A Photo Essay of Recent UP Trail Rides: 2big4akdx & Nestrick

[Nestrick]

INTRODUCTION

This story began with an email message from Neal O’Brien [2big4akdx] to me [Nestrick] a couple of weeks ago … seems that I had mentioned to Neal on a previous ride up in Atlanta that I was dreaming about riding some of the UP trails … this seed must have been planted well as Neal remembered and decided to use some of his two weeks off for change-over at Delphi to ride the UP. So, in his email, Neal says to get my stuff ready and we’ll take off on Thursday morning … head up to the UP and ride until Sunday afternoon when we have to return to meet some of his previously scheduled obligations. Man, I was so excited I felt like a kid … and to top things off, just before we left, I received a telephone call from Woodsy who gabbed with me for well over an hour … during our rambling discussions the subject of this ride came up and Woodsy mentioned that he had not ridden any trails in the UP and he as very interested in whatever comparisons we might be able to make regarding the LP trails versus the UP trails. I laughed and responded that while my memory is reasonably good, my trail experiences are relatively poor having only been riding for three seasons … however, we both agreed that Neal would be a vast resource of trail experiences upon which exacting comparisons in excruciating detail could be founded … well, that’s what Woodsy and I concluded anyway … it’s really amazing how clear our visions can be and yet fail so miserably! More on this fiasco later …

I spent the better part of a day and a half getting my bike ready, maintenance done, extra gear, chemicals, tools, and miscellaneous travel stuff ready so there would be no delays when Neal arrived at my home in Midland pick me up. The night before we left, Neal called and said that he would be here between eight and ten in the morning … BE READY! At about 8 AM I get a call from Neal … seems that he had developed a flat tire on his truck and because the tires were not in real good shape he wanted to stop off in Midland to pick up a new set on the way up north. After about an hour’s drive up to Midland from south of Saginaw where Neal lives, then about 1.5 hours at Sears getting tires installed and the front end aligned, then another 45 minutes or so loading up the bikes on the trailer, and rearranging and loading gear into the truck, we are finally on our way!

[See photo: Left]
Note the nice new tires on the truck and those near virgin 756s on my CRF-450 … that’s me [Nestrick] on the right and Neal [2big4akdx] kind of obscured by the KDX200 on the left. Even though I had pulled preventative maintenance on the trailer tail lights the week before and had replaced all of the bulbs … I had Neal test them before we started … amazing, the right one failed to light when the brake was depressed. I quickly took the lens off and checked the filament and fiddled with the bulb … then it started working again … at this point the number of screw-ups was beginning to gnaw at my subconscious … more on the tail light tests to come!

FOREMAN LAKE

Because we got a late start, we opted to change our original plans which entailed beginning with the trails near Newberry [i.e., potentially: Pine Ridge, Two Heart, Silver Creek] and instead catch a couple of the shorter trails on the east side of the UP that Neal had yet to ride completely … namely, Foreman Lake and Kinross … as fate would have it, this change became the catalyst for our meeting a couple of riders in need! We intended to ride one today, stay overnight and ride the other tomorrow … remember folks, at best I ride at a pace that is about half that of Neal … so when you’re reading this dialog [diatribe?] you can stop wondering why we seemed to ride so little compared to yourself in the same situation. Also … I made it a top priority for myself to avoid all forms of catastrophic injury which might result in Neal leaving me in the woods, or potentially on the steps of a local hospital … you see, when it comes to riding, Neal is very serious and frowns on multitasking.

[See photo: Middle]
We started with Foreman Lake which is located northeast of Cedarville on M-134 … the trailhead is a couple of miles south on Springer Road off M-48. This trail is only 13 miles in length and is rated a Difficulty Grade 4 in the GLTR listing. On the road leading into the trail Neal noticed a WARNING sign on the DNR marker … we pulled over and got this picture.

[See photo: Right]
The warning sign mysteriously bore this poetic note … again I began to feel a gnawing on my subconscious … I was positive Woodsy said he had never been up here riding?

