Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride, Sept.10, A Monday

[crsaddlebags]

This mailing goes out to all on our Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride mailing list. If you would prefer not to receive this, just let me know and I will remove you from the list. If you know of someone else who would like to receive this information, please forward this to them and/or have them contact me to be added to the list. Please feel free to post this to any blogs, bulletin boards or websites that you know of where the information may be useful. The Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride is typically held on the 10[sup]th[/sup] of each month, allowing some folks a weekend to ride and others a weekday to ride throughout the year. We can’t make every ride convenient for all bikers but we try to make sure all bikers can join us for some of the rides each year.

Welcome all to the Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride. The next monthly ride will be 10 September, a Monday. The route proposed by the latest volunteer route planner is approximately 230 km.

Keep in mind that there may be a few minor tweaks to the route proposed below but any updates will go out in plenty of time prior to the ride. A rough description of the route and itinerary is as follows-

Leave the PTT and Amazon Coffee meeting spot and head south, turn left at the first set of traffic lights and head towards Wiang Chaing Rung (Highway 1 to Highway 1232 to Highway 1173)

From there, head towards Waterford Valley Golf Resort

Somewhere in that area, we will have the first coffee stop. We will nail that one down in the coming days and get that info out to all prior to the ride.

Then to Phaya Mengrai.

Then to Theong. At the traffic lights at Thoeng, hang a left and about 1.5km down the road we turn right and follow the soi down for 3 or 4 km. There are about 6 or more prawn farms. We will go to the one with the best parking and seating for us that has reasonable food.

After lunch, we go to Chiang Kham via the route shown on the map. The road to Pa Daet is all ripped up so this route gets us to the main drag to Chiang Kham. Have coffee at the PTT Amazon at Chiang Kham.

Take the Chiang Kham bypass to Chun road and turn off to Pa Daet - well sign posted.

Then the route is the same one taken, but in reverse, 3 or 4 rides back when we first went to Phayao.

Arrive at Pa Daet.

Then to Chiang Rai.

For a look at the route on the Google map, click this link- http://goo.gl/maps/hqGsy

The start and meeting point for the ride is the PTT and Amazon Coffee Café on the Super Highway (Highway 1) near the old bus station in Chiang Rai, just south of the Kawasaki dealer. You can find the PTT on this map- http://goo.gl/maps/jMLhX

Meeting time: 08:30

Departure time: 09:00

Coffee, petrol, tire inflation, snacks and restrooms are available at the PTT and Amazon.

In the past, there have been a few folks who have wished they could contact me before or during the ride. Here is my phone number for those who wish to enter it into their phones- 087-726-9818. I wear my helmet headset on the rides so you can call any time and expect me to pick up. If you’re lost, I am not sure I can help but if nothing else, maybe I can come find you and we can be lost together.

Woraphat’s number is 089-429-4562 for those who may need a Thai speaker to help them out.

Folks, anyone can plan a ride. If you think you have a good route for us to run in the future, let us know. If you need help sussing it out, I and others are always happy to scout it all out with you and nail it down prior to the ride date. And if you have a route that doesn’t need any scouting or help, let us know that and what month you would like to call it. Woraphat and I will do our best to disseminate the info to all in English and Thai and get the best participation we can for your ride. And by the way, just because this info is in English and Thai doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of participants from non-English speaking countries. We have folks from all over. The English thing means only that I can’t speak or write another language. Feel free to translate this and pass it on.

The Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride is not a club event, a sponsored event or a closed event. It is open to all who wish to attend and have a way to travel or can hitch a ride. All sizes and styles of bikes are welcome, as are cars, trucks, vans and so on. We always have bikes from around 100 cc’s up to at 1,800 cc’s. Bikers of all skill levels and riding styles are welcome. While we typically leave the start point together, we soon find ourselves riding in small groups of riders who share our riding style and speed. Faster riders arrive at coffee and lunch stops sooner than the slower riders but we all take the time at those stops to meet and enjoy the company of old friends and new acquaintances. This is as much a social gathering as it is a sightseeing outing and to date, it has proven to be an exceptionally friendly gathering where people make new friends, Thai and expat alike, find new riding buddies and share route info, technical tips and all other manner of relevant information. If you do decide to join us, I believe you will find this meeting the highlight of your biking and social month.

While we do generally have planned stops, each rider is free to stop where and when he/she pleases. There is no pressure to stay with the group. Smoke breaks, rest breaks, pee breaks, photo opportunities and even the lunch stop are entirely up to you. You can run ahead, fall behind and even check in a guest house for an overnight stay along the route if you see a place where you think you need to spend some time. It is all about discovering the area, meeting folks and coming away with a more informed view of the land we live in and the people we come in contact with. Bring your camera. There are great photo opportunities.

