1991 94 The Floods + some oldies for ya to ponder.

[DavidFL]

91 was a good wet season.
The "khong" was up

& some of the roads were down.

R1150 was still dirt & being built.

In August, R120 Wang Nua - Phayao had a massive flash flood at the roadside waterfall, killing 6 Nat Park staff in their huts. It was a gruesome & devastating scene...

In the pic below, note the size of the tree on the right hand side & compare it to the size today.

In Sept 94, R1095 Tha Ton - Mae Chan, had a flash flood around Suk Ruthai approx 20kms norh of Tha Ton.

 

[Dougal]

Absolutely stunning, and fascinating too.

I was around in LOS then but never came up North. I was messing about down in Kanchanaburi.

Were you mostly on your own in those days Dave? Just teaming up with guys passing through or were there some crazy ones like yourself?

 

[Ally]

Thanks for sharing these photo's David.

Something puzzles me though. Why you didn't start out with the name MT-Rider.com (Muddy Triangle Rider) instead? :twisted:

Ally

 

[Franz]

David, thanks for sharing these rare pictures !! Most of us didn't even know by then that these roads existed. As we can see you also went through quite a lot of different bikes that time......

 

[Dougal]

Fully agree. Not boring at all.

Really interesting. It might be an idea to store these photos as a historical record. I think you may be surprised how many people would take an interest.

 

[Marco]

David
those where hard time, I remember when I came here on -97 and we had first really bad floods in Ubon in -98, half of the town was under the water and from Ubon to Warin(some of you know the near by town) army was transporting people by they military trucks, Ubon was under water about 2months that time.

I had low rider (car) that time and could not use it for anywhere so had to pick up uncles pick up to do business or generally go any where,, I'll try to look those pictures, they are some where.

If I recall correctly that was Chinese fault that time as they let go large amount of water suddenly and could not care of countries down below...

 

[DavidFL]

Marco wrote: David
those where hard time, I remember when I came here on -97 and we had first really bad floods in Ubon in -98, half of the town was under the water and from Ubon to Warin(some of you know the near by town) army was transporting people by they military trucks, Ubon was under water about 2months that time.

I had low rider (car) that time and could not use it for anywhere so had to pick up uncles pick up to do business or generally go any where,, I'll try to look those pictures, they are some where.

If I recall correctly that was Chinese fault that time as they let go large amount of water suddenly and could not care of countries down below...

No trouble to stick em up. Start another thread probably.

 

[Rhodie]

Great Stuff!

There's nothing like revisiting memory's dirty lanes and
seeing long forgotten diamonds amongst the really rough!

I suppose Jason is now on full-time scanning duties!
Long may he continue - it puts some of our whinging about roads
and conditions into context.

Have you brought over [from the old site] your & Silverhawk's report
of the floods a few years back?
What with the rain & all, it might be useful to revisit this report as well as areminder
that even today things are not always benign.

Thanks for posting.

 

[DavidFL]

Rhodie wrote: Great Stuff!

Have you brought over [from the old site] your & Silverhawk's report
of the floods a few years back?
What with the rain & all, it might be useful to revisit this report as well as areminder
that even today things are not always benign.

Thanks for posting.

Yep, the flood reports are here
1. Chasing Floods-Chiang Mai-Uttaradit-Nan
2. The Floods
3. Doi Ang Khang - Ban Yang Flash Flood

 

[Rhodie]

Thanks for these links,
awesome pix and great reportage.

 

[DavidFL]

An original oldie

http://members.tripod.com/~boostdam/Aut ... 0523a.html

a motorcycle trip to Kanchanaburi in 1955!

 

[scotty007]

1150 with Harri and Bruce in 86

David FL on the famous 1148

Tony "Chicken In A Basket"

Mae Sai just before the Burma border 86

Near Nan City 91

Phrae/Nan 96

David FL "I'll need a push!"

Don't leave me!

Fang Hot Spring 86

 

[Dougal]

Fabulous! Really envy you guys.

Please keep em coming.

 

[DavidFL]

scotty007 wrote:

Phrae/Nan 96

David FL "I'll need a push!"

Don't leave me!

Are you sure of the date 96?
How could I ever forget that hill Scotty. That was the only hill that the old 175 (re-bored from 125) Wing could not pull, & I recall I’d been slipping the clutch in & duck paddling for quite a way before it quit. Thanks for the push by the way, once I got going again I'm sure you enjoyed the little walk up.
It would be interesting to try & find that road again & see what it looks like now. From memory it was supposed to be a trail into some Mlabri village / Gene Long's place, but I think at the top we discovered it was the wrong one, so we came back down again, & tried the next one.

 

[Ally]

David

Not sure if you have considered this but with your wealth of knowledge, memories and photographic history (I know its only 20 - 30 years (photo's not your memory!!) but it looks like 80 - 100 years!) have you considered creating a book?