 

[Nestrick]

[See photo: Left]
By the time we got unloaded, it was about 5 PM … the day was cloudy and it had been raining before we arrived. The soil was very most and the mosquitoes were absolutely WILD … note that there is really no formal trailhead parking area … just a wide spot in the road with barely enough space to turn around and park. Also, this is the first incidence I encountered regarding Neal’s proclivity for parking the truck so I had to basically use a machete to hack my way through the brush in order to exit the vehicle. Take note also how clean the bikes are … Neal could hardly wait to bust through a mud puddle just down the road so he could get some dirt on his bike … for him, that was the official start of the trip! In my case, careful examination of the CRF’s muffler indicates a small, yellow plug in the pipe … in my eagerness, I forgot to remove it … normally my bike is a good starter, even cold … but today, after about 10 kicks I get one fire which has this really ‘different’ tone … again that gnawing feeling begins to creep into my subconscious … then Neal says in a rather matter of fact way: “Maybe you ought to remove the plug from your pipe?” Man, I ripped that sucker out and on the next kick the CRF came to life … whew … I was really getting worried ‘cause Neal was sitting there on his KDX with the motor running …

[See photo: Middle]
Being our first ride, I was a bit worried as this trail was rated a 4 which meant to me that it would resemble Evart which is the only 4 trail I have ridden to date. Well, parts of the trail were indeed as challenging as Evart, but overall, Foreman Lake is a much more fun to ride in my opinion. It has open trail areas such as shown in this photo which are narrow, often rocky and hilly, but sufficiently wide to permit noobs like me to motivate at a reasonable pace.

[See photo: Right]
Here you see Neal blasting through one of the open spots between wood stands … the twisty trail is about 10 inches wide in the dirt, and your really need to stay within its boundary as just off the trail are many hazards concealed in the tall grass and brush. The grey stuff in the grass on the right is a large rock and part of a stump just off the edge of the trail which is difficult to see from Neal’s perspective … not something one wants to encounter accidentally at speed!

 

[Nestrick]

[See photo: Left]
Neal rode ahead of me through most of trail which was nearly all single track not accessible to ATVs, excepting the leg leading to Foreman Lake which appeared to be routinely driven on by Quads. Upon my arrival at the lake Neal had been there a while and I managed to capture in this frame exactly what I saw … man, this picture says it all … Neal is definitely at home on a bike on the trails in the middle of nowhere!

[See photo: Middle]
Here I am … finally riding the UP! I think my facial expression says it all!

[See photo: Right]
After completing the entire loop it was about 7:30 PM … too late to go anywhere else and too early to quit … so, Neal jumps on the CRF and rips the front leg of the trail again while I practice riding the KDX200 on a stretch of relatively easy stuff. Most of Foreman Lake is very different than anywhere I have been before … it is narrow and closely overgrown with ferns and grass in many areas as indicated in this photo … can you see the trail? Much of the trail is in the woods and the loamy soil is littered with rocks … however, not the round ones we are accustomed to in the LP … instead flat ones which lie together so closely that sometimes it almost feels like the trail is cobblestone! There are many rocky sections spread throughout the trail but all of them are relatively easy to ride over and were not a problem even for me … however, I did ride slowly and carefully in the more difficult sections … Neal basically blasted through all of this trail and he mentioned that he was surprised it was labeled at a Difficulty Grade 4 … he thought it was more like a 2. At the time I wouldn’t have agreed … but later, after riding Sandtown which is also a 4 … I guess I would have to agree with Neal … Foreman Lake is not that hard. Even for a Noob … this is a challenging but nice trail to ride.

It was during these comparative trail discussions that Neal complained he couldn’t remember much about trails he had ridden in the past … he claimed to have indulged a bit too much in certain herbs during his formative years and therefore believed he had suffered considerable brain cell depletion … that was his story and he was stickin’ to it! Despite such claimed mental malady, Neal seemed to remember just about everything concerning the trails he had been on in the UP previously … even some of the confusing spots we ran into … it just took a while for me to coax the stuff out of him … he’s really more of a listener than a talker!

