We decided to break camp Sunday morning before we headed out to ride.
That way we'd be able to hit the road quickly after riding, and we'd
be in good shape if there were any kind of a problem that caused us to
get back late.
Loaded up for the trip home:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb35/WoodsChick/Craig%20At%20Stonyf...%20Dec%
The trailer:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb35/WoodsChick/Craig%20At%20Stonyf...%20Dec%
The WR on the front rack:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb35/WoodsChick/Craig%20At%20Stonyf...%20Dec%
Because of their driveway/parking situation, Eric and Tami are
somewhat limited in the size of camper & trailer that they can use
without major hassles. They make very efficient use of what they can
park and manage to bring everything necessary for a good camping/
riding trip.
Since there were only three of us for Sunday, we made the decision to
stay out of the snow and ice for the day. If we got into a situation
that required lots of pushing, we'd wear ourselves out quickly.
Fortunately, there was plenty of snow-free riding available. By Sunday
I was feeling very comfortable with the bike and had fully adjusted to
the trials tire on the rear. I was very beat from two days of riding
(after two years of not really riding), but getting more comfortable
on the bike seemed to balance that out - I didn't need to work as hard
to ride a fun pace.
At one point, Eric and I went up a little side trail to see where it
went. It went up a short distance and then intersected with another
main trail. I'd been talking about riding the 125 all weekend, so
after we came back down from that little side trip it seemed like a
good time to give it a try. I decided to take it back up where I'd
just been to get a feel for it and following Eric's instruction to
"ride it like it's rented," I took off WFO. I promptly missed the
shifter three times in a row trying to get to second gear, which I'm
sure sounded great.
On the 125:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb35/WoodsChick/Craig%20At%20Stonyf...%20Dec%
Balancing on the 125 - pretending it's my trials bike:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb35/WoodsChick/Craig%20At%20Stonyf...%20Dec%
It'd been 15 years or so since I'd ridden a 125, but it didn't take
long at all to figure out how to ride it... just pin it and hang on. It
felt like a minibike and in no time I was riding more aggressively
than I've ridden in a very long time. On an uphill trail with a bunch
of whoops I was jumping bigger stuff and further than I ever have
(I've never been much of a jumper) - the bike just made it seem right
and doable. It was draining my energy quickly but man was it a ton of
fun.
When I got back on the 250, I was immediately able to ride it harder
than I'd been comfortable prior to my little 125 escapade. After
getting the feel for riding the 250 a little bit harder and faster, I
snuck in front of Tami at the next stop to see if I could give chase
to Eric. I rode 10/10ths for a couple of miles and was barely able to
keep up. I knew if I kept at it I'd crash, but it was very
invigorating and just may have corrupted me. I've always been happy
riding my lazy fun pace and haven't felt much need to try to go
faster... until Sunday. Now I'm seriously considering purchasing a 125.
At this point we took a little lunch break and Tami met a guy she knew
from thumpertalk. Funny how the internet makes the world such a small
place. He'd lost touch with his group and needed a map to make sure he
could get back to camp. After getting Tami to promise that they
wouldn't leave me for dead out there I gave him the map from my pack.
I hadn't looked at it all weekend as I was blindly following, but I
liked having it in case I got separated from the group.
Oh, that reminds me. Either Friday or Saturday afternoon (drawing a
blank), we ran into a guy at a trail intersection who'd clearly taken
a hit to the head. He was riding alone and he had that 'head injury'
look in his eyes and kept asking the same question over and over while
not listening to the answer. Fortunately, another couple of guys had
met up with him before us and took off after him to make sure he made
it back to his camp. It could have turned out ugly for him if he
didn't make it back.
Lunch stop:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb35/WoodsChick/Craig%20At%20Stonyf...%20Dec%
Eric's GasGas 250 wonderbike at the lunch stop:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb35/WoodsChick/Craig%20At%20Stonyf...%20Dec%
After lunch we rode more good stuff and then made our way back towards
camp. Tami was done, so after dropping her off at camp, Eric and I
went out for a bit more. I was completely spent physically but I was
having so much fun that I wasn't quite ready to stop. I took the
KTM450 at that point and Eric was on his GasGas. This was my first
ride on a KTM450 and I was pleased with how light and nimble it felt
for a big four stroke. After a few miles we took a little rest and I
couldn't get it started (the e-start button was broken and it was
being finicky all weekend about starting) so I used it as an excuse to
get back on the GasGas. Eric bump started it on a hill rather than
kick it any more and we took off for a few more miles of really neat
single track that ran up, down and along wooded hillsides. This trail
was as good as any we'd ridden all weekend and was the perfect ending
to a perfect ride. I hated the idea of heading back to camp, but I
knew I'd been pushing my luck for a while being so tired and being on
the "last ride" for the weekend so we called it a day and headed back
to camp.
Remarkably, I was crash free all weekend. I'm a little bit sore now,
but nowhere near as bad as I thought I'd be. I can't find even a
single bruise on my body. Clearly I wasn't riding hard enough.
We loaded up the bikes, ate a quick lunch and hit the road for the
drive back to Oakland. It always stinks when a good ride is over, but
when it's a great ride it's pretty disappointing. Fortunately I had a
pile of good memories to keep me entertained on the drive back and
then my flight back home.
I can't thank Tami and Eric enough for their generosity and
hospitality. I rode an amazing motorcycle (and a few other good ones),
ate like a king, slept like a ... well, I was warm, and had more fun
than I probably deserve. I couldn't have asked for more. Thanks guys!
Eric's GasGas 250 is the best off-road bike I've ever ridden. It helps
that he's particular about setup and we're pretty close in weight. The
Ohlins forks... holy cow. More than a couple of times I found myself
headed for something big thinking it was going to hurt and they just
soaked it up without drama. I don't know if it was the forks, brakes,
chassis or a combination of all three, but the feel and confidence I
got from the front brake was incredible. I could go on all day, but in
a nutshell: Wow!
I was sure that my next bike was going to be a plated four stroke but
now I don't know. Now I'm thinking about a GasGas 250/300 or a 125 for
my next ride. Or maybe both. Anybody have a few $$ to loan me?
That's all, folks.
Craig
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