Here are a few pictures we took 2 weeks ago when

[George-CT]

we were riding our 75 mile Turkey Run course thru the woods. It was raining off and on all day and had been for 3 days so it was pretty damp. Being hard core woods riders we went anyhow along with a quad with all the chain saws and fuel and food for the day. As bad as the trails were we got all the tree's that came down over the winter off them so they were passable.

There are low lands like this, brook crossings, lots of rocks to break stuff on, big hills, mud bogs etc. This runs mostly in CT but some is in RI also as we are close to the border.


As you can see it started out sunny. We thought we had it made....

Much of the area had stuff down like this. Some were far bigger and the quad crew made short work of them.

As you can see, the trails look like brooks with all the rain....

And the brooks looked like small rivers....

And left a small wake like a boat at times...

Some spots got a little muddy.

 

[George-CT]

dark, with more rain, and rocks... but we finished the 75 miles of woods trails....

The edges were easier....

More rain, darkness sets in, many exposed rocks that are major slippery. Only 12 miles left....this is were its easy to break a lever, or crack a case, or worst....

A break in the rain....

The day is done......bikes are being loaded up...


Thanks for coming along on our woods ride.

Geo

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

You folks must have really had lots of rain for everything to be so muddy...I guess that the melting snow had a hand in this too! I would think that it would take lots of skill and experience to ride those bikes in that type of terrain...way above my limited experience. Those last few pictures were really dark, lots of rain was evidently coming down...but I did not see any lightening flashes in the pictures which is good. Thanks for posting this story and photos, gives me some insight into this type of riding. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[david(tx)]

have the hardwoods started leafing out yet,looks like they may be budding in the pics.

 

[ojm bc]

Geo,here's a really short story,in high-school a group of riders went up riding the local mountains.I had the smallest engine so lagged quarter of a mile behind the faster dirt bikes.Well they decided to play a joke on me,dam near gave me a heart attack.
While my putt put Yamaha was at full power trying to catch up to them on the trail up the mountain side.I was fast approaching them ,I could hear there more powerfully bikes roaring.As I came around a bend in the high up mountain trail,I gasped and almost peeved myself.

There on the dirt and rocky trail were bikes lay ed down all over the place,bodies in all positions.I just froze for a moment,when they all started to laugh and resume riding.They got me good.

 

[Wayne in BC]

and i would be right into that. Probly trash myself

 

[Royal]

Some of those mudholes look like they could have fish in them!! What a tough day in the woods! Bet you slept well that night!

Thanks for an interesting post George

 

[Ron J]

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[Micheal_R]

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[Rob/Windsor Ont.]

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[George-CT]

we had it between Halloween and Thanksgiving every year. Actually the real name of the run is Pachaug Rock ride. We go thru a lot of glacier rubble, huge rocks and work around, lots of nice hill climbs that look easy until you go down the back side into a river, then run up the river for a1/4 mile then back up the hill you just came down, a few loops and back down, often minus brakes at this point. Gets much more interesting then. big swamps, big trees we leave down or even cut them down so you have to go over them. We have check points at stuff like this so you really have to go over them. Easy if you know how, hard if you don't. Lots of stuff in brooks, and also just long rides on beautiful trails and woods woods thru pines. One 3 mile section that was part of the old Airline Railway way back went, long sense gone but a lot of railroad ties are still here from beeing soaked in a black tar like material....These will do a job on your spokes if there not tight. They run these full bore if they are making time up... this run is timed so you need to get to your check point on time. You loose points if your to early which means you either cut the course or were running way to fast....

We hold Hare Scrambles on them also, same check points,but your running flat out. First place is what its all about, and second place is just first looser.... My son likes those also.... I did them for years but now I just ride sweep. Sweep is where you ride behind everyone else. You help anyone down, or broke down to get out. There are six of us, and we will contact trucks to come get you, or ambulence service medics to come in on quads. We have 4 different courses we use and mix them up so its different all the time...... Fun hobby that like horses once you start its hard to quit. Fact for the most part the only thing that ever stops you is your body just can't do it anymore. I still like riding sweep, as it the same course, but the holes are deeper now, the hills are all loose and so on. We take down the arrow signs, pick any junk that got dropped, close any gates to private land owners if we used any and call it a day......