By the way, almost forgot this! We got the bikes loaded and were ready to leave at about 8:30 PM … the mosquitoes are absolutely THICK … Neal climbs into the truck and I yell at him to step on the brake … just wanted to double check the trailer lights. Damn, now the left light is not working … I quickly grab a screwdriver and take the lens off … fiddle around with the bulb for several minutes … can’t find anything wrong … gees, if I don’t get this fixed soon I’m gonna run out of blood … finally, after about twenty tries and twenty failures, I give up and reassemble the tail light. About this time, Neal, who incidentally has been sitting in the mosquito-free environs of the truck cab announces through a slightly cracked window that he has the problem solved … turns out he bumped the turn signal while getting into the truck which causes the trailer tail light to not function when the brake is depressed and the motor isn’t running … “Is it working now?” he says. Man, if I hadn’t lost so much blood, I might have strangled him and left his body in the ferns to be sucked dry by twenty billion hungry mosquitoes, or perhaps, one hungry UP squirrel!

 

[Nestrick]

KINROSS


[See photo: Left]
It’s about 10:30 AM and we’ve checked out of our motel in Cedarville, got some breakfast and driven up to the Kinross Trail which is located a couple of miles east of the city of Kinross and south of M-80 about a mile. Interestingly, the DNR Trailhead sign bears another warning poster … we stopped and got this photo of me reading it.

[See photo: Middle]
Here’s the message … cryptic, but tantalizingly familiar … somehow word of Woodsy seems to have leaked across the Straits of Macinac and the DNR has really taken it seriously! Before going any farther, I made sure to check my maps and compass … wouldn’t want to “Pull a Woodsy” up here … the squirrels are much bigger and meaner in ‘Da Yooper ya know’! Neal told me about an article he read in National Geographic … seems that one small UP squirrel can make up to twelve of those pasties they sell along the roadside. Perhaps the squirrels are so big up here because getting lost is usually not an overnight deal … it’s more like a fortnight?

[See photo: Right]
This is another shot of Neal’s typical parking configuration … when I got out to take the previous picture, not only were the weeds nearly up to the window, but the ditch fell off about 4 feet into a mucky mess that I had to slog through just to get up on the bank. Man if you ride with Neal, be prepared for the worst whenever exiting the vehicle!

 

[Nestrick]

[See photo: Left]
This is the trailhead parking facility for Kinross. It is nicely graveled, has a restroom facility and is picture perfect. Upon our arrival we even had some company … a husband and wife team was preparing to ride Quads in the area. Kinross is a 25 mile trail basically divided into north and south loops of about equal length. The GLTR lists it at a Difficulty Rating of 3. In my opinion, the north loop is considerably easier to ride as a significant portion is ATV accessible. We even passed a couple of ladies riding their Quads on this section of the trail when we started riding. The south loop is another story … it is much more technical, narrower, rocky in spots, over grown in areas and quite twisty. In my opinion, I would rate the north loop a 2 and the south loop between a 3 and a 4 depending on where you are riding.

[See photo: Middle]
This is typical of the conifer stands we passed through on the north loop … the trail is wide and easy to ride. The scenery was out of this world.

[See photo: Right]
We stopped to take a break and eat a snack at this rather peculiar spot. Seems they left a wind row of pines that is three trees wide separating a road just to my left and an open field, to my right, supporting regrowth following a clear cut sometime in the recent past. The trail runs down the inside of the wind row which is over a quarter of mile in length … it is perfectly straight and from this spot one cannot see the outlet at the other end. We had been eating peanuts as a snack, and when we got ready to leave we could hear a lot of very heavy rustling in the pine boughs above our heads … bet it was one of those vicious Yooper squirrels thinking we were lost and were gonna try to make a snack out of him?

