area, there is an easy trail along the shore just past St. Mary's, and ending up in Gaskiers. It's easy to pick out on Google maps, and to see from the road. Give it a try. Here's two snaps from the return trip:
The Gaskiers to Saint Vincent's Trail
10k and you can see it from the sky. It must be good right?
Bogland Road, Gaskiers
Not to spoil things, but there is some truth here.
To the Community Pasture Gates
There were three gates in all. The first one is just a few minutes up the road.
Everywhere I've been, locals say is community land, feel welcome to pass through, but be certain the gates are re-secured. Unfortunately the first gate was also padlocked (despite a "close it behind you" sign). A well beaten trail just to the right bypasses that section of fence.
It wasn't a difficult detour, but understandably a concern for the heavy bikes on street tires. speepyhead65 and HunterSon decided to go with the Irish Loop, which was a good choice considering a few other patches along the way.
Bring Your Key
The second gate cannot be bypassed. We were careful to put things back how we found them. It seems the community spirit was getting forgotten.
Making New Friends
So, my theory that the community pastures were abandoned was incorrect. We met a few friendlies along the way that were clearly familiar with traffic. We keep our distance as to not cause the animals any undue stress.
A Few Rough Patches
Most of the trail was very good, but we came across three rough patches. None were any trouble at all for the Buell on 80/20 tires, and my bike sailed over them (got to love new tires!) on Karoo 3's.
I Did a Bad Thing
To the left, a couple metal guards like on corners of the highway. Walking the bike across is dead easy.
I choose the more challenging way...
First, a little panic. I didn't want to dig in.
Second, realizing I can't lift the bike, lots of throttle, and surprisingly enough headway to get to here with not much fuss.
Third, a pretty simple trick to get a heavy bike unstuck from a hole.
The Road Ahead
If you look closely, you can see the road continues, and is in very good shape, after one last boggy section. From some other vantage points, it was clear that the remainder of the trail is as good as the beginning. This was almost exactly the half way point, and its possible we could have sailed through here on our pegs, but I couldn't risk the time with an appointment in St. John's just two hours away.
Lunch Break
After walking my bike across the metal guards (it was so easy), we drove back over the rough patches without stopping, and found this grassy high point to boil some water and have a coffee with lunch.
You can see the second half of the road at the horizon, towards the left.
Tonis was definitely right about the coffee press. Great coffee!
So What's the Plan for Part 2?
The rest of the trail is perfect. No rocks. No ATV hump. And, beautiful scenery to boot. Since we did go after a fairly rainy week, and early in the season, I think this trail has high potential. The one bog we didn't have time to test is my only concern, and it may turn out to be nothing at all.
So, I'd like to go back, and add my own padlocks to the chains. This could easily be a Irish Loop add-on for anyone on 50/50 tires (or brave fellas like Bueller)!
Cheers!