No egos, no racing and no competitive personalities means this meeting finds all to be on their best and friendliest behavior. Join us to see the best of northern Thailand each month. You won’t find a nicer group of people discovering or re-discovering the scenic routes of Lanna country. We ride all year round and while some find reasons to stay home to avoid environmental discomforts, some of us find that living or visiting in Thailand offers year round riding weather. Again, welcome to join us. Make that leap and be glad you did. You won’t feel out of place at the Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride. Coming from far away? Contact us for guest house and hotel info prior to arriving. We will try to suggest some lodging that fits your budget and lifestyle.

 

[crsaddlebags]

Hello All. I hope this note finds everyone well.

Please refer to the earlier post for info on starting time and meeting location.

We have had a major route change for the Sept. 10 Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride. The route planner for this one did some scouting and found some issues with the planned route that aren’t going to work out for the Sept. ride. He and others have laid out a different route. I know this will affect our Chiang Mai riders more than if will affect the locals here in CR. I apologize for the change but in this case, it is necessary.

Basic description of the new route is: Leave CR and head for Chiang Khong, enjoy a coffee stop there on the river front, then follow the river north to Chiang Saen for the lunch stop. Our Chiang Khong coffee stop will be announced on the morning of the ride with input from the CK riders. There are several nice riverside overlooks that have decent coffee service. For this route, which is seen on the map at the link provided below, there will be a shorter option and a longer option. Several of us will be doing the longer option, which takes us north from Chiang Saen along the border all the way to Mae Sai, while the shorter route will take riders from Chiang Saen directly back to CR via Mae Chan. The river route is highly recommended and has some very good riding surfaces, along with a bit that is less than perfect.

Lunch stop. There are many restaurants in Chiang Saen. However, the wife and I will be going 3 or 4 km north of Chain Saen to have lunch at The Thai Kitchen, which sits on the river’s edge, has plenty of seating, open air and indoors, and greats views across the river. I believe that lunch for the two of us will run 400 or 500 baht based on their menu prices. If folks wish to eat at a less expensive place, there will be some good recommendations for shops in Chiang Saen on the morning of the ride. The Thai Kitchen location is not on the main route map but can be found at the green arrow marker here- http://goo.gl/maps/Cbg9L
Grid coordinates for that restaurant are 20.31036 and 100.09256

New route details that we are going with for the shorter route is listed below. The shorter route is estimated to be 221 km. For the longer route, we will stay on 1290, the Mynamar/Thailand border highway all the way to Mae Sai and then return to CR via Highway 1-
PTT Chiang Rai
1. Head south on Phahon Yothin Rd toward Soi Chaiwut 650 m

2. Take the 2nd left onto Srivhiang Rd/Route 1233 Continue to follow Route 1233 6.3 km

3. Continue straight onto Route 1173 4.5 km

4. Turn left to stay on Route 1173 2.8 km

1173 Wiang Chai, Chiang Rai 57210

5. Head east on Route 1173 19.5 km

6. Turn right to stay on Route 1173 9.6 km

Pa Sang, Wiang Chiang Rung Chiang Rai

7. Head east on Route 1173 4.1 km

8. Slight right to stay on Route 1173 6.6 km

9. Turn right onto Route 1098 19.3 km

1174 - 1098 Huai So, Chiang Khong, Chiang Rai 57140

10. Head northeast on Route 1174 14.1 km

11. Turn right to stay on Route 1174 7.9 km

12. Turn left to stay on Route 1174 2.9 km

13. Slight left to stay on Route 1174 1.7 km

14. Turn left onto Route 1020/AH3 7.6 km

Route 1020/AH3

15. Head north on Route 1020/AH3 toward Route 1129 6 m

16. Take the 1st left onto Route 1129 35.8 km

17. Turn left to stay on Route 1129 17.0 km

18. Continue onto Route 1290 86 m

Chiang Saen Chiang Rai

19. Head south on Route 1290 toward Route 1016 86 m

20. Take the 1st right onto Route 1016 31.2 km

21. Keep left at the fork 260 m

22. Continue onto Phahon Yothin Rd/Route 1/AH2 900 m

23. Turn right onto Nakkhaphan 400 m

24. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Thanon Hiran Nakhon 61 m

Mae Chan Chiang Rai

25. Head north on Thanon Hiran Nakhon 29 m

26. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Nakkhaphan 500 m

27. Turn right onto Phahon Yothin Rd/Route 1/AH2 20.6 km

28. Turn left onto Ban Du Soi 4 210 m

Ban Du, Mueang Chiang Rai Chiang Rai

Map link is here- http://goo.gl/maps/ioqVk

Looking forward to seeing you all.