 

[Nestrick]

[See photo: Left]
It’s now about 12:30 PM and we are riding the south loop … stopped here to take a break. Notice that the trail is narrowing down, becoming sandier with occasional rocks, and is getting more challenging. The south loop is not ATV accessible and was considerably more challenging for me to ride … Neal continued to blast along at his normal ‘break neck’ speed … in fact, from my perspective, Neal never seems to slow down … he just goes a bit faster at times!

[See photo: Right]
Another picture of the trail leading into the easier portion of the south loop … unfortunately, I did not take any pictures in the tougher portions of the trail … I was too busy trying to keep the bike moving as I could hear Neal getting farther and farther ahead.

Overall, I liked the north loop and tolerated the south loop. Both Neal and I agreed that Kinross was easier riding than Foreman Lake. Neither of us could come up with any LP trails that were good comparisons for Kinross … the trail has such considerable diversity and no whoops … not much in the LP like it!

 

[Nestrick]

BREVORT

We hustled to load up the bikes and equipment then headed over to the Trout Lake area where we intended to catch a portion of the Brevort Trail before sunset. This meant we drove east from Kinross and picked up H-40 in Rudyard and followed it all the way into Trout Lake. Because we wanted to ride as late as possible, we opted to rent our motel room on the way through Trout Lake and then head over to the northernmost trailhead which is located about three miles west of M-123 on Huckleberry Road just south of Carp Lake. Be advised that this location is marked on the GLTR map for Brevort-Trout Lake Trails but in actuality is just a wide spot in the road where the trail begins … and this wide spot happens to be a sand excavation point so the surface is soft and care must be used to avoid getting the vehicle stuck. The mosquitoes were again rather thick as the surrounding area was entirely swamp … we hurried to get the bikes unloaded and off we went down the short connector leading to the northern portion of the trail which forms a large loop. Before going more than 250 yards Neal comes to a screeching halt and signals me to pull over. It seems that someone had intentionally cut down several trees so as to block the ORV trail at a point just after a small hill with a left hand turn at the top. These folks were none too bright as they cut down one tree which fell the wrong way and missed the trail … we stopped and carefully policed up the trees so as to leave the trail clear and then continued on using extra caution in case other such surprises awaited us. To our great relief, none were encountered!

The Brevort Trail is single track that is basically not accessible to ATVs … it is given a Difficulty Rating of 4 in the GLTR listing. Both Neal and I agree with this rating as most of the trail is narrow, tight, rough, rocky in many places, muddy, slippery, and is seldom boring. We passed through several mud holes on our trek down the west side of the loop through the ‘the rock pile’ area … the wet loam was very slippery on the rocky surfaces and this was my first real experience with ‘larger’ rocks that one cannot totally avoid. With a bit of practice and a lot of standing on the pegs holding my breath, I managed to get through this entire rocky section only putting the bike down once! Every time I saw Neal he was busting along riding over every possible obstacle with a grin so large I could see it from behind!

Because of the riding difficulty, the wet muddy conditions, and the fact that the light was becoming poor in the woods I did not stop to take any pictures in this part of our ride. To some extent, I was praying that I didn’t fall and break the camera, or dump it in a mud hole … one minor point I failed to mention, the camera is my wife’s and she mentioned something about not coming home if I broke it!

We rode the trail south until it was clear we would not have sufficient time to complete the entire loop before dark … so we opted to head back on the fire roads which turned out to be a real blast for me. This ‘dual sporting’ approach has great merit … both Neal and I talked about getting our bikes plated so we could do this everywhere. I really liked blasting down the fire roads, busting through mud puddles and jumping the small bumps … quite a change from creeping down the muddy trail!

[See photo: Left, Middle, Right]
While returning on the fire roads I did manage to capture a bit of the local scenery … the wind was very still so much of the water in the swampy lakes was like a mirror and the reflections were just awesome … perhaps these frames will help you imagine our visual delight?