George

 

[George-CT]

at 18. I liked it all, motocross, hare scrambles, enduro's trials, hill climbs and very limited road racing up in New Hampshire.... Like boating, once your hooked, your hooked.... Geo

 

[George-CT]

In my younger days we would start out with 25 guys and if 5 finished that was a good day. A lot were smokers or just out of shape or not up to what it took. Many became good riders after a few years..... We rode about everyday. I lived next to where they were putting in new power lines from a new nuke power plant, and we had about 40 miles of open power lines...What a ball.....Best riding I ever had. Once the finished it they closed a lot of if off as it passed thru peoples pasture etc. I drive by them now and most are all brush and I remember what it was then...awesome.................Geo

 

[Rob/Windsor Ont.]

n/t

 

[George-CT]

far as I'm concerned. My son and my daughter still like to get in a muddy section of one pasture we have thats always wet and see who can get the most mud on the other one. Down side is we are all good at it and we all come out so you can just see the whites of our eyes thru the glasses.... Quads have the same effect on us.... We have one section at our face track we flood just for this purpose.
Last year we had the Honey Wagon or out house pumper outter guy try it with his new 4x4 truck... He got stuck, and we had more fun with him....He loved it. He used to come up to our mud bog races with it after that....

The trail riding itself takes a lot of practice to get over different things, or thur them. Takes alot of slow speed balance on the hard stuff and depending on how big the course is, stamina. Hill climbs are fun also. I'll dig some pictures out on some of them.....Fun stuff.....

No lighting that day, just off and on rain, but with all the snow melt, you see the water everywhere along with mud.... If you get where there is a lot of top soil, your not moving at all....just to mushy....but you can sure have fun burying the guys behind you.

Its different where ever you go in the country. East coast riding is a lot of rocks, mud, hills. West coast is more desert, sand, long hills...
Florida, is flat sand, no hills, and they avoid swamps for most part because of whats in them..... Most of the people I've met from other places say our tracks, and trails are more technical.

George-CT

 

[George-CT]

with your clothes on... Keeps you in good all around shape. You get to see lots of new areas to ride you would never see. I still do a 100 mile one in NH each year. Again, I ride sweep now, but you still do the same course, your just not racing, although my son will ride it, then come tear me up with mud. It used to be the other way around, so I'm good with that....LOL........ This is why I still stay active in the dirt bike club, just can't get away from it. My son is just as bad. We have 4 of those units down stairs and all are set up to get with the program.....

I'd rather be doing that or like you, out in the kayak, anything than sitting around waiting for the grim reaper to come get me. Let him work for it and catch me having fun. Thats how I want to go out........smiling enjoying life. Might now happen but I'm creating all the conditions for it to be that way.....

Geo

 

[George-CT]

The only thing that stops you from doing it is the body gives out. As I said to the others I ride sweep on the trails so I can set my own pace and go easy on the back. I stand most of the time to keep the pounding off the spine, disc.... Motocross, I can still ride the track, but not fast. I can't handle the jumps, to big, and back don't like it.....3 jumps and I'm on the couch for a week....I finally got the message on that one..... The older you get the more or longer it seems to hurt when you get these bruises.... Even with all the neat new gear, you still hurt.... I'm not fast anymore, but I'm consistent enough that I will wear a newer rider out. I get at one pace and carry it everywhere....I don't get as tired as I don't have to be quick as alert and shape but just never let up.... Years of doing it give me and edge for about any condition.... It would be just like yourself out in the woods, with some green horn. You know the moves and what it takes to make it out there so it LOOKS easy....

Geo

 

[George-CT]

The same with Hare Scrambles and Enduro's.... The woods stuff for this ride, you can even ride doubles if you like, We have 2 guy and wife teams that come, and they hustle thru the woods. You need to be a decent rider to stick with them. We have girls that ride also and have a ball at it.... Enduros are more for fun for most of them. For $30 bucks you get a full day of riding and a nice BBQ or Chicken dinner at the end and depending on the sponsors for each club a lot of gifts for different wards. Fastest, slowest, best double team, all the cc class winners. We run 125cc, both 2 stroke and 4 stroke, 250 class and 450 class and up. Some ride 650 combo rigs. Heavy but they do both on and off road. Fine if no mud but thats a heavy rig if you stick it other the knobbys load up and no traction, your in for along day.

Here is a picture of what he was riding last year. from left to right. 125cc, and 250cc and 450 Honda XR. The quad is a 250R 2 stroke for racing.... We also have a 5 other quads for racing and hill climbs...and one bike for hill climbs... He just raded the to green Kawies, for 2 new Yamaha bikes new this year.... A 250cc and a 450cc.

If you carry a lot of speed, the weight is no problem, but if you can't its along day if you even finish., just wear you down. Woods riding is
a lot of different terrain and different people are better in certain types that others....

All these bikes have a lot of travel in the suspension and soak up about anything. They are fast.....

My son Andy is on the 610 bike in the air in the second shot......

Geo

 

[Rob/Windsor Ont.]

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