 

[ianyonok]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to extend an invitation to lunch at Viang Yonok Hotel, for all on the Chiang Rai Biker's day ride, 10th September.
This is a lovely quiet spot, just 4 klms from Chiang Saen and next to beautiful Chiang Saen lake.
We can offer a moderate choice for lunch for about 200 Baht each (main dish, soup, fruit). Being a member of the Chiang Rai biking community it would be a pleasure to have you here. There is plenty of parking space and we can seat about 30 people in our restaurant.

Here is some more info on our hotel; http://www.viangyonok.com

We are located at;
Latitude: 20 deg 15.7' N
Longitude: 100 deg 03.0' E

and here is a map showing how to get here from Chiang Saen.

See you all on 10th September.

Here is a link to the Chiang Rai Harley Davidson group who were here a couple of months ago.

http:/https://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/36696-Chiang-Rai-Harley-Riders-Rainny-Rally-to-Viang-Yonok?highlight=Harley+davidson

and a link to TripAdvisor;

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g317131-d655054-Reviews-Viang_Yonok_Hotel_Restaurant_Sports_Club-Chiang_Saen_Chiang_Rai_Province.html

Attached files

 

[Hoghead]

where is PTT in CR
Directions for those out of town or GPS challenged would be appreciated

 

[crsaddlebags]

Hoghead;282309 wrote: where is PTT in CR
Directions for those out of town or GPS challenged would be appreciated

Hello Hoghead. Welcome to join us.

The following starting point and time info is copied from the first post in this thread-

The start and meeting point for the ride is the PTT and Amazon Coffee Café on the Super Highway (Highway 1) near the old bus station in Chiang Rai, just south of the Kawasaki dealer. You can find the PTT on this map- http://goo.gl/maps/jMLhX

Meeting time: 08:30

Departure time: 09:00

Coffee, petrol, tire inflation, snacks and restrooms are available at the PTT and Amazon.

 

[crsaddlebags]

Here is what was sent out to all concerning updates for the coming ride:
Hello all.
Looks like the weather forecast for tomorrow the 10th is getting better. We are a go for that date and I’m looking forward to the ride. Some new coffee stop and lunch info is presented later in this e-mail. Please read on.

Meeting and start times and location are here:

The start and meeting point for the ride is the PTT and Amazon Coffee Café on the Super Highway (Highway 1) near the old bus station in Chiang Rai, just south of the Kawasaki dealer. You can find the PTT on this map- http://goo.gl/maps/jMLhX
Meeting time: 08:30
Departure time: 09:00
Coffee, petrol, tire inflation, snacks and restrooms are available at the PTT and Amazon.

I know some of you have mentioned several coffee stop places in Chiang Khong and will head to your favorite spot. In addition to those spots, David and Mai of Chiang Khong have provided the following info for a coffee stop in CK. David writes:

Hi Folks,
Looking forward to seeing you here in Chiang Khong.
For a Great Coffee (other drinks also) and one of the finest views to be found anywhwere along the Mekong; located just 6 kilometers north of Chiang Khong you will find a bamboo coffee hut directly alongside the upland side of the road, called Naka's Kiosken. And it has lots of parking too.
Sorry I've no pictures of Naka's Bamboo Coffee Shop, but here are a couple of pictures of the river and also a picture of the owner with my wife.
Mai and I are looking forward to seeing you there and then continuing the ride north.
Cheers,
David and Mai
Chiang Khong

As for lunch, several will be attending the Thai Kitchen as mentioned in the earlier post and a new offer has come in from Ian at Chiang Saen. I have attached the map to the place that Ian writes about. Ian writes:

Hi Everyone,
I would like to extend an invitation to lunch at Viang Yonok Hotel, for all on the Chiang Rai Biker's day ride, 10th September.
This is a lovely quiet spot, just 4 klms from Chiang Saen and next to beautiful Chiang Saen lake.
We can offer a moderate choice for lunch for about 200 Baht each (main dish, soup, fruit). Being a member of the Chiang Rai biking community it would be a pleasure to have you here. There is plenty of parking space and we can seat about 30 people in our restaurant.
Here is some more info on our hotel; http://www.viangyonok.com
We are located at;
Latitude: 20 deg 15.7' N
Longitude: 100 deg 03.0' E
and here is a map showing how to get here from Chiang Saen.