 

[Nestrick]

[See photo: Left]
Early the next morning [Saturday] we arose and were greeted with another glorious day … the sun was shining, the frogs were singing and the mosquitoes were biting! This picture illustrates how muddy we got running part of the Brevort loop … man, I don’t think I’d ever seen my bike that dirty before! Being the thumper man in the group, it was time to change my engine and tranny oil before we rode any further. With a bit of help from Neal we managed to get this task done without removing the bike from the trailer and we were soon on our way to the official Brevort Trailhead which is located a few miles south of Trout Lake down M-123 and then about 5 miles west of M-123 on Burma Road.

[See photo: Middle]
Upon driving into the parking lot, we immediately noticed another one of those seemingly ubiquitous Warnings affixed to the DNR Trailhead sign.

[See photo: Right]
This is the message it contained. Man, Da Yoopers sure seem to have that Woodsy guy pegged? Now we were becoming a bit frightened that we might get lost on this trail … and we were assessing my slow pace against the remainder of our Trail riding wish list … such things can change even the best laid plans. On final assessment, we opted to forego further riding on the Brevort and instead head up to the Newberry area and catch as much of Pine Ridge and Two Heart as we could today, then return to Trout Lake and catch more of Brevort on Sunday before leaving for home.

We stopped at our motel and rented the room for another night and headed northwest to Newberry … as you will soon learn, this turned out to be a mistake and wound up costing us a couple extra hours driving.

 

[Nestrick]

TWO HEART & PINE RIDGE

[See photo: Left]
The DNR Trailhead facility for these trails is located just to the west of H-37 about 2 miles north of Pine Stump Junction. We arrived at about 2 PM and immediately discovered another Warning posted on the trailhead sign. As you can see, my riding gear is becoming acclimated to the UP trail conditions.

[See photo: Middle]
Here’s a close up of the Warning message … I’m beginning to get the feeling that someone up here really has it in for Woodsy … as nice as he seems to be, the DNR almost precludes that Woodsy’ll get lost as soon as he leaves the parking lot?

[See photo: Right]
On parking our rig we are immediately greeted by a couple of bikers who ask: “Haven’t got a radiator for a CR-250 do ya?” Turns out these guys are Dan Djokovic from Indianapolis, IN and David Moeller from Waukesha, WI. They had been riding on the Two Heart before we arrived when Dave lost his right radiator guard and subsequently suffered a stick puncture of the bare radiator. Dave was a blustery, 67 year old who had been riding for many years … he was stomping around his bike, completely bummed out that his weekend ride plans were dashed and he was mentally preparing himself for the long ride back to WI. This picture captures Neal assessing the damages … the tall fellow on the right in black Moose gear is Dave and the fellow in blue moose gear with his back to the camera is Dan.

 

[Nestrick]

[See photo: Left]
Here’s the problem … if you look closely you can see the coolant leaking out of the puncture onto the pipe. At this point Dan and Dave had run out of options and Dave had made up his mind to pack up and leave. Neal tells them that he might be able to fix it if they want to risk his ‘operating’ on the radiator in the field … he tells them: “No guarantees!” Dave is still saying that he is really leery of going out into the boonies with a cobbled-up radiator … but a little cajoling by Dan and he relents to permit the repair.

After an hour of very technical work, Neal manages to trim out all the fins attached to the punctured tube … he then carefully cut the tube perpendicular to its cross section at the puncture point … then he rolled up the tube, like a tube of tooth paste, on each side being careful to tightly pinch it as he proceeded … and finally he wrapped the finished rolls with tape and further pinched the roll as tight as possible without puncturing the wall.

[See photo: Middle]
The final product of Neal’s amazing radiator field repair! We filled the system with coolant, started up the CR-250 and she purred like a kitten. After several minutes, not a single drop of leakage could be detected … man, I was very impressed … Neal acted like this sort of thing happens every day and he simply went about donning his riding gear and making sandwiches for everybody. Dave was convinced … he would stay and ride! He was still very concerned, but not so much as to ride any easier. Seems that we had only been on the trail up the eastern loop of the Two Heart a few minutes when Dave cut a corner too sharp and caught a foot peg on a tree stump hidden in the brush … this led to a relatively high speed get off where the bike skidded hard on the right side before coming to a stop. The radiator repair survived even this rough treatment … still no leak and the bike was running like a champ. Dave was fine too! Amazing!