Not just any book. A book that would be able to be merchandised along with the current T shirts, with monies from sales going directly to the Toy Ride foundation.

Maybe with the exposure on this forum for this idea, the appropriate backing for such a project could be found?

I appreciate this may sound slightly wacky but what we read and see here is history that needs to be documented & shared.

Keep your power on!

Ally

 

[scotty007]

Hi David FL, I could be wrong about the dates as film negatives never had that information. It was the wrong track and you did get the right track, to land us at Gene Longs mission.

 

[scotty007]

We met some friendly border guards who took us in to a Burmese flower field! 86

Overlooking Mai Ai 86

Not sure maybe FL can fill in!

Tony after a hard day in the saddle!

Not sure maybe the 1148

Lisu girls Phrao area

FL?

1129 On the way to Chiang Khong

1129 when it was all dirt!

Workhorse of the day Honda MTX 125

Didn't mind getting muddy in those days!

Saves petrol!

Lookout outside of Mae Hong Son to Khun Yuam

Songkran 88 at The Library Ratchamankha Lane - Now a pizza shop!

FL on a big bike outside The Library Ratchamankha Lane!

Rachamankha Lane again and Moon Muang Road, now is Johns and Cozy Corner, note The Oasis Bar and the lack of traffic - 86

 

[Ian Bungy]

You Guys are Legends :wink: Reminds me of my Youth in NZ, All fun and Freedom. Some Great Photo's. Age May Weary us but they can't take away the Past!!! Good on you and Keep it up. 8)

 

[Auke]

Davidfl wrote:
Late 80s. R1290 Mae Sai - Golden Triangle....

before the "super" highway.

The old road was flat, straight through the rice paddies & they were forever repairing it cheaply. It was years before it was finally done properly, so in the wet season it was always a mess after heavy rain. Some politicians & karachagans must have made a lot of money from all the repair contracts they gave out. Too much was always siphoned off & there was never enough left to do the job properly? They once tried brick paving & it only lasted half a wet season. Ha. Ha. What a joke that one was.

Yes, indeed quite a few must have made a bundle out of that road as I remember that in 1977 we did that road and it was in the same state as in your pictures - mud and lots of water from the rice paddies on both sides so you could not make a detour to escape some of the worst parts.

 

[DavidFL]

1994: The Chiang Mai floods outside the TAT office on the Chiang Mai - Lamphun road.

R1150 Phrao - Wiang Pa Pao. The Snail getting it up on the old XLR250.

1993: Struggling - walking & pushing - it up R1149 the Mae Sai - Doi Tung Burma border road. On the wet greasy clay couldn't hold it to kick start the Baja & get going again I think was the problem. Having made it up, I got to stand at the top & snap away. Ha. Ha.

 

[Snail]

Several more pics here as well. The Bier Stube in 1990. The bikes out front are a local's C90 Honda, my R100GS, Eddie's XT600 Yam from Switzerland and Ian Ball's R80 from the UK. The bike rental shop next door is still there with the same sign on it, "Running by Mr Somchai"!

And to think we complain about a few potholes these days.

While the roads have improved vastly they have also filled up with traffic. The old days of Songkran were much less hazardous on bikes that's for sure

 

[DavidFL]

Fresh "love" in an Akha village up on Doi Tung "a few years ago."
Two Dutch riding mates were close on 2 metres tall & "enamoured" with the local damsels.....

well sort of.
Compare the hand sizes & the footware too, not just the height.

 

[Snail]

Another few I found in the remains of my collection. The bridge to Burma

Looking alongside the bridge back towards Thailand. Nowadays it's overflowing with vendors selling most anything you can imagine

Need some help on these next two. From a memory thats fading faster than the colours in the pictures, they are the 1174, or possibly the 1173?

 

[DavidFL]

Snail wrote:
Need some help on these next two. From a memory thats fading faster than the colours in the pictures, they are the 1174, or possibly the 1173?

Snail
Reckon that these are both on R1129, Chiang Saen - Chiang Khong going over Kiu Khan hill after the landslide, or was it before they'd asphalted the road even?

 

[DavidFL]

Not so long ago. The Mae Chaem - Khun Yuam road before it was asphalt. Probably does not look a great deal different today, except the dirt road is now a black one.

The Doi Ang Khang - Nor Lae road not long after they built it. It's still a beauty & the drop off is the steepest in North Thailand.

R1149 the Doi Tung road, before the Mae Fah Luang foundation had started. Note the lack of trees. The MFL Foundation has done a fantastic job re-foresting this area!

Still on R1149, but the Burma border road from Doi Tung -Mae Sai. Almost as steep as the DAK - Nor Lae road, & when the clay was greasy it was a killer if youre tyres were at all worn down.