mike (newracer) and i ran kelly flats yesterday. once we got to the trailhead we locked in and mike aired down. i didn't bother airing down since i didn't have air and i only run about 18-20 lbs in the tires all the time anyways. this trail had been closed since the flash floods hit this area last september but it opened up a few weeks ago after the forest service had some repairs done. thankfully the only major repairs were done to the trailhead parking area. once on the trail right inside of the gate there is a nice steep rocky section but it didn't give either of us any problems. then a short trail section and we came to heart attack hill. it has a bypass trail around it but thats no fun. i have ran this trail twice before, once on a dirt bike and once in the jeep but both times i was riding solo so i never attempted heart attack hill. gave it a shot this time without any trouble. this section of the trail is pretty wide with alot of different lines. i went up the left hand side which is probably the easiest but still had some challenges. at the beginning there is a series of ruts to cross, here i got the left front tire a few feet in the air but crawled on thru and it laid back down. mike tried one of the harder lines first with no luck then he followed me up the left side. once at the top that was the end of the tough stuff for several miles. it is still a nice trail from here on out though. alot of bumpy trail which keeps you going slow though with a few rock climbs scattered along the trail. then the trail crosses onto a private gravel road for a mile or 2 until you get to the section called the chutes. once at the chutes we ran into a group of 5-6 jeeps from a club out of cheyenne wyoming. they were nice guys but were looking for a hacksaw to cut off the tailpipe from a jeep in their group that got smashed. we weren't any help. they stuck around for a little while to watch my first attempts at the chutes. once they moved out of the way i gave the chutes a try. at the bottom there was a section of rocks and my initial line just wasn't working, that is where my tire carrier broke off. i slid off of one rock and landed hard on another and that was enough to snap the trailer spindle that was used for the hinge. it does look like the spindle had been cracked for some time though. once we got the tire and broken carrier loaded back up and strapped down i changed my line and walked right up it. then there are a few steep rock climbs. one gave me some trouble as there was a rock at the top that kept hitting my front leaf spring. after a few backups i was able to get up far enough to miss it and get up. after that is another steep climb and you have to turn hard right once up it. that is where i smacked the bumper into a rock and bent it. then i was at the top and it was mikes turn. he pretty much walked the whole section pretty easily. he did get a little wheel stand at the top though. then he went back around and tried the harder right side up the chutes. no luck there so he backed down and went up the normal line again. after that the trail is pretty smooth with only a couple small rock sections. we ran most of this in 2wd at a pretty good pace. then we ended at the other end of the trail which also has a trailhead at a gravel road. here mike aired back up and we chatted a bit and then back to the pavement. here is a link to my pics. will probably add a few more later from my phone.
http://s94.photobucket.com/user/redn...?sort=2&page=1