[See photo: Right]
Two Heart and Pine Ridge are ATV accessible, 50 inch wide, sandy and relatively open trails that are given a Difficulty Rating of 2 in the GLTR listing. They are fast and fun … and best of all, represent nearly 100 miles of ATV accessible trail that has few whoops to be found! I enjoyed riding them the most of all the trails we described in this adventure … namely because I could ride a faster pace without serious hazards along the trailside. This picture is an example of the trail at one of our rest stops … everyone was blasting along and having the time of their lives. Yes, this area was a bit dusty.

 

[Nestrick]

[See photo: Left]
Here is another shot of the trail as it is passing through a wooded area. As indicated, the trail was relatively consistent in composition and texture … however, note that we only rode the eastern loop of the Two Heart which was about half of the available mileage.

[See photo: Right}
Having arrived back at the parking facility around 5 PM, we take a break and decide to tackle the southern half of Pine Ridge which should be about 30 miles of additional riding on trails that are similar to those of Two Heart … a distance we feel can be completed by all before darkness. I didn’t take any more pictures as the trail conditions were essentially identical to the Two Heart … an absolutely awesome, fast paced, ripping ride! Perhaps the more accurate reason was that I was simply having too much fun riding and didn’t want to stop … you’ll just have to take my word on this … these are fun trails for anyone to ride regardless of their skill level. If you’re up there sometime … be sure to give them a try.

 

[Nestrick]

SANDTOWN

Upon completion of portions of Two Heart and Pine Ridge, Dave’s CR-250 radiator was still leak-free so he and Dan decided to ride another trail Sunday morning and they invited us to ride with them. They were going to Sandtown which is just southwest of Newberry, a couple of miles west of M-117 on Sandtown Road. This was very convenient for them as they were staying in a motel in Newberry … however, we had originally planned on returning to Trout Lake this evening and riding Brevort on Sunday before our departure. Since it was almost 9 PM by the time we got loaded up, and it was over an hour’s drive back to Trout Lake tonight and another hour’s drive tomorrow morning to get back here, plus Dan and Dave wanted to eat breakfast at 7 AM … it meant we would be getting up very early tomorrow and doing about 2 extra hours of driving if we rode with them. After less than 12 nanoseconds, Neal says: “Let’s ride with them tomorrow.’ Decision made … what’s a little extra driving when it means you can ride with newly made friends?

Sandtown is 40 inch, single track trail that has a Difficulty Rating of 4 in the GLTR listing. It is very hilly, very rough, very narrow in spots, and generally the toughest trail I have ever ridden successfully. IMHO it is considerably more difficult than Evart which also bears a 4 rating.

[See photo: Left]
On arrival I was absolutely flabbergasted to see another of those Warnings posted on the DNR Trailhead Sign.

[See photo: Middle]
Here’s the message … now I am really confused … first they appear to be about Woodsy, then this one seems to be from Woodsy? I thought he told me that he hadn’t been up here on a motorcycle … something’s not right here! Guess I’ll have to be sure to write a trail report otherwise I might be cited for some sort of trail violation by the DNR … imagine that, getting a fine for not writing a report … this is beginning to sound like something that Woodsy might have cooked up? Yea … him and INCA have gotten pretty tight lately … they could be up to something?

[See photo: Right]
This is the parking facility at Sandtown … it is a nice, clean trailhead surrounded on all sides by very heavy woods. We unloaded and geared up quickly as our time was limited today.