See you all on 10th September.
Here is a link to the Chiang Rai Harley Davidson group who were here a couple of months ago.
http:/https://www.gt-rider.com/thail...arley+davidson
and a link to TripAdvisor;
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Province.html

If you plan to eat at Ian's place tomorrow, please let him know at the initial meeting between 08:30 and 09:00. Knowledge of approximate numbers of attendees for lunch at his place will be very helpful to his staff.

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

 

[ianyonok]

Well, the Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride for September was another great success. A few less bikes, but about 16 riders and great to see a good number of Thai riders.

Here's a few shots;

Getting ready for the off in Chiang Rai.

East through Wiang Chai on the 1232 and a quick smokoe break somewhere.

We then went up 1173 to Mae Bong, and across on 1098 to 1174 and up to Chiang Khong. Some nice twistes and mountain scenery enroute.

Here's some of the machines on the ride.
A lovely Duke Monster 900 that was a joy to ride behind, just to listen to the music out of the pipes.....

The always popular supascoots.

The couple on this bike were from Singapore and thanks for joining us. They had flown up to China and bought this bike before riding down south into Laos and across to Thailand. They'll be heading down through to Malaysia and on to home to Singapore. Well done guys! a great adventure.

I think this was a Chinese made machine.

Woraphat, happy as always.

Bob on a well set-up Versys.

This bike also sounded great.

Ray's 1800cc.

I was on the dirt bike this ride.

Another cool machine.

Coffee stop at Nana's Kiosken a few klms north of Chiang Khong. A great stop, with excellent views of the Khong. Their place is getting bigger and now has a lounge area. Recommended....
David and Mai joined us here on their BMW 1100.

After waiting for a shower to pass, it was off to Chiang Saen, negotiating the poorly surfaced road. When we got to Chiang Saen Noi, the bridge was out over the Kham river so we had to take the diversion to the south. However, instead of going all the way round, we cut across on the new highway, that is flattish dirt at present, but did involve crossing carriageways, which was challenging for some machines, but saved a lot of time.

After getting round the diversion we all went to Viang Yonok Hotel, next to Chiang Saen lake, where Vassana and the staff had a prepared an excellent buffet lunch. Thank you Ladies. http://www.viangyonok.com
David Learmonth joined us there (you should have come on the ride David... it was fun). Thank you for the spanners.....
After lunch, I got the old 750 Tiger out and went with Ray, David and Mai up the newly surfaced fast road to Mae Sai and down highway 1 to the Banoffee coffee stop. Some heavy rain showers passed over, on my way back to Chiang Saen, so had to take shelter in a couple of places.

Another great day out. Thanks to Marty and Woraphat for organising.

 

[crsaddlebags]

Thanks so much to the planners of this month’s route. We can’t do the rides without the knowledge and guidance of some folks who have been out and about and have some experience with what we are getting into. All of you who have called a route for our rides are appreciated very much.
Sept 10 saw another fine ride. The weather threat kept quite a few at home on this day. I received quite a few notices from riders saying they would sit this one out because they thought it would be rained out. And I heard it was raining in Chiang Mai the day and night before the ride so I would guess that kept our CM friends at home as well. But the weather seems to love the Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride these days as we ticked another one off the ol’ calendar. And as seems to happen on these day rides during the rainy season, I arrived home with a sunburn. You gotta love a long ride in the sun.

Our morning meeting and coffee swilling gathering saw sixteen riders at the PTT and Amazon Coffee shop. Two of the riders left the meet early and headed out of town doing the route in reverse with a few variations on the roads they took, with a plan to meet us at the first coffee stop. Two more of the attendees who had prior commitments had come only for the meet and greet and to see us off. Thanks for that, guys. It was good to see your friendly faces and smiles that morning.

Of particular note on this ride were two young newlyweds from Singapore, who had left home two months prior, went to China, bought a bike there and have been on the road since then, touring this country and others. From here they will start slowly working their way home to get back into the grind for a while but they will be doing more touring as the years go by. Nice kids, and I hope they return to ride with us again.

We got on the road and headed towards Chiang Khong with enough short stops along the way to let me take care of my nicotine needs. Pleasant ride up to CK and the entire group pretty much stayed together. In CK we picked up two more bikes and three riders. The coffee stop was located at exactly the right place in the universe and in time. Riders David and Mai had arranged this stop and I wondered how they knew. As the kickstands hit the dirt, a light rain began and we enjoyed an hour of coffee drinking, story telling, and general visiting. Then the rain ended and we were on the road again heading for the Chiang Saen lunch stop. At this point, we had the usual single riders, four bikes that were two-up and two fast bikes had headed on towards CR doing the route in reverse.