 

[Nestrick]

[See photo: Left]
Riders Four … [from L to R]: Dave Moeller, Neal O’Brien, Terry Nestrick, and Dan Djokovic. This is our first break point at a small lake beside the trail. Up to this point I am doing pretty good as this trail starts out easy and steadily increases in difficulty the farther you ride. We are beginning to see what I will define as the characteristic obstacle for the trail … namely, the well placed tree on the inside vertex of virtually every difficult turn. Whoever laid out the trail sure liked to put turns on top of trees … probably I wouldn’t be telling you about them except many of these turns also displayed one other nasty property. Namely, on the outside of such turns the trail often became soft and fell off a steep, downhill slope lined with stumps and other rubble to make a fall virtually lethal! Sometimes an additional factor such as an immediate, steep climb up a root infested, slippery slope faced the rider who successfully rounded the tree and avoided the lethal downhill fall. For me, a third season rider, this place should be renamed: SANDTOWN CONFIDENCE COURSE.

[See photo: Middle]
What do you give someone who takes you riding in the UP?

[See photo: Right]
How about some flowers to match their outfit? As you can see, Neal was practically in tears.

 

[Nestrick]

[See photo: Left & Middle]
These shots depict the earliest portions of the trail where it is relatively easy to ride. I figure these sections were put in to get folks like me to commit to the trail … then when you’re in too far to turn around, they start with the rough stuff. Gees … after a certain point, I don’t think I could have turned around … not enough space, too many obstacles, too dangerous!

At about the half way point, I spot Neal waiting for me at a road crossing. His computations based on my current pace indicate trail completion sometime next month! Neal indicates we need to get finished a bit sooner than this predicted ETA, hence we opt for the ‘dual sport’ ride down the fire roads to return quickly to the parking facility.

[See photo: Right]
On our return I immediately spot a new Warning posted on the Trailhead sign … here it is … man, whoever is doing this has no conscience … we all know Woodsy never gets lost … right? Or is it left?

Anyway, Neal and I had a great time on this adventure. We did some incredible riding … we met some new friends … Neal got to practice some dangerous trail fixes on someone else’s bike … I got 10.6 hours of motor time riding all the different trails and used almost 5 gallons of gas. We discovered that the UP DNR office apparently has Woodsy pegged and is posting all the trails to ensure that fellow riders are not surprised should he appear there soon. I hope everyone enjoys this tome … it took me nearly as long to write it as it did to ride it!

Woodsy … we hope you enjoy our adventure too, despite the flogging you seem to be getting from the DNR.

Terry Nestrick & Neal O’Brien :cool:

 

[woodsy]

Reading this essay sure brings to light
The fun Neal and Terry had, man they did it right!
Though the bugs were thicker then mashed taters on a plate,
These two guys made great memories, proving its never to late!
Poor Terry made a deal with ol Woodsy it seems,
To write this GREAT essay and capture their dreams.
Though warned time and again of potential disaster,
Neal kept the pace going faster and faster.
Terry’s job was not easy while following Neal,
But Nestrick did GREAT, all the FUN I can feel!
This story brought laughter upon Woodsy’s face,
And tears of joy, when in Neals hands flowers were placed.
The trails that they rode were beyond compare
To anything South they have nothing to share!
Terry’s wife’s camera did a wonderful thing,
What beautiful pictures of their trip it did bring!
But I think poor ol’ Woodsy has taken a licken
While these two new yoopers with that camera were clicken.
And Neal, once again has shown ALL mankind,
When it comes to us riders, he’ll leave NO ONE behind!
Whether taping on tires or fixin a Rad,
When it comes to repairs, he makes Macgiver look bad!
MANY thanks to you two for the time that you spent,
bringing joy to us all who would have LOVED to have went!
Though its probably best with you guys I didn’t roam,
Cause the U.P. of Michigan would have been your new home.
Terry writings are FANTASTIC, so vividly pure.
Someday the U.P. will see Kadie for sure!!!

Terry and Neal:
THANK YOU!!!! That ride report is AWESOME!! Thank you for taking the time to include the rest of us by writing and taking those beautiful pics!! Terry, it has been a while since I have been thru the U.P. and when I asked you to do a comparison to the lower trails I had forgotten how completely different the UP is!! I DEFINITLY will ride up there someday! What a super trip you two had, the way things started out for you guys sounded like a normal trip to me :) The only thing missing in your entire trip is the fact that you didnt get to taste some burnt squirrel but hey, there's always next time :thumb:
You met your goal of writing that SUPER report that you told me you would. Now I am going back to read it again!!
Thanks again
Woodsy

 

[70 marlin]

Terry: Your ride report was just great! I printed it out for a trail guild for the future. It will be nice to what trails to hit and the skill level needed to ride them. "What’s this woodsy thing" I've heard a northern MI lour that if you smell burn squirrel in the woods, be on the look out for the "Woodsy". :yikes: :worship:

 

[YZMAN400]

Terry words cannot express how jealious of your riding adventure I am. Not only did you get to go to the U.P. for the best riding in the state, but you got to ride with my buddy Dan D. Imagine my suprise when I saw his name pop up in your report. That man really gets around. I rode out to Moab Utah with him last October. Small world indead.

I dont know what it is but everytime I cross the bridge my breathing comes easier, my blood flows free'er, and my awareness of time goes completely out the window with the breeze. I love the U.P. I would be there more often if I could aford the drive. Heck I would live up there if I could figure out a way to eek out a living.

Hmmmm maybe I could put up a stand in the middle of the woods selling burnt squirl and bug spray to hapless dirtbikers on the "woodsy trail" I would make a mint! Retirement here I come...

 

[WildBill]

Great write-up Terry. The UP must be on every rider's to do list. Thanks for the narative. If my bike wasn't clean, I'd swear that I was up there riding with you two. Thanks for sharing.

 

[KX250MiRider]

Terry,
Great post, thanks for taking the time to create such a descriptive post. Makes me wish I was in the U.P

:)

 

[bbarel]

FOREMAN LAKE
I made it a top priority for myself to avoid all forms of catastrophic injury which might result in Neal leaving me in the woods, or potentially on the steps of a local hospital … you see, when it comes to riding, Neal is very serious and frowns on multitasking.

Good Plan, last time I rode that trail - actually the sister trail Birch Hills, my buddy found a Birch tree (of all things) and busted up his ribs on both sides real good, which earned him an ambulance ride and a few days stay at the Sioux hospital, until he could move and breathe again...

Nice reports, I enjoyed them. I love the UP.

 

[KTM Mike]

Terry - I have not really read the whole report in detail - only able to scim it quickly here at work - but OUTSTANDING! I am jealous! I was wondering when you guys got back from the trip. I hope to read it in all its glorious detail later tonight!

 

[PoeBrian]

Nestrick,
The next time you go, ride Birch Hill and Bay City Lake Trails. They are short but very very fun!

 

[tripdog7]

Nice photos and report. Me and my wife were also in the U.P. last week riding. We saw a black bear on the trail near Newberry, got rained on in Two Heart, and sampled some high speed snowmobile trails. It was great to just ride and be able to go anywhere you wanted. I plan on returning to the Two Heart area and camping at Pike Lake, very nice trails and camping area.

 

[INCA]

Thanks for the time and effort to do such a fine story. The laughs you produced are what keeps things going all the way around. The best part for me is that you have taken the pressure off for deviltry. Up to now it has been rather easy for Woodsy to figure things out - except how Renie knew my name. I have your number and will give you a call when I get my ducks in a row.
Don't let up now,
Young Ted

 

[INCA]

There now is a man named Terry,
Who goes off to the woods to be merry.
And in this environment sublime,
He comes forth with some of his rhyme.

So now we have one more,
To ease the chore,
Of getting to Woodsy's rage,
By continually rattling his cage.

This can be a challenge of sorts,
To be involved with two nutty cohorts.
You are welcome to join in the fray,
As for some, it makes their day.

For anyone else with the guts,
Feel free to parry with some nuts.
As Judge MWeissen is able,
To accept a business expense under the table.

Author Unknown