There is more than one way to CS from CK but we took the main road, which takes us along the river for quite a ways and then over some mountains. Some of that was a bit rough and there was a section where we really slowed down and enjoyed a game of dodge the potholes while the potholes tried to enjoy a game of whack the bikers. We won. Some time later we came to a closed bridge (wash-out from rain two days earlier) and a detour. The notice we had received about the closed bridge hadn’t been specific about which road it was or where it was located but it had been specific about a 16 km detour to get back on track. A short time later, our good Thai riders spotted a brand new road being built and decided that it would lead us back to where we wanted to be a lot quicker than the official detour and onto the dirt we went. That road is obviously going to be a nice four-lane some day but for now, it had several areas where one side or the other was impassable and we had to drive down through the median and cross to the other side to continue. No big deal, we were careful and made it to the end and back on the main route, saving a long detour on a bad country lane.

We had been in the sun for some time now and would continue to be until late afternoon. We arrived at CS for a nice buffet style lunch that had been prepared in anticipation of our arrival. Rider Ian had arranged that and it turned out to be the smoothest lunch stop we have had so far on any of our rides. There was sun, there was shade, there was green, short grass and I had to take advantage and have a rest on my back for a bit. Could have fallen asleep but I knew I would miss lunch if I did.

After lunch, we headed off to Mai Sae, minus one rider who needed to make a beeline for CR and get home to take care of things. The views along the river north of CS are very nice and the asphalt is just grand for smooth riding. The trip up to Mae Sai was great, sunny and warm and left me feeling high. At Mae Sai, some of the guys headed towards CR and a coffee stop and three bikes went on into Mae Sai so the newlyweds could get stamped in and out at the border again to get two more weeks in Thailand. Some of our ladies did a bit of shopping as we waited and then the last run into CR began. At Mae Chan we could see heavy rain ahead of us and it looked like CR was really getting it. We were about to make the decision to stop off for coffee when we noticed there was a break in the storm just ahead and to our left. We guessed that the small window of opportunity was at the Mae Chan checkpoint at that moment and we were right. We rode up the middle, leaving rain on our left and right and stayed clear of the rain to Bandu. At Bandu, the storm had left the streets flooded and was a now dark wall in front of us that we decided not to ride into. We stopped into a little bakery and enjoyed hot tea and some more conversation. The bakery doesn’t sell tea or coffee but the owners went into the back and made some hot tea for us anyway. How nice is that?

The rain had moved further away and off we went, splitting up and headed our own separate ways in town and in the end, yes, the wife and I finally did get wet. Our last ten minutes in CR we had rain, got home, stripped off and had a hot shower, dry clothes and a cup of coffee. I was wore out. The full-timers wear out this old part-timer but I enjoyed that day like no other. Looking forward to next month already.

We have no route called for the future at this time so if anyone has a nice route in mind, let us know. If you need help scouting out the route and the stops, let me know and I’ll be glad to go out with you and see what is what. Also, there are several others with good experience of the area who are happy to go out on those scouting rides and offer pointers.

Looks like it will be December for the over-nighter to Nan. Looking for feedback and input on that. There is a shindig at Chiang Khong in December that several of us will be attending and we don’t want to clash with those dates so we’ll be looking at the calendar to iron out some good dates for Nan.

Pics and further comments can be seen here-

http://chiangraities.com/index.php?board=30.0

 

[crsaddlebags]

Hao and Dash, of Singapore, have weighed in on the latest day ride. In addition to their comments, they have posted the link to their travel journal with plenty of pics. They have had an interesting ride so far. The following comments come from the Chiang Rai Ties Forum in the Bikers Hangout section:

Dear good folks of Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride,
Sorry we took so long to jump into the fray. We had a great time on the ride on 10th September. We are sorry that we did not say hi to everyone who were there and properly introduce ourselves. We are Hao and Dash from Singapore and we have been traveling since February this year. We bought a bike in Shanghai to ride home and we have been riding since the start of July. We met Marty and Woraphat when we wanted to replace our saddlebags and got to know about the Chiang Rai Bikers Day Ride. It was great meeting everyone and we hope that we can see all of you again. In the meantime, you can check out our adventures and misadventures at www.hipgeo.com/hao2dash.
Ride safe!
Hao & Dash